Fairfield County Business Journal: 061019 by Westfair Business Journal

JUNE 10, 2019 VOL. 55, No. 23

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Left: Millennial buyers are focused on move-in-ready homes rather than fixer-uppers, such as the Perry Road property in Shelton. Photo courtesy Trulia. Right: Condominiums, like 55 Church St. in Greenwich, are popular with many entry-level homebuyers. Photo courtesy New England Land Co.

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Entry-level homebuyers face wide variety of pricing options BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

ntry-level homebuyers have increasingly become a major force in the national housing market. According to Genworth Mortgage Insurance’s FirstTime Homebuyer Market Report, homeownership neophytes accounted for 38 percent of the single-family homes sold and 57 percent of purchase mortgages originated in the U.S. during the

first quarter of this year. Closer to home, Fairfield County’s housing market has become a magnet for many entry-level homebuyers. “Fairfield County’s entry-level houses are selling quickly with multiple offers,” observed Candace Adams, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Services New England. “The higher the price, the more difficult it is to sell.” However, Fairfield County is hardly a homoge-

CALIFORNIA SUES OXYCONTIN MAKER PURDUE PHARMA

neous market when it comes to pricing entry-level housing. “Entry-level means different things to different people,” said Scott Elwell, Douglas Elliman’s senior executive regional manager of Westchester and Connecticut. “Greenwich and Wilton have very diverse offerings. A condo in Greenwich can go for $500,000 while houses in Wilton can go for similar pricing.” But just over the Wilton town line in Westport, prices on entry-level residences are significantly higher. “Obviously, it is different in Westport,” stated Linda Skolnick, a Realtor in Coldwell Banker’s Westport office. “Entry-level hous» » HOMEBUYERS

BY PAUL SCHOTT

alifornia announced on June 3 that it was suing Stamford-based Purdue Pharma and one of its owners, joining other states in the latest wave of lawsuits that allege the OxyContin maker fueled the opioid crisis with deceptive marketing of its pain drugs. The litigation comes from prosecutors who blame Purdue and members of the Sackler family who own the company for exacerbating an epidemic of opioid abuse that has seen some 218,000 Americans die from overdoses related to prescription opioids since 1999. Purdue faces more than 1,000 active com-

plaints, including 45 from states and hundreds filed by cities and counties. “The opioid crisis is devastating our communities and killing our loved ones. Purdue Pharma and (defendant) Dr. (Richard) Sackler started the fire and then poured gasoline on the opioid crisis with practices that were irresponsible, unconscionable and unlawful,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Purdue’s deliberate and deceptive marketing and sale of these drugs sacrificed the well-being of Californians for billions of dollars in profits and fueled an unprecedented national public health crisis. We will continue to hold accountable those who put profits » » PURDUE

Hers Yoga teacher Victoria Mellah brings her ‘om’ to your home BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

hen it comes to yoga, Victoria Mellah is bringing her “om” to your home. As the owner of Yoga Mobile Studio, the Fairfield-based Mellah is ready to turn any residence — not to mention office or rehab center — into a fully functional yoga center. “My purpose was bringing yoga to the masses,” she said. “I saw a need for people who couldn’t make it to a studio, whether because of vanity — they didn’t look good in their leggings or the gentlemen didn’t want to be seen in their shorts — or because of a practical purpose of time and being overwhelmed. I bring my studio with me. You have blocks and straps and blankets and bolsters and music and Lavender Love and everything that you’d find in a studio — but no baby goats.” Mellah began practicing yoga in 1998 as a therapeutic approach to chronic migraine headaches that traditional medicines could not abate. And unlike other fitness and wellness regimens, she added, yoga can be practiced by people of any age and any physical condition. “Everybody can do yoga,” she said. “There are 130 different styles. I teach a chair yoga class in the rehab centers, and two of my students are in wheelchairs. Yoga can be done by people with strokes, sports injuries, Alzheimer’s, dementia — yoga is a matter of stretching and breathing, so it really doesn’t matter what your capabilities are. I’ve had people of great size and proportions challenged in the beginning, but they stuck with it. One female who lost weight wrote a letter saying that for the first time in 30 years she was able to get down and off the floor alone.” The Yoga Mobile Studio classes are not a matter of Mellah watching over a room full of students. Instead, she is an active participant in all of the lessons being presented. “I take every class with my students so they can look up and say, ‘What the heck, she’s putting the left foot up in the air.’ ” she commented. “Instead of looking at the other students, they are getting the

JUNE 10, 2019

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Victoria Mellah poses next to her Yoga Mobile Studio car with the license place I TWIST. Photo by Phil Hall.

job done by looking at me and seeing how I am aligned.” Mellah’s active role in her classes can be challenging. She stated her limit is teaching four classes per day “because my body can’t take any more than that.” But she also stressed that it enables her to build a greater degree of synergy with her students. This is particularly crucial for her when yoga neophytes seek her out. “Everybody’s body, temperament and sensitivity is individual, so people don’t wake up in the morning and go, ‘I’m going to play at yoga today,’ like they would play basketball or tennis,” she continued. “They are usually in a health position that brings them to yoga. There are some people that have been certified as teachers that are instructors. There is a difference between an instructor and

a teacher. An instructor is going to instruct you into your poses and they are usually found in a gym. A teacher is bringing all of their knowledge, wisdom, love, attentiveness. I don’t want to use a judgmental term as a discrepancy, but the students see a difference. Coming from that perspective, everyone is going to resonate with somebody differently.” Mellah’s Yoga Mobile Studio travels throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties and across the border into Westchester and New York City. She has taken yoga into such diverse settings as Pitney Bowes, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield’s Three Roses Tattoo Art Gallery and Stratford’s Two Roads Brewery, and hosts Saturday morning yoga events on the beach at Silver Sands State Park in Milford. “I went kicking and screaming to

social media!” she laughed, but now mostly thrives on word-ofmouth recommendations. “I’ve been blessed to get referrals,” she said. “I have a tribe that follows me because I am mobile. They will ask me where I am next. I will show up at a public arena and there are 10 faces that I know and I will be, ‘Thank you!’ ” Mellah is planning to take her Yoga Mobile Studio overseas, with potential trips to retreats in Europe and South America. She also seeks to impart her observation that yoga is not a one-off happening, but a therapy that adapts to the ebb and flow of one’s environment. “I like to say we embrace today’s capabilities because our body works differently every single day,” she said. “So, something that is nailed perfectly on one day but is not so much the next day.”

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JUNE 10, 2019

Shearwater Coffee Bar brews up new location in Westport BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

he gourmet coffee business has been good for Ed Freedman. So good, in fact, that he’s opening a second Shearwater Coffee Bar in Westport. “I planned on opening more before I even opened Fairfield,” Freedman, who debuted his first location at 1215 Post Road in that town in 2017, said. “Being the one and only USDA-certified roaster in Fairfield County, we felt the time was right.” The Westport location at 833 Post Road will be “a little under 1,000 square feet” — the Fairfield store is a little over that size — according to Freedman. Currently “just a shell,” the new location, formerly a Bertucci’s, could be open by mid-July, he added. The coffee bars are a natural outgrowth of Freedman’s Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters in Trumbull. Founded in 2013, its brews are available in some 50 coffee shops and restaurants throughout Connecticut, while its bagged coffees are sold at Whole Foods and a number of independent stores as well as on its website. “I was roasting a couple hundred pounds a month when I started six years ago,” he said. “Now I’m doing 80,000 pounds a year. It’s really taken off.” Freedman believes the quality he delivers fills a hole in Fairfield County. “We have a very precise roasting system and process,” he

From left: Shearwater’s Jason Varga (manager) and Ed Freedman (owner).

said. “And people seem to appreciate it — millennials especially. Once they taste good coffee, instead of the mass-produced stuff you can get elsewhere, they don’t want to go back.” The Shearwater Coffee Bars are meant to be welcoming meeting places, rather than a “get ’em in, get ’em out” proposition, he said. Large glass windows, indoor and outdoor seating as well as natural light have helped

the Fairfield location’s sales grow by some 20% year over year. “It’s becoming a specialized market,” Freedman said of the growing thirst for upmarket coffee. “Colombian tastes different than Sumatran or Ethiopian — it’s almost like wine. People know the difference between a Cabernet and a Pinot Noir, and it’s the same with what we sell.” Both shops were

Connecticut Senate approves $43B state budget bill BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

he Connecticut Senate voted last week 20-16 to pass the $43 billion, two-year budget bill.

JUNE 10, 2019

The action followed the 86-65 passage in the House of Representatives. No Republicans supported the bill and two Democrats — Alex Bergstein of Greenwich and Joan Hartley of Waterbury — voted against it.

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“This budget is fair, balanced, promotes economic growth and support for working families, and was delivered on time, enabling our towns and cities to know what they can expect in their budgets,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “Most of all,

designed by Freedman’s daughter Amber, an architect based in Boston. Works by local artists, and performances by local musicians, will help raise its profile. Although there isn’t a lot of street visibility for the Westport location — Brooklyn-based pizzeria Ignazio’s and the One River Westport art school share the building — Freedman said he’s confident that “within a month, Westport

will know we’re here.” Westport was chosen for its demographic similarities to Fairfield, he said. “We were looking at a number of places, but this is the perfect space for us.” The store will be staffed by six baristas working different shifts, seven days a week. Further expansion is in the cards, although the Fairfield resident said his focus is on getting the new store up and running.

“We want to be the leading boutique coffee bar in Fairfield County,” he said, “and we might grow outside the county, too.” Franchising could be a possible route, he allowed — “We might look for outside investors to grow at a faster pace” — but Shearwater will remain very much its own entity. “We’re never going to take the cookie-cutter approach,” Freedman declared.

it further stabilizes our finances, sending a signal to residents and businesses alike that we are serious about getting our economy growing again. Let’s be clear: There is still more work to do. But I am proud of this budget and the steps it takes to get Connecticut back on track.” However, Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano condemned the

bill ahead of its passage as an example of “why people distrust government,” arguing that legislators were not given a proper amount of time to examine and debate its 567 pages of policy changes that were crafted without Republican input. “This is more than just a budget crafted in darkness,” he said. “It’s a slew of brand new state policies

being forced on residents in one fell swoop. Some of these policies had no public hearings and zero input from the families and job creators who will be most affected. It funds pet projects and includes countless Democrat policies that never made it through the legislative process. For the majority party, this fits under the category of it’s good to be king.”

Letter to the Editor | By Jean Close

College admissions scandal is more than just a crisis of confidence

raduating high school seniors will soon begin preparing for the next chapter of their lives as incoming members of the college class of 2023. They enter a higher education system that has been shaken to its core. Like peeling the layers of an onion, Los Angeles federal prosecutors in May announced criminal charges against a new set of parents for college admissions fraud. This is in addition to the 33 parents who were charged in March for participating in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme run by a southern California-based consultant. The origins of this ethical dilemma in college admissions have been evident for some time. They just weren’t apparent to everyone. For colleges and universities, this is more than just a crisis of confidence. It’s a case for managing risk. According to Moody’s, at least 25 percent of private colleges are running deficits. Even in a good economy, public college expens-

es generally outpace tuition revenue. To make matters worse, demographics are beginning to work against traditional colleges and universities. The pool of 18-year-olds in the Northeast continues to decline. Education Drive reports that 20 nonprofit public and private colleges closed from 2016-17 to 2017-18. For many institutions this is an unsustainable business model as they struggle to bring in enough revenue from a mix of tuition, government funding, endowment returns and donations. Reduced revenues give rise to staff consolidations and reductions. Less training happens. Less process is followed. Less oversight occurs. Yet, the pressure to raise money and fulfill enrollment quotas remains. This is where the crisis of confidence begins and risk escalates. As evidenced by the scandal, well-endowed private schools are not immune from having compromised admissions standards. Their involvement perpetuates

a related ethical dilemma: that elite colleges favor the elite. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that by more than 3 to 1, those surveyed say college admissions favor the wealthy and connected in an unfair way. Less than 1 in 5 Americans say the admissions process is generally fair. Colleges and universities have been known to give preference to legacy students. It is difficult for an institution to say no to a seven-figure gift, even if it is tied to the unspoken promise of an education for the offspring of the philanthropist. Colleges and universities have become a target of public disillusionment over decisions made with finances in mind. Should we accept this denigrated image of higher education? Most colleges and universities would say that their admission policies are fair and that their approval processes are strictly adhered to. Now that the lurid details of the current admissions scandal have made it to grocery aisle tab-

loids a skeptical public says otherwise. To establish greater integrity in higher education admissions, institutions must recommit to managing risk in four keys areas: better process, adherence to training, heightened oversight and accountability and enhanced transparency.

BETTER PROCESS

Conducting an independent audit of admissions policies and procedures that includes staff interviews can help identify opportunities to improve processes and locate any gaps. Having a documented third-party review is something credible that you can point to when prospective students, parents, the community and your board ask questions about your admission processes. Not only will this provide peace of mind, this is a good way to mitigate risk.

ADHERENCE TO TRAINING

A recurring exercise to review the training curriculum can assure that staff

development tools are the most up to date. It is also important to review the training and continuing education credentials of staff, including new hires. Sometimes, between new hires, staff transfers and staffing reductions, training cycles are missed by critical employees. Also, are requirements for ethics training in place? Some institutions are moving to annual ethics certification for all employees.

HEIGHTENED OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Decision-makers in the admissions and fund development offices should be required to complete conflict of interest statements. Every higher education institution should have a whistle-blower policy. Some institutions even have a hotline that encourages internal feedback.

ENHANCED TRANSPARENCY

Institutions should be completely up-front about their efforts to reduce exposure to fraud in their

admissions processes. Given the notoriety of the scandals and the high-profile nature of the institutions involved, having responsible and ethical admissions practices is expected behavior. This activity should be documented on school websites, annual reports, board presentations, brochures and other marketing materials. Colleges and universities should see this as an opportunity to be proactive, evaluate their risk and put the right controls in place so they can say, “This is what we do to maintain integrity in our admissions process.” That way, they’ll be able to answer the most important question before it is asked. Jean Close is a partner in The Bonadio Group’s Healthcare/Tax Exempt Division, specializing in providing financial audit, benchmarking, finance and risk management consulting services to higher education institutions. She can be reached at 585-249-2815.

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JUNE 10, 2019

Homebuyers—

es here can range from between $600,000 to $1 million. We don’t have houses at $500,000. There are some at $600,000 and a lot of condos, but very few houses.” So, where are the best places for entry-level homebuyers in Fairfield County? Adams noted that Greenwich’s “lower-priced properties are still selling,” although Stacey Loh, executive vice president of the Greenwich Association of Realtors, noted that pricing in her town’s entry-level housing market is uncommonly wide. “Price points range from $300,000 up to $800,000 in our market,” she said. “Generally speaking, the median price is close to $2 million. When the lower-priced houses come on and are priced fairly, there are buyers to scoop them up.” Melissa Rwambuya, a senior sales associate with William Raveis’ New Canaan office, promoted New Canaan as a popular location for entry-level homebuyers who are looking for residences at the higher end of the spectrum. “In the past 12 months,

Purdue—

over people.” Purdue has denied the lawsuits’ allegations. “These complaints are part of a continuing effort to try these cases in the court of public opinion rather than the justice system,” a company statement said. “The states cannot link the conduct alleged to the harm described, and so they have invented stunningly overbroad legal theories, which if adopted by courts, will undermine the bedrock legal principle of causation.” A message left for a spokesperson of Richard Sackler, Purdue’s president and CEO in the early 2000s, was not immediately returned. The past month has marked one of the busiest periods in the past couple of years for Purdue-related litigation. Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

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Clockwise from top left: Candace Adams, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Services New England; Linda Skolnick, a Realtor in Coldwell Banker’s Westport office; Craig Oshrin, a Stamford-based Realtor with Coldwell Banker; and Phil Kuchma, president of the Kuchma Corp. in Bridgeport. Photos by Phil Hall.

we’ve either sold or (had) pending sales on 89 properties between $700,000 and $1.25 million,” she said. She added the town “definitely has a lot to offer first-time homebuyers. New Canaan taxes are lower than the surrounding towns and we are a wonderful walking town — walkability is very high on the list of

and Wisconsin each sued in May. Idaho, Michigan and Nebraska remain the only states not to have announced lawsuits against Purdue in the past few years. Kentucky settled with Purdue in 2015 for about $24 million. In the firm’s largest settlement of the past 10 years, it reached a $270 million agreement in March with Oklahoma to resolve that state’s lawsuit. Those funds would focus on programs to combat the opioid epidemic in the Sooner State. Richard Sackler, one of eight Sackler family members named in Connecticut’s lawsuit, has emerged as an especially controversial figure in the litigation. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong last month released an unredacted version of the state’s complaint, which he said showed “shocking and offensive” emails from 2001 that

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millennials who are used to walking around Brooklyn or Manhattan. And unlike other towns around us, New Canaan has a very, very attractive downtown.” Cynthia Hughes, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Danbury, pointed out that northern Fairfield markets are offering entry-level homebuyers lower property taxes than

the markets to the south along with access for traveling to lucrative jobs in New York City. “I commuted into the city for 30 years,” said Hughes, a Danbury native. “We are close to the rail line. Bethel has its own train station, and in Brookfield you can just jump on I-84 and go right over the border. We have a high level of commuters.” On the eastern side of the county, Mark Markelz, a real estate agent in William Raveis’ Southport office, held up Shelton as a hot spot for entry-level homebuyers. “Shelton is coming in at a median price point of $350,000,” he said. “It has lower property taxes compared to other communities and it has built up a strong business market over the years.” Craig Oshrin, a Stamfordbased Realtor with Coldwell Banker, praised Trumbull as a “hotbed market” with entry-level properties priced in the $350,000 to $500,000 range, adding that the town’s school system is a magnet for young families. He also noted next-door Bridgeport has been a growing player in the entry-level housing market, and talk within the city’s government on lowering

property taxes could help strengthen its appeal. Phil Kuchma, president of the Kuchma Corp. in Bridgeport, noted that the city’s housing prices were attractive to “people who have not yet had the opportunities to save a lot of money for a down payment or move up in the employment market.” But he admitted that a downside was the underfunded Bridgeport public school system, a situation exacerbated by problems in tapping the city’s real estate scene for revenue. “The city has a lot of nonprofit, government and churches. Less than 50% of Bridgeport’s grand list value pay the real estate taxes,” he said. “It is very, very difficult.” Coldwell Banker’s Hughes commented that those going for the lower-priced properties are opting for 3% conventional mortgages rather than 3.5% FHA mortgages, and there is very little hesitation for making a purchase. “If a property is in good shape, it typically sells in four days,” she said. Oshrin found the entry-level homebuyers are not intoxicated by HGTV programs extolling the fun

in renovating old properties. “Millennial buyers don’t want to do major updates and renovations,” he said. “They want move-in ready.” The condo market is also highly appealing to this crowd. “The condo market is very strong,” said Douglas Elliman’s Elwell. “People want convenience, being located right off the train line and not worrying what happens outside.” And Wayne Frankel, CEO and regional owner of Greenwich-based Exit Realty of Connecticut, glumly acknowledged that entry-level homebuyers have to gird themselves to the state’s higher-than-average property taxes and the effect that SALT, the cap on using state and local taxes as deductions on federal income tax returns, has had on the local real estate market “The Trump tax plan affects everyone,” Frankel said, referring to the changes to the federal tax law that put a $10,000 cap on the amount of state and local taxes, including property taxes, which can be taken as deductions on federal returns. “Property taxes are so high in Connecticut, even in the entry-level market.”

tion, in general ... or opioid addiction, in particular, and, of course, my views have evolved and changed,” Richard Sackler said in the deposition. “At that time, I was very concerned that the balance that had been struck by the FDA between the benefits and risks of strong opioids might be upset, perhaps with terrible

consequence for patients and for doctors, who wanted to treat them.” Richard Sackler gave the deposition for a group of Multidistrict Litigation cases consolidated in a federal court in Cleveland involving about 1,800 cities and counties across the country that have sued Purdue and other opioid makers. None of the pending cases have gone to trial yet, leaving open the possibility of more individual or multistate settlements. An attorney for four of the Sackler defendants said in a recent interview that they want to reach a “global settlement” with the plaintiffs. Tong said he still plans to take Connecticut’s case to trial. Paul Schott is a staff reporter with Hearst Connecticut Media. He can be reached at pschott@ stamfordadvocate.com or 203-964-2236.

The Purdue Pharma headquarters at 201 Tresser Blvd. in downtown Stamford.

Richard Sackler exchanged with an unnamed acquaintance. At the time, he was about halfway through a four-year stint as Purdue’s CEO and president. In one correspondence, Richard Sackler said “abusers aren’t victims; they are the victimizers.” Representatives of Richard Sackler argue that

those messages do not reflect his current views on the opioid crisis. He elaborated on the 2001 emails — saying that he “probably was quite emotional” when he wrote them — according to excerpts from a court deposition he gave in March. “I’ve gotten a lot more information about addic-

Workforce Alliance training program aims to fill manufacturing sector’s need for workers BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

ith the Connecticut Business and Industry Association estimating that the state is facing a shortfall of some 13,000 workers in its manufacturing sector, Workforce Alliance has stepped up to the plate with a new education and training program that it believes could have a significant effect. Announced in November, Skill Up for Manufacturing is a free five-week training and job-placement program open to high school graduates and Connecticut residents 18 years of age or older who are underemployed or unemployed. New Haven-based Workforce Alliance, a job-placement service that also offers employers screening, recruiting and training assistance, based Skill Up on the model of the Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative. That program has placed more than 1,000 people into manufacturing jobs over the past three years, resulting in approximately $37 million in direct annual wages and roughly $38 million in indirect annual wages. Seventy-eight percent of those placed in Eastern CT had no prior manufacturing experience. “We met with manufacturers of all sizes to determine what the fundamental elements were that we could help train people for,” said Workforce Alliance President and CEO Bill Villano. The organization interviewed employers of 10 to 20 people all the way up to Groton’s Electric Boat (EB), the primary builder of submarines for the U.S. Navy, which employs some 14,000 people. The resulting curriculum includes basic trade knowledge, workplace skills and production readiness including shop math fundamentals and semi-precise/precise measurement, he said. The five-week course (six hours a day, five days a week) can be particularly attractive to jobseekers who may not have the time or financial means of spending eight or nine months at a school gaining similar knowledge and abilities, Villano said. “The companies we work with understand that there will be some on-the-job training necessary,” beyond what would be required for any new hire, he said. “And it beats trying to ramp up with temps,” he added, noting that EB spends an estimated $100,000 annually on temp workers. Support services are also available to participants while in classroom training, including travel reimbursement, daycare assistance and required books, tools and clothing. In addition, a cash stipend is awarded to participants for successful completion of training benchmarks. Limited to classes of 20, the next session runs from June 17 to July 22 at Gateway Community College in New Haven followed by one at Vinal Technical High School in Middletown from July 8 to Aug. 9. Villano

said roughly 100 people have been applying for the sessions. Further expansion of Skill Up is expected to take place this year at other schools, possibly including Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. Workforce Alliance continues to work with that school’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, with a goal of placing 100 percent of its graduates with area manufacturers. Of the 39 people who graduated from Gateway’s two previous Skill Up courses — one dropped out every one of them has had at least one job offer, many even prior to graduation,” Villano said. He estimated that as many as 18 have accepted a position, while others are still weighing where they want to go. “It depends in part on the

Elyse Maldonado, a member of the first Skill Up for Manufacturing cohort at Gateway Community College, works a machine for an in-class project as part of her training.

employer’s geographic location and what they offer as a starting salary,” he noted. Additional units within the five-week course can be added on a customized basis for some employers, like Electric Boat and East Hartford aerospace manufacturer Pratt &amp; Whitney, Villano added. “The last time I checked, Electric Boat was using 551 subcontractors, mostly in Connecticut, and Pratt has about 100. There are a lot of options for our graduates.” Villano said manufacturers are “excited” about Skill Up’s potential. “A lot of these companies are coming to realize that they need to play a bigger role and be more active in developing their workforce than they have in the past,” he said.

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Suite Talk John Pica-Sneeden, executive director of the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber: ‘Corporate taxes are killing the larger companies’

people can dance. We don’t discriminate.”

his year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which is widely considered the launching point of the modern gay rights movement. In this edition of Suite Talk, Business Journal reporter Phil Hall interviews John Pica-Sneeden, the executive director of the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber (CTGLC), a trade association supporting LGBT-owned businesses, workers and consumers within that community. When did the CTGLC begin and why did it begin? “It originally began in 2007 under the name Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunities (CABO). When we began it, discrimination against LGBT people was very prevalent and major companies would discriminate against LGBT people. The group was started by a group of LGBT people, but as you can see there is no LGBT mentioned in the acronym or title. In 2014, they renamed it as the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber. “The reason it was started was because they wanted a safe place where people could do business and not be discriminated against. For example, I will not mention the fast-food restaurant, but it has been in the news and their CEO has basically come out and said he funds and supports the anti-gay movement. Why would you go there as an LGBT person and give money to people who are discriminating against you? Now, are all of their franchises that way? No, but they are still paying into it.” Who belongs to the CTGLC? “Anybody. LGBT businesses and anybody that has a business who would

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Speaking of discrimination, are you receiving complaints about current harassment in Connecticut workplaces or retail outlets against the LGBT community? “I haven’t heard of any here or in the Northeast. A lot of the corporations I talk to are very welcoming and very eager to partner with or join with the chamber. But if you are looking at the rest of the country, absolutely. In the Midwest and the South, the discrimination is rampant there.”

John Pica-Sneeden. Photo by Phil Hall

offer a safe place for LGBT people to spend their money and know that it is supporting the community. And it gives them an opportunity to expand to a demographic that has money. “We’re at 162 members. Thirty-five or 40 of that are nonprofits. We have a social media base at about 5,600 followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and we have about 1,700 on Constant Contact.” The CTGLC has chapters in every county in the state. What is the activity like in your Fairfield County chapter? “We just had a meeting down here about a month ago at the Triangle Community Center in Norwalk, and we’re trying to build a bigger base for the LGBT community

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down here to invest in. We had about 20 people — some were members and some were guests. We would like to get more of a following down here. “Connecticut is the thirdranked state with the largest number of LGBT business owners. Massachusetts is No. 1 and California is No. 2. We have a large LGBT population in Connecticut and that is a great thing, but we need to have a level of support for business.” What are some of the activities that the CTGLC coordinates? “One of the things we do that we take a certain amount of pride in is not being involved in politics, because you never know and don’t really want to ask what peoples’ political points of

view are. If you are Democrat, Republican, independent, liberal, conservative, it doesn’t really matter if you want to belong to the chamber. “We don’t do a lot of social events. We usually have an expo, but I think we’re going to stop doing it because nobody shows up. I have talked to other heads from major chambers around the state and they still will put them on. But we attended others and I had a table at one that I won’t mention and I was twiddling my thumbs — it was extremely disappointing. There were people, but not masses of people. “This year, probably in October, I am going to try to work on putting an event together for a web designer who is redoing our website to come in and have a

PowerPoint demonstration of our website now, what he has been working on and the new one. I will probably have another event on cybersecurity. “In 2020, we are planning fund-raising events for us and our nonprofit foundation, the CABO Foundation, which gives scholarships to LGBT and allied kids in high school. It will be a dinner dance and we will work with the Arthur Murray Studios, which is a member, and we will offer 10 lessons that we will pay for — but you have to sign a paper that you are going to perform that night. And people will bid. It gets people out. I can go to the dance and dance with my husband, and the girls can dance with their wives — and the straight

Connecticut can be a challenging place to do business. Do you hear complaints about the state’s business climate from the chamber members? “Yes and no. For small business, no. For big corporations, yes. Our small businesses are thriving here in spite of the taxes or whatever things are. But the corporate taxes are what’s killing the larger companies.” This month, a lot of people are looking back at the past 50 years since Stonewall. What do you want to see in the 50 years ahead of us? “My hope would be that we don’t have to continue fighting, although I doubt that would ever happen. But I would love to see not so much an acceptance of the lifestyle, but an intellectual understanding that there is nothing wrong with LGBT people. It is not a disease. It is not a stigma. It is something to embrace. And if you are an LGBT person, embrace your difference and do not be afraid of it. And remember where we came from and why we had to fight. There is a shirt I saw on Facebook that said ‘The first Pride was a riot.’ ”

Fairfield University project tracks Bridgeport’s community gardens BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

ost people do not associate Bridgeport with self-sustaining agriculture. But according to Christina Sandolo, executive director of the Green Village Initiative (GVI), Fairfield County’s largest city is remarkably verdant when it comes to growing crops. “There are about 20 community gardens and one urban farm, which GVI runs,” she explained. “There are about 25 school gardens and there are a few indoor hydroponic growers. There are a few organizations that manage community gardens, including us, and we are working with the city of Bridgeport to create an urban agriculture master plan.” In 2015, the GVI partnered with Fairfield University’s Center for Faith

and Public Life (CFPL) in an ongoing program to track the state of urban agriculture in Bridgeport’s community gardens. The latest addition to this endeavor was a senior project by Julia Nojeim, an environmental studies major who just received her undergraduate degree. For Nojeim, working with the GVI provided an opportunity to see how an urban center could function as a resource of agricultural self-sufficiency. “We had the goal of showing all of the benefits that urban community gardening has on the residents and communities, both within the gardens and around the gardens,” Nojeim said. “The main point of my research was to look at how many different crops people were growing, what they were harvesting, how much time they are spending in the garden and to showcase the amount of value they have in their own lives as well as in

Fairfield University environmental studies major Julia Nojeim and Joseph Delgado, research coordinator at the school’s Center for Faith and Public Life, at a community garden in Bridgeport.

the community.” In her research, Nojeim highlighted the cultural diversity of the community garden denizens in these leafy settings. “There is an incredible variety of people from different nations in Bridgeport, and they bring their home culture of food and agriculture,” she said, citing gardeners from Thailand, Puerto Rico and Jamaica among those in her research. “They bring crops special to them as well as crops you’d normally see growing in

Connecticut like peppers and tomatoes.” Nojeim added that her research also tracked time and cost savings linked to growing one’s own food versus going to the supermarket. In the course of a fourweek data analysis of local produce harvesting, she found “gardeners saved over $100 for the small amount of how much they harvested.” GVI’s Sandolo noted that Bridgeport’s urban gardens have also been an invaluable strategy in fighting urban blight.

“Many of those sites that are now gardens would have been abandoned lots,” she commented, also admitting that these sites needed upgrades because the Bridgeport soil beneath those lots was not conducive to agricultural splendor. “We build raised beds and kind of cap the bottom of them and bring in organic soil.” Joseph Delgado, a research coordinator with the CFPL, observed that the community gardens have also harvested returns for the local real estate market. “What we found where there were gardens, especially where they were near each other, those houses lost less value after the Great Recession,” he said, crediting the healthy valuation on a sense of community. “Maybe people care more about their houses because they are closer to community gardens.” Delgado also admitted that the community aspect of these gardens stood in contrast to the popular urban stereotype of city dwellers not having close relationships with their neighbors. “Sometimes people need a unifier and in many ways the community gardens are,” he said. “That sense of community and willingness isn’t always immediately visible.”

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING SCHEDULED FOR IGOR I SIKORSKY MEMORIAL AIRPORT Airport Master Plan Update The City of Bridgeport has begun the Airport’s Master Plan Update (MPU) to account for changes that have taken place at the Airport and in the aviation industry since the completion of the Airport’s 2009 Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Update. The Master Plan will be used to guide airport improvement to meet existing and future needs of Airport users. Please join us at an informational meeting to learn more about the ongoing Airport MPU. During the meeting, you will have an opportunity to understand the objectives of the study, review the study process, and initial findings, plus provide feedback regarding the future of the Airport. Wednesday, June 19, 2019 6 — 8 PM Birdseye Municipal Complex, Cafeteria 468 Birdseye Street Stratford, CT 06615 The public meeting presentation and materials will be available on the study website after June 19, 2019. We want your input for this important study and future needs of Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Share your input, join the mailing list, and stay up to date with the Master Plan process on our website: www.planBDRairport.com. Please submit any comments by July 17, 2019.

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JUNE 10, 2019

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THE 2019 WINNERS The Rising stars in Fairfield County

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JUNE 10, 2019

Faces & Places Hundreds run in O’Neill’s annual 5k to raise $50K for Ability Beyond

team of more than 40 Ability Beyond staff members, clients and families joined more than 700 runners for the 7th annual O’Neill’s 5K Run in Memory of Annie Curtin on May 19 in Norwalk. The charity event was established by Annie’s parents and O’Neill’s Irish Pub and Restaurant to celebrate Annie, who passed away almost nine years ago when she was 6½-years-old. Ability Beyond was selected as this year’s designated beneficiary. The race raised $50,000 that will be used by the nonprofit organization to provide programs and support for people with disabilities in Connecticut and New York. Following the race, runners and families returned to O’Neill’s for a cookout, cocktails and music. Photos courtesy Ability Beyond.

1. From left: Jane Davis, president and CEO of Ability Beyond, and Jennifer Colavito, associate project manager of Ability Beyond, race at the 7th annual O’Neill’s 5K Run in Memory of Annie Curtin. 2. From left: Julia Curtin, Emma Curtin and Kat Curtin, with her arms around Quinn Curtin, and Paul Curtin at the 7th annual O’Neill’s 5K Run in Memory of Annie Curtin. Ollie O’Neill from O’Neill’s Pub and Restaurant announced that Ability Beyond is the beneficiary of $50,000.

New shopping center signals renewed approach to economic development in Monroe BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

onstruction could soon begin on The Shoppes at Victoria Place, a “village-style shopping center” in

Monroe. The development on roughly 15 acres on the corner of Main Street and Victoria Drive includes six buildings totaling 115,000 square feet, each with a unique façade. The Shoppes at Victoria Place presents a new beginning for the former site of Vishay Vitramon, which was demolished in 2013 and is now an empty lot, Monroe First Selectman Ken Kellogg said. The project will offer a mix of restaurants and retail stores featuring national brands, he said. Monroe resident and developer Robert Dunbar will submit a comprehensive plan and formal application to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission “in the near future,” according to Kellogg. The location is already zoned for retail use. “This is a refreshing concept for Monroe, bringing a new style and energy that I believe will encourage even more growth,” Kellogg said. “Responsible development in our commercial zones will not only serve to offer great services to our community, but provides growth to our

JUNE 10, 2019

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A conceptual sketch rendering of Victoria Place. Courtesy of The Sullivan Architectual Group of Milford.

grand list that helps to shift the tax burden away from residents.” The project includes trees and plantings throughout the site, which will also feature outdoor seating, park benches and a planned connection to the nearby Pequonnock River Trail. Last year, Kellogg formed the First Selectman’s Business & Industry Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from various sectors of the business community who are also town residents,

and in October hired Rick Schultz, a longtime Shelton official, as town planner. Kellogg credited Schultz with taking the lead in overseeing Monroe’s land use departments and by assisting developers in navigating the permitting process. Schultz has been working directly with the town’s new Chairman of Economic Development, Ray Giovani, to identify and cultivate new opportunities. Kellogg pointed to recent success in working with the Planning and Zoning

Commission to improve processes and regulations. Updates to zoning rules have included the relaxation of certain parking standards, removing minimum seating restrictions for full-service restaurants that desire a liquor permit and the ability for staff to approve minor changes to plans previously approved by the commission. Kellogg said there is renewed interest for other parcels. “We may even have an opportunity for a new, indoor ice-skating rink in the future.”

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Ask Andi Effective sales meetings must generate results Had the sales meeting, great ideas, then . . . maybe not so much in terms of real, measurable results. Accountability is important. Think our sales meetings may be too big picture. Having a discussion about where we’re going is valid, but our immediate need is to answer the question: “Where’s the fruit?” THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Increase the productivity of your sales meetings by using them for what meetings are best at: sharing information with a group of people. Develop an agenda that includes brief updates from everyone on what’s going on. Focus on ways to improve individual sales skills. Get outside experts to come in and present with interactive exercises. Keep in mind that salespeople in general are used to action.

In your sales meetings, stop talking at people and instead use the time to get everyone to participate. You can do that by requiring attendees to come prepared to share information and insights. You can put on interactive training sessions. You can ask people to role-play situations they’ve recently experienced. Make it clear that one of the main purposes of the meeting is skill development and that skill development comes

from active participation in the exercises and learning opportunities that are presented to the group. Ask salespeople to share war stories — successes and failures. Use the stories as learning opportunities for everyone in the room. Make sure that you rotate among participants, getting every salesperson to present. Don’t let anyone hide or dominate. Use role-play to get hands-on experience in a safe setting. Ask participants to script out and then act out both good and bad sales calls. As they present, ask the rest of the group to make suggestions on things to do that could lead to better outcomes in similar situations. Encourage group discussion and wrap up with a set of conclusions. Write out those conclusions and share the

write-up with the group after the meeting. At the end of each meeting, ask each person to write down one takeaway and to describe how they will take action to build on that takeaway. At next week’s meeting, ask people to talk about how things worked out with their individual takeaways. Make it clear you expect full participation, in meaningful sound bites that are limited to a minute or two in length. Trainers can be especially valuable. Look for people who come highly referred as successful sales trainers. Bring them in to interact with the group on a specific topic. Watch how things go. Consider bringing them back for more sessions if the salespeople are highly engaged and able to produce results based on what they learned.

Salespeople are used to being up and moving. For some people it’s a physical need, for others it’s a habit that’s been built over time. Successful salespeople are good at connecting with others and do it almost instinctively. For some it’s a drive that has to be satisfied for them to feel successful. Keep in mind they’re also driven to compete. Give them the opportunity to connect with each other in sales meetings. Take a balanced approach to competition by having multiple ways to recognize success, honoring several different people for things well done. Wrap up meetings with specific goals that individuals set to implement within the upcoming weeks or months. Track and report on results. Make it clear that the group is responsible for

everyone’s success and that the company wins or loses as a whole. BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “Bad Meetings Happen to Good People: How to Run Meetings that are Effective, Focused, and Produce Results,” by Leigh Espy. Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., StrategyLeaders.com, a business-consulting firm that teaches companies how to double revenue and triple profits in repetitive growth cycles. Have a question for AskAndi? Wondering how Strategy Leaders can help your business thrive? Call or email for a free consultation and diagnostics at 877-238-3535 or AskAndi@StrategyLeaders. com. Check out our library of business advice articles at AskAndi.com.

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FOCUS ON

BANKING & FINANCE FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER | By Larry Rollins

Recession risk remains low despite inverted yield curve

or the first time since 2007 the yield curve has inverted, as weakened economic expectations, mixed with anxiety over the China trade war and Brexit have caused investors to seek safety and buy bonds. Many in the media are debating if a recession is imminent following the yield curve inversion, first in March and again in late May. In the last seven instances that the yield curve has inverted, a recession followed. Not all recessions have been pre-

over a 10-year period, one should expect to be paid a higher interest rate than when lending money over a three-month period. An inverted yield curve is when the three-month yield (some use the twoyear Treasury yield) is higher than the 10-year Treasury yield. With the bull market over 10 years old, the S&P 500 up over 340% from the low in March 2009, having hit an all-time high on May 3, and the yield curve inverting, this has many

ceded by an inverted yield curve, but all inverted yield curves have been followed by a recession. My clients have been asking me if we are headed into a recession and should we be making drastic changes to our asset allocation? A recession is defined by two consecutive quarters of negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. The “normal” yield curve is when the yield on a 10-year Treasury bond is higher than the yield on a three-month Treasury bill. When lending money

» » RECESSION

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JUNE 10, 2019

Focus On BANKING & FINANCE 15

Recession—

of my clients concerned. Let’s look at some of the facts and why we feel the risk of recession is low. Our market research team at Brenton Point Wealth Advisors LLC looks for four groups of recession risks, including: - Bank lending standards. - Economic indicators. - Federal Reserve tightening. - Excessive speculation and leverage. Bank lending standards: Historically, one of the most reliable indicators of a recession is the trend of bank lending standards. Prior to a recession, loan officers have typically tightened standards, restricting credit, which can lead to a reduction in commercial and industrial activity. The most recent survey in April showed conditions easing, with a reading of -4.2. Historically, a reading over 20 signifies standards are tight.

Economic indicators: The ISM Manufacturing Index was at 52.8 on April 30, 2019, which shows the economy has slowed since the ISM peak of 61 in August 2018. Every recession since 1950 has occurred when the ISM falls below 46. Another economic indicator is the unemployment rate. Since 1960, there have been eight recessions. In all of them unemployment was rising. As of April 30, 2019, unemployment was at 3.6%, the lowest since 1970, and has been declining since 2010 when it reached above 10%. Federal Reserve: The inverted yield curve is typically one sign of a tight Fed, since 10-year yields dipped below the Fed Funds target on the short end. However, because inflation remains below the Fed target and economic indicators are cooling, it allows the Fed great flexibility and lessens the usual negative implications of an inverted

curve. In fact, the market expects the Fed to cut rates this year. Excessive speculation and leverage: Following the stock market decline in the fourth quarter, there is still a lot of money on the sidelines. Based on the

most recent investor sentiment surveys we track, most investor groups are negative, meaning investors are still probably underexposed to equities. While there will be a recession and another bear market, the question is when, and what will the

market do in the interim? In the seven prior cases of the yield curve inverting, the average length of time prior to a recession was 15.8 months. An inverted yield curve doesn’t mean one should panic, but it is important to ensure that your portfolio is properly

positioned and allocated. Larry Rollins is a private wealth advisor for Brenton Point Wealth Advisors LLC in Westport. He has nearly 25 years of experience as a financial consultant. For more information visit www.brentonpoint.com, call 203-3189510 or email lrollins@ brentonpoint.com. This article may contain certain forward-looking statements and no representations are made by the author or Brenton Point as to the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. No investment advice, financial advice, tax advice or legal advice is provided by Brenton Point through this article. No responsibility or liability is accepted by Brenton Point or any of its officers, agents or advisors as to the accuracy, sufficiency or completeness of any of the information or comments, views, opinions, or for any errors, omissions or misstatements, negligent or otherwise, contained in or excluded from this article.

Closing the gender gap is a necessity BY NICOLE CARINO

ender diversity is critical to any company’s success — particularly when it comes to leadership roles. A study found a correlation between women and board membership — companies with more women in board positions had a 66% higher return on investment compared to those companies with fewer women. In 2018, a record 248 women were appointed board directors among some of the most prominent companies in the U.S., but they make up just 31 percent of total new board directors selected last year. Even with more women on boards, women are still earning 77.9 cents for every dollar earned by men. However,

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the main cause for a gender gap in pay is not necessarily that men are paid more for the same work as a woman, but that they’re more likely to be promoted faster because they have fewer obstacles to overcome. As more women graduate from college, it’s essential women in existing leadership positions create a workplace environment that removes unconscious bias. Consider the following best practices to instill an equal playing field and promote women in the workplace.

FOSTER OPEN COMMUNICATION

Research shows when women are exposed to female role models and leaders, they are more likely to endorse other women who are well suited for

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leadership roles. But implementing an environment of open communication is easier said than done. Businesses can tout open lines of communication and welcome constructive feedback. However, as women, we are less inclined to push back against leadership for fear of consequences. The advice, mentorship and feedback that a female leader shares with those around her can have an impact on generations of workers to come.

ADJUST RIGID POLICIES TO ADDRESS EMPLOYEE NEEDS

Women outnumber men on college campuses nationwide and represent more than half of the U.S. workforce. We have made great strides when it comes to female business ownership —

more women are taking on leadership roles and 36 percent of businesses are women owned. However, there’s still progress to be made. By midcareer, men are 70% more likely than women to be in executive positions, in many cases a result of external factors, such as the impact of traditional familial roles. Women are five times more likely than men to take extended absences from work for childrearing. Upon a woman’s return from having children, the childcare duties don’t subside. Consider offering flexibility, like work from home or flex hours, to help women better balance their two fulltime jobs. Flexibility doesn’t mean they will be doing less work — it will only help familial caretakers do their job and do their job well.

FLIP THE SCRIPT ON TRADITIONAL HR PRACTICES

Whether business leaders admit it or not, unconscious bias exists and factors into human resources procedures such as hiring and promoting. In an effort to level the playing field to help close the gap between women and men in more senior roles, consider reviewing candidates blind. When you remove identification factors such as a person’s name, you are required to be more objective when evaluating skill, knowledge and potential to succeed without biases of a candidate’s age, gender, race or education level.

CHALLENGE GROUPTHINK

Not only can removing personal traits like gender, race and age from the eval-

uation process ensure equal opportunity, it can boost your company’s diversity and revenue. As diverse newcomers disrupt groupthink, companies become more profitable and productive. If you’re sitting in a group of like-minded people from similar walks of life to think through company strategy, you may not be harnessing the full potential of your organization. By adding disruptors, your company will be challenged to think outside the box by inviting a new perspective into the conversation. Nicole Carino serves as a senior business banking relationship manager for KeyBank’s Hudson Valley and metro-New York market. She can be reached at 845483-3008 and nicole_carino@keybank.com.

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JUNE 10, 2019

Focus On BANKING & FINANCE

Small-business loans thriving for M&T Bank BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

mall-business loans may not usually play a key role in winning architecture awards, but that is precisely what happened with the Philip Johnson Building, once part of the Schlumberger-Doll Research Center at 36 Old Quarry Road in Ridgefield. “One of our officers, Vice President, Senior Business Banking Relationship Manager Josh Reilly, solicited them,” M&T Bank SBA Sales Manager Chris Earle said of New Canaan-based luxury furniture and design firm BassamFellows, which acquired the property — vacant since Schlumberger moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2006 — in 2017. “He called them and helped secure the loan that led to the property’s renovation.” Ridgefield purchased the 45-acre property for $7 million in 2011 with an eye toward repurposing two of the Research Center’s former buildings. The other is home to ACT (A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut). Over 130 residents unanimously voted in favor of $1-a-year leases for Bassam and ACT in 2017. Both leases revert to market rates with Bassam’s lease rate increasing to $100,000 in year 14, while ACT’s rises to $24,000 in year 15. Both are paying all maintenance, utility and liability insurance as well as common charges. Key to the deal was the careful restoration of the historic Philip Johnson Building, named after the famed architect. The Schlumberger project, completed in 1952, was his first nonresidential building. The $900,000 small-business loan was used “mainly to restore the building as a multi-use facility,” Earle said. Noting that it was “one of the first executive office buildings to mark the shift

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from urban to suburban living,” BassamFellows Creative Director Scott Fellows described it at the time of the deal as “an important building and an inspiring space to work and showcase our furniture and lifestyle collections.” With Bassam and ACT taking up roughly five acres, the town plans to use the remaining space as a cultural center, part of which will remain as open space. Work included dealing with extensive water damage and upgrades to its various systems. The single-story, steelglass-and-brick building consists of perimeter offices organized around a central core that contains an openair landscaped courtyard, glass-enclosed conference room and library. In awarding it a Design Citation of Merit, Docomo US — a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of modern architecture, landscape and design — cited it as “a thoughtful and beautiful project” that “feels as contemporary today as it was groundbreaking at the time.” The Ridgefield project is indicative of the overall growing small-business loan activity in the county for M&T, Earle, based in Norwalk, said. “As the economy continues to be robust, it’s definitely on the rise,” he said. “And Fairfield County is a leader in Connecticut as well as the nation in terms of economic well-being.” While the federal government shutdown earlier this year left some small-business loan applicants in limbo — the Small Business Administration (SBA) was shuttered during the event — Earle said M&T worked to get as many of its loans processed ahead of the shutdown as possible. “We try to be prepared for those kinds of things,” he said. “The bank has been very active in small-business

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The Philip Johnson Building in Ridgefield today, which won a 2019 Modernism in America Award from Docomomo, a nonprofit dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings.

The bank has been very active in small-business loans for over 30 years, so we’ve gone through a fair number of shutdowns.

M&T Bank SBA Sales Manager Chris Earle

loans for over 30 years, so we’ve gone through a fair number of shutdowns. “We look at each situation on a selective basis and can make an interim loan to a customer that is then taken out of the SBA loan once it is approved.” One growing trend in the area is the number of younger applicants interested in taking over an established business when its owners age out and have no family members or others in place to take over the company, Earle said. “We’re doing very, very well in places like Norwalk and Darien,” he said, “as well as the Danbury/Ridgefield area. Places like Stamford and Bridgeport are very competitive, but we’re maintaining a strong presence there as well.”

Good Things MOBILE DENTAL CARE ON WHEELS FOR KIDS

ABILITY BEYOND’S GALA RAISES $550,000

Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation has awarded a SMILE grant to Norwalk Community Health Center Inc. (NCHC) to make early pediatric dental care more accessible and affordable. Funds support expanding NCHC’s Medical Mobile Unit services to include pediatric oral health care. NCHC is a nonprofit health center that provides a continuum of primary medical and dental care and wellness services in greater Norwalk and Fairfield County, regardless of the ability to pay.

PRAXAIR SUPPORTS HOUSATONIC HABITAT WITH GRANT Praxair Inc., headquartered in Danbury, continued its support of Housatonic Habitat for Humanity’s mission of building affordable housing locally with a $5,000 grant. According to Melissa Andros of Praxair, “The grant is part of Praxair’s long-standing Global Giving Program, which supports local communities, provides educational opportunities, promotes health and wellness and supports environmental protection worldwide. The Global Giving Program has provided funds for community development nationwide for nearly 25 years.” Fran Normann, Housatonic Habitat’s executive director, noted that Praxair has focused on affordable housing in greater Danbury for decades, beginning as a house sponsor in 2001 on Rowan Street. Since then, Praxair has donated more than $75,000 to Housatonic Habitat’s mission. Over the years, many Praxair employees have served on the board of directors and various committees. Anne Sasso of Praxair’s human relations department adds her depth of expertise to the board of directors. For more information, visit housatonichabitat.org or call 203-744-1340, ext. 101.

Mary Ellen Butkus

TFI ENVISION’S VP, GUEST LECTURER AT HCC From left: Jordan Young from Bridgewater, John Loehr from Ridgefield, Ability Beyond President Jane Davis and Ridgefield First Selectmen Rudy Marconi. Photo courtesy of Elaine & ChiChi Ubiña.

More than 450 Ability Beyond supporters journeyed to the “Enchanted Forest” to raise $550,000 for critical programs and services for 3,000 individuals with disabilities. The black-tie event held recently at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury is the largest annual fund-raiser hosted by Ability Beyond. All proceeds from the gala will be used by the nonprofit organization to continue providing job training and placement, supported living and recreational and educational opportunities to clients throughout Connecticut and New York’s lower Hudson Valley Celebrity comedian Christine O’Leary entertained guests as the emcee for Lend

A Hand, which allowed attendees to donate directly to the mission of Ability Beyond by raising their paddle during the live auction. Guests also enjoyed dinner, raffles, a silent auction, awards, dancing and musical entertainment provided by The Eturnity Band. John Loehr accepted the Robert S. Young Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Ridgefield Sunrise Cottage leadership team and directors. Co-chairs of this year’s event were Joe and Sandy Clouse of Ridgefield. Meghann Smith of New Canaan served as the gala committee chair. The evening was made possible thanks to many businesses, including Diamond spon-

sors Maplewood Senior Living, Colonial Automobile Group & the Beylouni Family, Platinum sponsors Aramark, Bedoukian Research, Mercer, Mulvaney Mechanical, Rose and Kiernan, Belimo, Linde, The Aiello Charitable Foundation, Alarm King and Willis Towers Watson, plus Gold, Silver and Bronze level sponsors. For more than 60 years, Ability Beyond has provided independent housing, day programs and award-winning employment initiatives that support and honor the dignity of people with developmental, intellectual, autism spectrum and mental health disabilities. It is headquartered in Bethel and Chappaqua, New York.

ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES CAREGIVER AWARDED $5,000

NURSE NAMED GREENWICH HOSPITAL’S EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

CREDIT UNION OFFERS AFFORDABLE AUTO LOAN PROGRAM Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union has officially announced Working Wheels, an auto loan program designed specifically for low-income families. Working Wheels will empower credit-challenged families and offer them a chance to gain an economic foothold. The program aims to help local families improve their financial standing by providing reliable vehicles, which are often necessary to maintaining a job. Working Wheels allows qualified families to borrow up to $10,000 for vehicle purchases without having to resort to predatory lending options. Applicants must have a minimum of six months employment and work at least 30 hours per week to qualify.

Housatonic Community College (HCC) was the setting for a recent guest lecture to 30 up-and-coming graphic designers led by Mary Ellen Butkus, vice president and senior art director at TFI Envision Inc. Students were introduced to the processes of analyzing competition, focus group testing and budget. “Using packaging design as an example, we discussed the many design form solutions for one product and outlined a project’s flow, so students would be familiar with the path when they get into the workplace. I then challenged the students to a package redesign by quickly brainstorming together and sketching graphic concepts for a product in a white carton structure, that would hold boxed water. “Discovering how these students communicate water in an appetizing, refreshing and desirable way in the unexpected package form led to concepts with flowing rivers, oceans, expressive watery-type styles and simple outline illustrations of a clear plastic water bottle on the carton,” said Butkus.

From left: Lynne Schmidt, director of marketing and hourly services for Assisted Living Services Inc. presents its third monthly $5,000 Platinum Caregiver Award to hourly homemaker Linda Papaspliliotopulus of Meriden along with Mario D’Aquila, ALS’ chief operating officer. Photo courtesy of Assisted Living Services.

Linda Papaspliliotopulus of Meriden was presented with the Assisted Living Services Inc.(ALS) Platinum Caregiver Award for April for her good work and reliability. The homecare agency surprised the hourly homemaker with the honor at the home

of client Christine Karash and her husband Neil Karash on May 24. In addition to a check for $5,000, the monthly award includes a crystal statue and certificate of merit. ALS homemakers perform light house-

keeping duties such as vacuuming, dusting, laundry, washing floors, meal preparation and grocery shopping, personal care assistance, transportation and escorting to doctor appointments, social engagements, shopping, etc.

Margaret Smith of Norwalk was honored with the Marian Nowak Award – given to the employee who embodies the best of Greenwich Hospital’s values – at the annual Employee Service Awards Dinner. The 41-year hospital veteran has worked as the only nurse administrator on the night shift for more than three decades. A native of Trinidad, Smith left her homeland at age 18 upon receiving a scholarship to attend the Kemperhof Kranenhaus Nursing School in West Germany. She mastered the new language and her nursing studies, eventually specializing in critical care. Smith worked in Germany for many years before returning to the U.S. to join her family, which had settled in Connecticut. She joined Greenwich Hospital in 1978 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Bridgeport while working full-time.

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JUNE 10, 2019

Facts & Figures BUILDING PERMITS Commercial Apap, Mario, Palmyra, Virginia, contractor for Eric Sierra. Build wall between bar and seating area at 3171 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $9,000. Filed April 16. Babbidge Construction, New Haven, contractor for Ten Middle LLC. Replace windows and facade at 10 Middle St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: N/A. Filed April 16. Bismarck Constructions, Milford, contractor for Bridgeport Hospital. Renovate Tee Procedure Room at 267 Grant St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed April 9. Carrera, Luis, Easton, contractor for Luis Carrena. Remodel complete interior at 391 Dover St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,000. Filed April 16. Clayden Hall, Bridgeport, contractor for Kimberly and Clayden Hall. Install wood, countertop and hand sink at 54 Wood Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,000. Filed April 15. DeLorenzo, Marc, Newtown, contractor for George Nicita. Repair fire damage at 1801 Barnum Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,000. Filed April 23. Empire Telecom USA LLC, Billerica, Massachusetts, contractor for Chapin & Bangs Co. Add new antennas at 220 Evergreen St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed April 4. Hamer, William, Stamford, contractor for Spinnaker Real Estate. Construct countertops for coffee and waffle shop at 855 Main St., Suite 100, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $9,500. Filed April 11.

Kane, Tom, Fairfield, contractor for James Philbin. Add rear dormer and legalize single residence at 3369 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $10,250. Filed April 8. Naqui, Syed, Bridgeport, contractor for Syed Naqui. Alter space for new tenant at 4086 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed April 16. Ovoc LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for 789 Reservoir Ave LLC. Convert offices to classrooms at 789 Reservoir Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $6,000. Filed April 22. Sound Construction, Easton, contractor for BLD Upland Waterfront. Make structure on deck for outdoor bar at 10 E. Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed April 18. Thompson, Tyisha, Bridgeport, contractor for Stratfield Apartments. Perform replacement alterations at nail salon at 1245 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed April 15. Turner Construction, Shelton, contractor for Bridgeport Hospital. Upgrade mechanical equipment power at 267 Grant St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,072,000. Filed April 11. Yanza, Carlos, West Haven, contractor for Watermark at 3030 Park LLC. Remodel interior to Unit 10E3 at 3030 Park Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $60,000. Filed April 8.

Residential Albana Roofing LLC, Prospect, contractor for Maria Mondesir. Reroof 36 Rose St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $19,804. Filed April 15. Apius Exterior LLC, Milford, contractor for Claudia Ventresca. Re-roof 474 Summit St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed April 22. Apius Exterior LLC, Monroe, contractor for Claudia Ventresca. Re-roof 484 Summit St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $900. Filed April 22.

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

JUNE 10, 2019

Baybrook Remodelers, West Haven, contractor for Susan Brenner. Remodel kitchen at 629 Thorme St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $17,000. Filed April 15. Calvin Construction LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for Jason Hibbert. Install fire doors and dry wall at 44 Autumn St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $6,330. Filed April 23. Carpentry & Handyman Concepts, Norwalk, contractor for Andrew E. Shapiro. Reconstruct and expand rear deck at 12 Overbrook Road, Norwalk. Estimated cost: $12,000. Filed April 4.

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ON THE RECORD

Conexca LLC, New Fairfield, contractor for DT Pro Builders LLC. Build two new single-family dwellings at 28 Ondek St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed April 11.

NY Tent, Norwalk, contractor for University of Bridgeport. Install tents at 350 Waldemere Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed April 11.

Cordero Masonry, Trumbull, contractor for Cordero Properties LLC. Install fire door at 304 Center St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $500. Filed April 5.

Palma, Felipa R. and Elizabeth Palma, Norwalk, contractor for Felipe Palma and Elizabeth Palma. Install vinyl siding at 29 Lenox Ave., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $7,000. Filed April 5.

CT Home Remodelers, Naugatuck, contractor for Helen Randolph. Re-roof 5 Oakleaf St., Bridgeport. Estimated cos: $10,464. Filed April 4.

PG Home Improvement LLC, Trumbull, contractor for 99 Trumbull Ave LLC. Rebuild second floor and re-roof 99 Trumbull Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $32,500. Filed April 4.

DeCato, Arthur, East Haven, contractor for MSA Investments LLC. Perform an alteration to a two-family dwelling at 100 Maple St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed April 11.

Pro Custom Solar, South Plainfield, New Jersey, contractor for Eric Cabrera. Re-roof 264 Sunrise Terrace, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $6,100. Filed April 11.

Discala, George and Kyle E. Discala, Norwalk, contractor for George Discala and Kyle E. Discala. Construct an in-ground swimming pool at 33 Stony Brook Road, Norwalk. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed April 4. Forst, Ralph, Bridgeport, contractor for Ralph Forst. Build foundation at 420 Courtland Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed April 12. Gallager, Bill, Bridgeport, contractor for Donato Serrano. Close porch area for storage use, install new windows and door at 1227 Lindley St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed April 15. Home Depot USA Inc, Norwalk, contractor for Ketty Lors and Serge Maignam. Replace window at 11 Grove St., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $659. Filed April 3. KZ Construction, Easton, contractor for 116-120 Arctic St LLC. Repair frame, siding, roof and replace windows and doors at 116-120 Arctic St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $5,500. Filed April 15. Makula Construction, Bridgeport, contractor for Teodoro Maykel. Build new single-family dwelling at 269 Valley Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed April 11. Meskerem, Ayalew, Norwalk, contractor for Ayalew Meskerem. Finish basement for recreation room, storage and bathroom at 16 Ingalls Ave., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed April 4. Momentum Solar, South Plainfield, New Jersey, contractor for Annisa Berry. Re-roof 208 Harriet St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,935. Filed April 22.

Santos Jose, Bridgeport, contractor for Ronald Scinto. Renovate kitchen and bathroom at 227 Hilltop Road, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $40,000. Filed April 18. Storm Brothers, Newtown, contractor for Estuberto Martinez. Re-roof 46 Rose St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $6,650. Filed April 4. Swanni Build and Remodel, Shelton, contractor for Janet Lyons. Alterate interior at 55 Haddon St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,200. Filed April 11. Tag Home Improvement Service LLC, Waterbury, contractor for Elsie Vilanova. Re-roof 242 Adams St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $6,500. Filed April 22. Trinity Solar, Cheshire, contractor for Pedro Ortiz. Re-roof 61 Woodmont Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,000. Filed April 22. Vine Real Estate, Fairfield, contractor for Sunshine Residences III LLC. Re-roof 333 Queen St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,000. Filed April 4.

COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court Olivera-Suriano, Jorge A, Bridgeport. Filed by Mary Ann Cornelio, Trumbull. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ventura Law, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant 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. FBTCV-19-6085201-S. Filed April 18.

Ruiz, Juan, et al, New London. Filed by Kimberly Criscuolo, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Paul Joseph Ganim, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly 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. FBTCV-19-6085307-S. Filed April 24.

Pues, Riley Patrick, Danbury. Filed by Milagros Martinez, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Cramer & Anderson LLP, New Milford. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant 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-CV-196031034-S. Filed April 26.

Szymanski, Marek, et al, Norwalk. Filed by Santiago Morales, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Bradley Denkovich & Karayiannis PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly 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. FBT-CV-19-6084925-S. Filed April 9.

Shaner, Chris, Hughesville, Pennsylvania. Filed by Edward Berman, West Redding. Plaintiff’s attorney: The Reilly Law Firm LLC, Ridgefield. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant 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. DBDCV-19-6031136-S. Filed May 2.

The Stamford Hospital, et al, Stamford. Filed by Sushma Sharma, Cranbury, New Jersey. Plaintiff’s attorney: Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered severe injuries under the care of the defendants. The injuries were caused by the failure of the defendants or their employees to treat, monitor and supervise the plaintiff’s pacemaker implant. 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-19-6084257-S. Filed March 18. Violone, Amanda Lauren, et al, Fairfield. Filed by Michelle Cryan, Fairfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Silver Golub & Teitell, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly 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. FBT-CV-196083251-S. Filed Feb. 14.

Danbury Superior Court Marc Anthony, et al, New Fairfield. Filed by Janina Jourdain, 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. DBDCV-19-6030549-S. Filed March 29.

United Ohio Insurance Co., Hartford. Filed by Manny Adames, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Allingham Readyoff & Henry LLC, New Milford. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant 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-CV-19-6031079-S. Filed April 30. Viccione, Nicholas, Wallingford. Filed by Magdi L. Ghattas, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Smart Donohue & Nejame PC, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant 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. DBDCV-19-6031270-S. Filed May 9.

Stamford Superior Court Perez, Angel, et al, Huntington Station, New York. Filed by Barbara Fecci, Stratford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Michael Luke Riley, Bridgeport. 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. FSTCV-19-6040213-S. Filed Feb. 26.

Facts & Figures Rosaro, Jean Carlo, Stamford. Filed by Luis Serna, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Harris Harris & Schmid, Norwalk. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant 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. FST-CV-196041431-S. Filed May 7. Star Partners LLC, Old Greenwich. Filed by Jajs Inc. d.b.a. Pollo Campero, Sparkill, New York. Plaintiff’s attorney: Mark Sank & Associates LLC, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff and defendant entered into a lease agreement with the option of terminating the lease within 120 days. The plaintiff paid the defendant for the lease. The defendant has refused to return the sum of money paid by the defendant. 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-19-6040798-S. Filed April 3. Turtur, Lily, et al, Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey. Filed by Michael Walters, Weston. Plaintiff’s attorney: The Maddox Law Firm LLC, New Canaan. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly 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. FST-CV-196041307-S. Filed May 2. Uzzle, Anthony W., Hamden. Filed by Jeanette Singer, Norwalk. Plaintiff’s attorney: DePanfilis & Vallerie, Norwalk. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant 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. FSTCV-19-6040468-S. Filed March 14.

DEEDS Commercial 36 Decatur LLC, Greenwich. Seller: 36 Decatur Street LLC, Greenwich. Property: 36 Decatur St., Greenwich. Amount: $1,260,000. Filed May 17. DeLaurentis Developments LLC, Fairfield. Seller: Edmund C. Bassick and Rachel Alden Bassick, Fairfield. Property: 75 Romanock Place, Fairfield. Amount: $370,000. Filed April 9.

Fox Living Trust, Los Angeles, California. Seller: Alexander Dudley and Gaelle Dudley, Fairfield. Property: 328 Birch Road, Fairfield. Amount: $1,625,000. Filed April 5. Genesis Housing Group LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Seller: Cazenovia Creek Funding I LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 560 Norman St., Bridgeport. Amount: $17,858. Filed April 10. Jane S. LLC, Easton. Seller: Mary Paffumi, Fairfield. Property: 350 Canterbury Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $395,000. Filed April 15. Klausenrennen LLC, Greenwich. Seller: TCP Realty LLC, Greenwich. Property: 222 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed May 13. Mirowski, Mark and Margaret Mirowski, Reeding. Seller: HSBC Bank USA, National Association, West Palm Beach, Florida. Property: 148 Shoreham Village Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $473,200. Filed April 5. RowlanTides LLC, Fairfield. Seller: William R. Oakes, Fairfield. Property: 70 Thornhill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $500,000. Filed April 8. Sterling House LLC, Marblehead, Massachusetts. Seller: The Gladstone Family Living, Fairfield. Property: 740 Ellsworth St., Bridgeport. Amount: $1,000,000. Filed April 12. The Nomie Trust, New York, New York. Seller: Patricia Laskawy and Philip Laskawy, Greenwich. Property: Creamer Hill Road, Greenwich. Amount: $10. Filed May 15. Wells Fargo Bank NA, Des Moines, Iowa. Seller: Christina M. Sforza and Marc R. Liphardt, Bridgeport. Property: Unit 107, North Main Townhouse Condominium, Bridgeport. Amount: $38,415. Filed April 2.

Residential Ahluwalia, Siddhartha and Jill Ahluwalia, White Plains, New York. Seller: Ken C. Hicks and Lucille C. Hicks, Greenwich. Property: 8 Sherwood Farms Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $2,465,000. Filed May 21. Callaghan, Brittany A. and Brian T. Duwan, Armonk, New York. Seller: Lysa Flanz Ginsberg, Greenwich. Property: 56 Sherwood Place, Unit 9, Greenwich. Amount: $945,000. Filed May 14. Chang, Clinton W. and Jee O. Chang, Darien. Seller: Kenneth M. Corriveau and Pamela M. Corriveau, Riverside. Property: Map No. 8063. Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 15.

Crotty, John G. and Nancy P. Crotty, Greenwich. Seller: Stephen Scott Roth and Melissa Longoria Roth, Greenwich. Property: Lot 69, Map of Daniel S. Mead, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 13. Donino, Loren M. and Thomas F. Donino, Jupiter, Florida. Seller: Konstantine G. Wells, Greenwich. Property: 50 Soundview Drive, Unit 56A, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 20. Dussich, Joseph A. and Victoria M. Dussich, New York, New York. Seller: Piyush Bharti and Pashri Bharti, Riverside. Property: 34 Hendrie Ave., Riverside. Amount: $2,675,000. Filed May 22. English Nevin, Liza, Greenwich. Seller: Marilyn Elizabeth Nevin, Greenwich. Property: 20 Hope Farm Road, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 20. Fikes, Elizabeth M. and Jeffrey N. Ford, Cos Cob. Seller: Thomas C. Corson and Susan W. Corson, Greenwich. Property: 90 Orchard Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $2,500,000. Filed May 16. Godfrey, Amanda and Nicholas Godfrey, Old Greenwich. Seller: Nathalia Garcia Ortega, Greenwich. Property: 404 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich. Amount: $10. Filed May 22. Grimsich, Daniela A. and Sylvia T. Grimsich, Clearwater, Florida. Seller: Sylvia T. Grimsich, Clearwater, Florida. Property: 64 Florence Road, Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed May 21. Gupta, Vikas and Ritu Gupta, Greenwich. Seller: Sergey Kosyakov and Irina Kosyakova, Greenwich. Property: 19 Sunshine Ave., Riverside. Amount: $0. Filed May 13. Guzman, Santiago A. and Samantha D. Milligan, Greenwich. Seller: 9 Wyndover Lane LLC, Greenwich. Property: 9 Wyndover Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $1,430,000. Filed May 15. Jarufe, Faiz Johnny, Greenwich. Seller: Michael Anthony Wells and Claudia A.B. Wells, Stamford. Property: 63 Indian Harbor Drive, Unit and Garage 4, Greenwich. Amount: $800,000. Filed May 16.

Johnson, Tricia, Bridgeport. $994, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 95 Erika Circle, Bridgeport. Filed March 26.

Krause, Curtis M. and Julia C. Galotto, Old Greenwich. Seller: Matthew B. Mooney, Old Greenwich. Property: 1 Old Club House Road, Old Greenwich. Amount: $2,075,000. Filed May 17.

Clarke, Carlinton H., et al. Creditor: US Bank National Association, Irvine, California. Property: 120 Huntington Turnpike, Unit 910, Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 8.

Macaluso, Jennifer, Old Greenwich. Seller: WaterEdge Corp., Stamford. Property: 1525 E. Putnam Ave., Garage and Unit 56, Greenwich. Amount: $40,000. Filed May 15.

Dalhouse, Ericka, et al. Creditor: PHH Mortgage Corp., Greenville, South Carolina. Property: 30 Stevens St., Unit 308, Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 18.

Kaczanowski, Karen, Bridgeport. $1,999, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven. by Nair & Levin, PC, Bloomfield. Property: 80 Cartright St., Bridgeport. Filed April 2.

Masone, Gregory Carl, Greenwich. Seller: Rodion Davydov, Greenwich. Property: 150 Prospect St., Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed May 15.

Daniels, Michael J., et al. Creditor: US Bank National Association, West Palm Beach, Florida. Property: 250 N Bishop Ave., No. 40, Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 13.

Marolo, Dennis, Bridgeport. $7,058, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 2395 Madison Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 26.

Melgarejo, Alfredo and Constanza Escobar, Old Greenwich. Seller: 14 Hoover Road LLC, Riverside. Property: 14 Hoover Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1,600,000. Filed May 22.

Frank, Christopher N., et al. Creditor: Primary Residential Mortgage Inc, Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 101 Oxford St., Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 13.

Pierre, Bernadine, Bridgeport. $1,088, in favor of TD Bank USA, NA, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 665 Burnsford Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 26.

Morris, Ethan D. and Stefany S. Morris, Brooklyn, New York. Seller: Catherine W.B. Dougherty, Greenwich. Property: Riverside Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed May 17.

Meirinho, Francisco. Creditor: US Bank National Association, Irvine, California. Property: 59 Pennsylvania Ave., Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 14.

O’Brien, Kaitlin F., White Plains, New York. Seller: 15 LeGrande No.6 LLC. Greenwich. Property: 15 LeGrande Ave., Unit 6. Greenwich. Amount: $640,000. Filed May 17. Perry, Christian and Annette Perry, Greenwich. Seller: 296 Round Hill Road LLC, Greenwich. Property: 296 Round Hill Road, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 22. Thune, Colin and Keely Thune, Greenwich. Seller: Sean P. Kemery and Ebele Kemery, Greenwich. Property: Dingletown Road, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 20. Ward, Mary Lou, Greenwich. Seller: Mary Lou Ward, Greenwich. Property: 52 Lafayette Place, Unit 3A, Greenwich. Amount: N/A. Filed May 13. Watson, Matthew C., et al, Cos Cob. Seller: Edward S. Mortimer and Joanne L. Mortimer, Greenwich. Property: 7 Cottontail Road, Cos Cob. Amount: N/A. Filed May 15.

FORECLOSURES

Kim, Anna and John H. Kim, Greenwich. Seller: Thomas F. Feda and Laura A. Feda, Greenwich. Property: 16 Anderson Road, Greenwich. Amount: $3,900,000. Filed May 16.

Ahmed, Towhid, et al. Creditor: Salem Five Mortgage Company LLC, Salem, Massachusetts. Property: 110 Asylum St., Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 11.

Koven, Robert and Rachel Koven, Greenwich. Seller: Jason R. Finger and Stefanie Finger, Pacific Palisades, California. Property: 95 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. Amount: $10. Filed May 16.

Believers Faith Temple, et al. Creditor: Benchmark Municipal Tax Services LTD, Bridgeport. Property: 578 Beechwood Ave., Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 14.

Merril, Peter, et al. Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank, Fort Mill, South Cafrolina. Property: 437 East Ave., Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 21. Poeng, Tieng P., et al. Creditor: US Bank National Association, Irvine, California. Property: 276 Roger Williams Road, Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 12. Sanchez, Hernan A., et al. Creditor: US Bank National Association, Owensboro, Kentucky. Property: 2660 North Ave., Unit 214, Bridgeport. Mortgage default. Filed March 19

JUDGMENTS Addy-Stewart, Leslie D., Bridgeport. $6,627, in favor of Capital One Bank (USA), NA. Richmond, Virginia, by London & London, Newington. Property: 27 Hubbell St., Bridgeport. Filed March 26. Chambers, Norma, Bridgeport. $4,578, in favor of Capital One Bank (USA), NA. Richmond, Virginia, by London & London, Newington. Property: 159 Lincoln Ave., Unit 161, Bridgeport. Filed March 26. Creighton, Phyllis, Bridgeport. $1,905, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven. by Nair & Levin, PC, Bloomfield. Property: 985 Briarwood Ave., Bridgeport. Filed April 2,

FCBJ

Posy, Roselyne, Bridgeport. $9,811, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 144 Keeler Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 26. Rivera, Katherine, Bridgeport. $1,377, in favor of Atlantic Credit & Finance, Roanoke, Virginia, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 75-Wheeler Ave., Unit G3, Bridgeport. Filed April 3. Robinson, Maureen, Bridgeport. $1,368, in favor of Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 121 Grey Rock Road, Bridgeport. Filed March 26. Spinelli, Paul, Bridgeport. $3,428, in favor of Rosenberg, et al, Stratford, by Rosenberg, Miller, Hite, & Morilla LLC, Stratford. Property: 805 Arctic St., Bridgeport. Filed April 2. Toms, William N., Bridgeport. $4,260, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven. by Nair & Levin, PC, Bloomfield. Property: 1443 Stratford Ave., Bridgeport. Filed April 2. Ward, Lisa G., Bridgeport. $9,363, in favor of Capital One Bank (USA), NA. Richmond, Virginia, by London & London, Newington. Property: 198 Funston Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 26.

JUNE 10, 2019

Facts & Figures LIENS

Spinelli, Paul, 325 Ogden St., Bridgeport. $1,039, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Federal Tax Liens Filed

Syc, Walter B. and Veronica R., 41 Pleasant St., Bridgeport. $41, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Agosto, Raul, 103 Hooker Road, Bridgeport. $220, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Taracena, Julio, 299 Park St., Bridgeport. $108, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Anderson, Robert, 787 Kossuth St., Bridgeport. $35, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Thile, Mongkhanh, 10 Main St., Bridgeport. $131, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

Arocho, Regino and Maria, 149 Shelton St., Bridgeport. $261, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

LIS PENDENS

Aspen Investors Group, LLC, 535 Wigwam Lane, Bridgeport. $150, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Calvary Temple Christian Center, 301 Barnum Ave., Bridgeport. $283, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Castillo, Moises, 893 Kossuth St., Bridgeport. $338, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Fernandez, Jose C. and Paula R. Fernandez, 594 Knowlton St., Bridgeport. $199, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Hernandez, Irma, 3599 Bainbridge Ave., Bridgeport. $260, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Hylton-Robinson, Micha, 336 Ogden St., Bridgeport. $83, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Maguez, Elias, 216 Shelton St., Bridgeport. $184, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Martinez, Sonia and Lanette Martinez, 370 Park St., Bridgeport. $142, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. McLean, Loren, 2911 Barnes Ave., Unit 10F, Bridgeport. $101, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Miranda, Juan R., 105 Park St., Bridgeport. $49, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Ponce, Ismael and Carmen F. Ponce, 341 Harriet St., Bridgeport. $225, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Scaminici, Robert, 508 William St., Bridgeport. $228, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9. Snow, Felicia, 10 Hallstrom Road, Bridgeport. $189, civil proceeding tax. Filed April 9.

JUNE 10, 2019

550 Germerican LLC, et al, Greenwich. Filed by Goldman, Gruder & Woods LLC, Trumbull, for Tri-County Electric LLC. Property: Lots 2 and 3, Map 8816, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed May 23. Belmont, Wayne, et al, Cos Cob. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for The Bank of New York Mellon. Property: 5 De Luca Drive, Cos Cob. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed May 14. Bragg, Eldar, Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association. Property: 1157 Congress St., Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed April 25. Butler, Peter, et al, Norwalk. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. Property: 2 Honeysuckle Drive, Norwalk. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed May 10. 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: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. 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: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed May 10. Fech, Jon M., et al, Fairfield. Filed by Bendett McHugh PC, Farmington, for M&T Bank. Property: 172 Eastlawn St., Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed April 9. Ferreira, Roberta, et al, Norwalk. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company NA. Property: 15 Noahs Lane, Norwalk. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 9.

FCBJ

Franklin, Glennon and Lisa M. Franklin, Fairfield. Filed by O’Connell, Atmore & Morris LLC, Hartford, for Bayview Loan Servicing LLC. Property: 74 Toilsome Hill Road, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 10.

Silva, Luis A., et al, Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC. Property: 305 Greenfield St., Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed April 25.

Gilmore, Sally B., et al, Greenwich. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Bank of America NA. Property: 155 Lake Ave., Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed June 3.

Taylor, James C., et al, Fairfield. Filed by Silver Golub & Teitell LLP, Stamford, for Donald Garamella. Property: 373 Cross Highway, Fairfield. Action: monetary damages and possession of the property. Filed April 30.

Haight, Linda A., Greenwich. Filed by Mark F. Katz, Stamford, for Tony Haight. Property: 26 Riverside Lane, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 29.

Thompson, Barbara, et al, Fairfield. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Sterling National Bank. Property: 153 Woody Lane, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 12.

Hayden, Michael Erin and Ellen de Ruyter Hayden, Greenwich. Filed by Glass & Braus LLC, Fairfield, for CSMC 2018-SP3 Trust. Property: 21 Mohawk Lane, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed May 13. Knight, John F., et al, Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Ditech Financial LLC. Property: 121 Ridgedale Road, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 26. Leonov, Stanislav and Alina Leonova, Greenwich. Filed by Benanti & Associates, Stamford, for People’s United Bank, NA. Property: 215 Riverside Ave., Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 14. Levin, Inga E., et al, Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Property: 267 Silver Spring Road, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 29. Norrell, Linda, et al, Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Property: 105 Southport Woods Drive, Unit 10E1, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed April 24. Richards, Christine C., et al, Norwalk. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 20 Avenue A, Norwalk. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 23 Scheffer, Jennifer, et al, Fairfield. Filed by Benanti & Associates, Stamford, for People’s United Bank, NA. Property: 485 Wellington Drive, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage from plaintiff. Filed May 1.

Vaeza, Maria Noel, Greenwich. Filed by Catherine P. Whelan, Greenwich, for David Ogilvie Kee. Property: 56 River Road, Cos Cob. Action: dissolution of marriage. Filed June 3. Winstel, Thomas A., Fairfield. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for US Bank National Association. Property: 163 Knapps Hwy., Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed April 5.

LEASES Greenwich Hospital, by Stephen J. Carberry. Landlord: 75 Holly LLC, Great Neck, New York. Property: 75 Holly Hill Lane, Greenwich. Term: 10 years, commenced March 29, 2019. Filed May 7. Shapiro, Jonathan S, and Rosalind E. Shapiro, by Sharon Montanaro. Landlord: Putnam Hill Apartments Inc Stamford. Property: 1 Putnam Hill Apartment 3D, Greenwich. Term: 41 years, commenced May 22, 2019. Filed May 23.

MORTGAGES 1494 Iranistan Avenue LLC, Stamford, by Charles P. Abate. Lender: Lima One Capital LLC, 201 E. McBee Ave., Suite 300, Greenville, South Carolina. Property: 1494 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $157,680. Filed Feb.7. Ali, Namor and Hazera Begum, Bridgeport, by Bevon E. A. McLean. Lender: UMC Mortgage Company, 25 Melville Park Road, Suite 100, Melville, New York. Property: 70 Wake St., Bridgeport. Amount: $162,000. Filed Feb. 4.

Bernard, Paul A., Bridgeport, by James T. Maye. Lender: M&T Bank, 1 M&T Plaza, Buffalo, New York. Property: 9 Roger Williams Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $154,660. Filed Feb. 4. Birch, Ashley and Neal Cody Stamford, by Pamela I. Baekey. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, Ohio. Property: 46 Brightside Drive, Stamford. Amount: $601,400. Filed March 22. Blanco, Miguel Emilio and Laurie Blanco, Bridgeport, by Adam Hirsch. Lender: Total Mortgage Services LLC, 185 Plains Road, Milford. Property: 405 Vincellette St., Bridgeport. Amount: $264,000. Filed Feb. 5. Bonilla, Jose R., Bridgeport, by Pedro F. Delgado Lender: Caliber Home Loans Inc, 1525 S Belt Line Road, Coppell, Texas. Property: 316 Saunders Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $149,246. Filed Feb. 4. Casole Roldan, Cristina A., Stamford, by David A. Rogers. Lender: Citizens Bank NA, 1 Citizens Plaza, Providence, Rhode Island. Property: 287 Hamilton Ave., Apartment 1A, Stamford. Amount: $198,400. Filed March 22.

Farquharson, Lincoln, Bridgeport, by Louis A. Afonso. Lender: Envoy Mortgage LTD, 10496 Katy Freeway, Suite 250, Houston, Texas. Property: 32 Ameridge Drive, Bridgeport. Amount: $117,450. Filed Feb. 5. Frugal LLC, Bridgeport, by Philip C. Craft. Lender: Peoples United Bank, NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 3400 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $1,500,000. Filed Feb. 1. Hernandez, Sergio, Bridgeport, by Cheryl A. Rodriguez. Lender: Prysma Lending Group LLC, 18 Padanaram Road, Danbury. Property: 1462 Stratford Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $175,757. Filed Feb. 5. Juarez, Sean M., Stamford, by Victor Rodriguez. Lender: Amwest Funding Corp., 3 Pointe Drive, Suite 120, Brea, California. Property: 64 Soundview Ave., Stamford. Amount: $424,871. Filed March 21. Kamerdian, Ryan and Lauren Kamerdian, Stamford, by Seth J. Arnowitz. Lender: Bank of America NA, 101 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 700 Riverbank Road, Stamford. Amount: $896,000. Filed March 22.

Chichester, Ineke C., Stamford, by Tom S. Ward Jr. Lender: Santander Bank, 824 North Market St., Suite 100, Wilmington, Delaware. Property: 109 Westover Road, Stamford. Amount: $534,000. Filed March 22.

Kingwood, Tyrone and Yvonne Kingwood, Bridgeport, by Sharon Skyes Jenkin. Lender: Residential Home Mortgage Corp., 100 Lanidex Plaza, Parsippany, New Jersey. Property: 28 Lakeside Drive, Bridgeport. Amount: $220,924. Filed Feb. 5.

Colas, Scott, Bridgeport, by Nicholas Stanisci. Lender: AFC Mortgage Group LLC, 227 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe. Property: 58 Sanford Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $198,341. Filed Feb. 5.

Ly, Jimmy and Thi Vo, Bridgeport, by Roger M. Klinger. Lender: Quicken Loans Inc, 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Property: 3200 Madison Ave., Unit 13, Bridgeport. Amount: $80,000. Filed Feb. 5.

Davis, Janice A., Bridgeport, by Mark E. Foppiano. Lender: Home Bridge Financial Services Inc., 194 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, New Jersey. Property: 39 Garfield Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $298,198. Filed Feb. 6.

Mancuso, Salvatore, Bridgeport, by Tom S. Ward Jr. Lender: First Republic Bank, 111 Pine St., San Francisco, California. Property: 117 Black Rock Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $124,000. Filed Feb. 4.

Erazo, Washington, Bridgeport, by Patricia A. Starkey. Lender: Housing Development Fund Inc., 100 Prospect St., Suite 100, Stamford. Property: 582 Huntington Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $10,500. Filed Feb. 6.

Martinez, Miriam C. and Luis Raphael Benavides, Stamford, by Antonio Faretta. Lender: Nationstar Mortgage LLC, 8950 Cypress Waters Blvd., Dallas, Texas. Property: 231 Seaton Road, No. 3, Stamford. Amount: $101,800. Filed March 22.

Erazo, Washington, Bridgeport, by Patricia A. Starkey. Lender: M&T Bank, 1 M&T Plaza, Buffalo, New York. Property: 582 Huntington Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $257,254. Filed Feb. 6.

Metzler, Morgan, Bridgeport, by Patrick Q. Mitchell. Lender: Bank of America NA, 101 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 3006 Madison Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $72,000. Filed Feb. 6.

Facts & Figures Miller, David, et al, Bridgeport, by Jason J. Morytko. Lender: Total Mortgage Services LLC, 185 Plains Road, Milford. Property: 111 Calhoun Place Bridgeport. Amount: $153,750. Filed Feb. 4. Moronta, Gabriel and Aida E. Moronta, Stamford, by Harvey Melzer. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA, 101 N. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 27 Lindstrom Road, Stamford. Amount: $400,275. Filed March 22.

Perez, Silvia, Bridgeport, by Bill L. Gouveia. Lender: Velocity Commercial Capital LLC, 30699 Russell Ranch Road, Suite 295, Westlake Village, California. Property: 34 Eaton St., Bridgeport. Amount: $175,000. Filed Feb. 5. Rdzak, Grzegorz, Bridgeport, by Jorge P. Zienz. Lender: First County Bank, 117 Prospect St., Stamford. Property: 152 Loftus Circle, Bridgeport. Amount: $189,600. Filed Feb. 4.

Rossi, Lucas A. and Aline L. Rossi, Stamford, by Mario Pansino. Lender: Citibank NA, 1000 Technology Drive, O’Fallon, Montana. Property: 69 Maple Tree Ave., Stamford. Amount: $281,300. Filed March 22. Saquipulla, Jose G., Bridgeport, by Olatokunbo T. Green. Lender: E. Mortgage Management LLC, 3 Executive Campus, Suite 520, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Property: 358 Park St., Bridgeport. Amount: $172,800. Filed Feb.5. Savage, Frank and Lolita Valderrama Savage, Stamford, by Ernest N. Abate. Lender: Washington Trust Mortgage Company LLC, 23 Broad St., Westerly, Rhode Island. Property: 1 Broad St., Unit PHD5, Stamford. Amount: $921,800. Filed March 22. Shunglu, Anju and Ajay Krishna Shunglu, Stamford, by Gary J. Kravetz, Lender: Wells Fargo Bank, NA, 101 North Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 1 Broad St., Stamford. Amount: $400,000. Filed March 21.

NEW BUSINESSES VP, Systems Engineer, Synchrony Bank, Stamford, CT. Develop & support custom applications within the Fiserv platform & work w Fiserv to dvlp improvemts for tech. solutns utilized in the banking sector. Bach’s deg or foreign equiv. in Comp. Sci, Comp. Engg, or rel. + 5 yrs post-bach. progress rel. IT work exp. Travel up to 25%. To apply, mail resume to: HR Manager, Synchrony Bank, 777 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06902 (ref: VPCT02).

Solutions Analyst (Nestlé Regional Globe Office North America, Inc. – Stamford, CT) Dvlp & implemnt functnl specs for SAP EWM bus syst solutns based on custm bus reqs. Wrk w/ stakholdrs & bus prtners to gathr & validate bus reqs, trnslat’g them into techncl specs. Travel approx 70%-80% wrk’g time. F/T. Resumes: J. Buenrostro, Nestlé USA, Inc., 1812 N Moore St, Arlington, VA 22209. Job ID: 3390460.

AGJR Consulting LLC, 64 Ferris Ave., Norwalk 06854. c/o Antonio Gonzalez Jr. Filed April 11. Alex Palma Painting, 6 Dryden St., Apartment 2, Stamford 06902. c/o Alex Fernando Palma Pivaral. Filed April 24. Bond Grill, 250 Westport Ave., Norwalk 06851. c/o Zun Yakitori Japanese Restaurant. Filed April 10.

Digital Solutions Specialist (Nestlé Regional Globe Office North America, Inc. – Stamford, CT) Prvde bus process & solutn exprtise in Custmr Srvce, CRM, eCommerce, Usr & Custmr Exp, Mrkt’g and Digitl Innovtn to N. American mrkts. Collab w/ diffrnt N. American mrkts to gthr, docmnt & validte bus rqrmnts & idntfy digitl solutns. F/T. Resumes: K. Faison, Nestlé USA, Inc., 1812 N Moore St, Arlington, VA 22209. Job ID: 3390468.

Specialist Business Solutions (Nestlé Regional Globe Office North America, Inc. – Stamford, CT) Dvlp & implmnt functnl specfcatns for bus sys soltns basd on custom bus reqs. F/T. Reqs Bach’s deg (or frgn equiv) in Comp Info Sys, Bus Admin, Intrntnl Rel or rel fld & 5 yrs exp in the job offrd or w/ bus process integratn & dsgn. All statd exp must incl: full life cycle proj mgmt incl stakholdr mgmt in a cross-functnl envirnmnt & coordnt’g all deploymnt initiativs within business systems projects; SAP application including BW, R/3, Business Objects, Bex Analyzer & HANA; SQL & Microsoft Cloud; gthr’g bus reqs & translat’g into functnl specs for sys modificatns; analyz’g & identif’g bus process improvmnts & creat’g tech solutns in accordance w/ compliance guidlins; &, comm’g complex tech concepts & solutns in bus terms to mgmt & stakholdrs. Trvl approx. 20% wrk’g time. Resumes: J. Buenrostro, Nestlé USA, Inc., 1812 N Moore St, Arlington, VA 22209. Job ID: 3390480.

Bounce-Around, Bouncehouse, 6 Ingalls Ave., Norwalk 06854. c/o Kerry Ann Watt, Filed April 18. Calla Studio, 68 Water St., Norwalk 06854. c/o McNamara, Calla LLC. Filed April 18. Clean as a Whistle, 49 N. Bridge St., Norwalk 06855. c/o J&T Cristal Clean Inc. Filed April 12.

Cleopatra Nail, 436 Westport Ave., Norwalk 06851. c/o New Cleopatra Nail Inc. Filed April 4. Connecticut Chinese Dance, 97 Deep Valley Road, Stamford 06903. c/o Alison Wang. Filed April 25. Craig & Dede’s Lifting Service, 12 France St., Norwalk 06851. c/o Caleb John Galaz. Filed April 1. Endodontic Associates of Norwalk, 120 East Ave., Norwalk 06851. c/o Alan B. Rosenthal. Filed April 2. Epo Services, 130 East Ave., Norwalk 06851. c/o Erley Pilgarin. Filed April 8. Estrada LLC, 60 Grant Ave., Stamford 06902. c/o Ervin Estrada. Filed April 26. Eyebrow Threading, 34 Main St., Norwalk 06851. c/o Global Host Inc. Filed April 15. Five Star Remodeling and Painting LLC, 9 Willow St., Norwalk 06851. c/o Lester Luna. Filed April 2. Frank Castaldi d.b.a. Vision Consultant, 1 Bank St., Stamford 06901. c/o Frank Castaldi. Filed April 29. International Lace and Elastics Inc, 36 Bettswood Road, Norwalk 06851. c/o Edward C. Meyer. Filed April 9. JB Home Improvement, 71 Walter Ave., Norwalk 06851. c/o Ana L. Gutierrez. Filed April 16. Leams Construction & Handyman Service, 28 Gregory St., Stamford 06902. c/o Luis E. Aguirre. Filed April 26. LT Landscaping 16 Fairweather Drive, Norwalk 06851. c/o Luis Torres. Filed April 16.

Matthew David Studios, 47 Springhill Ave., Norwalk 06850. c/o Matthew Grindle. Filed April 5. Mayaro Media Group 16 Washington St., Norwalk 06854. c/o Michael Stevenson. Filed April 4. Nail Elegance, 137 Cove Road, Stamford 06902. c/o John Truong. Filed April 29. Nail Elegance, 26 Webb Ave., Stamford 06902. c/o Liliana Andrea Defino. Filed April 29. National Automotive Roads Fuel Association Inc., 4 Main St., Peterborough, New Hampshire 03458. c/o Joseph Walier. Filed April 3. Pokemoto, 229 Main St., Stamford 06901. c/o PKM Stamford LLC. Filed April 25. Ronni Eisenberg & Associates, 515 West Ave., Norwalk 06850. c/o Ronni Eisenberg. Filed April 1. Rusalka Engravery, 583 Belden Hill Road, Norwalk 06850. c/o Dana Nellie Cole. Filed April 5. The Harlem Investment Plant, 100 Glenbrook Road, Apartment 18, Stamford 06902. c/o Cradle Guards CPR, LLC Filed April 24. Tini Pinto, 52 Patridge Road, Stamford 06903. c/o House of Brown Girl LLC. Filed April 29. Villanova’s Home Improvement, 275 Seaside Ave., Apartment 3, Stamford 06902. c/o Mylko Villanueva. Filed April 26.

PATENTS Audio mixing console. Patent no. D850,411 issued to Matthew Rowe, Welwyn Garden, England; Scott Wood, Northridge, California; Karam Kaul, Northridge, California. Assigned to Harman International Industries Inc., Stamford. Audio processing adjustments for playback devices based on determined characteristics of audio content. Patent no. 10,306,364 issued to Timothy W. Sheen, Brighton, Massachusetts. Michael Darrel Andrew Erikson, Santa Barbara, California; William H. Bush, Santa Clarita, California. Assigned to Sonos Inc., Santa Barbara.

Device for providing multiple-surface treatments to three-dimensional objects prior to printing and system using the device. Patent no. 10,300,711 issued to Jack T. LeStrange, Macedon, New York; Anthony S. Condello, Webster, New York; Mandakini Kanungo, Penfield, New York; Peter J. Knausdorf, Henrietta, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Dual coil electrodynamic transducer with channels for voice coil cooling. Patent no. 10,306,370 issued to Ralph E. Hyde. Assigned to Harman International Industries Inc., Stamford. Ink jet ink compositions for digital manufacturing of transparent objects. Patent no. 10,308,827 issued to Naveen Chopra, Oakville, California; Barkev Keoshkerian, Thornhill, California; Carolyn Moorlag, Mississauga, California; C. Geoffrey Allen, Waterdown, California; Marcel P. Breton, Mississauga, California; Gordon Sisler, Catharines, Ontario. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Method and system for production quality gloss marks. Patent no. 10,313,556 issued to Edward N. Chapman. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Methods and systems for usage control of printing material. Patent no. 10,313,564 issued to Dhevendra Alagan Palanivel, Chennai, India; Sudhagar Subbaian, Coimbatore, India; Sainarayanan Gopalakrishnan, Chennai, India. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Method of forming an electrical interconnect. Patent no. 10,306,775 issued to Chad David Freitag, West Linn, Oregon; Tygh James Newton, Sherwood Oregon; Chad Johan Slenes, Sherwood, Oregon. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Multifunction office machine. Patent no. D850,529 issued to William T. Clark,III, Pittsford, New York; James B. Smith, Honeoye Falls, New York; Keith L. Willis, Rochester, New York; Andrew T. Martin, Honeoye Falls, New York; Stephen F. Skrainar, Penfield, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp, Norwalk.

Protective layers for high-yield printed electronic devices. Patent no. 10,304,836 issued to Kyle B. Tallman, Perry, New York; Jonathan H. Herko, Walworth, New York; Michael S. Roetker, Webster, New York; Amy Catherine Porter, Rochester, New York; Lin Ma, Pittsford, New York; David M. Skinner, Rochester, New York; Eric Robert Dudek, Webster, New York; Scott J. Griffin, Fairport, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Speaker accessory mounting bracket. Patent no. 10,313,772 issued to Timothy M. Nugent, Venice, California; Craig A. Lambrecht, Granger, Indiana. Assigned to Harman International Industries, Stamford. Stretchable ink composition. Patent no. 10,308,826 issued to Yiliang Wu, Oakville, California; Cameron Derry, London, California; Ke Zhou, Oakville, California. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. System for perceived enhancement and restoration of compressed audio signals. Patent no. 10,311,880 issued to Gilbert Arthur Joseph Soulodre, Kanata, California. Assigned to Harman International Industries, Stamford. Text rule multi-accent speech recognition with single acoustic model and automatic accent detection. Patent no. 10,290,300 issued to Rajat Pashine, Indore, india. Assigned to Harman International Industries, Stamford. Thermoformed customized object holder for direct to object printers. Patent no. 10,308,037 issued to D. Clay Johnson, Rochester, New York; Mark A. Atwood, Rush, New York; Timothy P. Foley, Marion, New York; Eliud Robles Flores, Rochester, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Universal part holder with conformable membranes. Patent no. 10,308,038 issued to Linn C. Hoover, Webster, New York; Paul M. Fromm, Rochester, New York; Erwin Ruiz, Rochester, New York; Jeffery J. Bradway, Rochester, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Printed RFID tag antenna array with interfering subarrays. Patent no. 10,311,264 issued to Christopher P. Caporale, Rochester, New York; Alberto Rodriguez, Webster, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

FCBJ

JUNE 10, 2019

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