FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNAL YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS | westfaironline.com
September 29, 2014 | VOL. 50, No. 39
UConn event targets women entrepreneurs
FCBJ this week
BY CRYSTAL KANG
I
ckang@westfairinc.com
CITY ON A ROLL Mayor Harry Rilling says Norwalk has prevailed … 3
n the U.S. last year, there were 8.9 million women-owned businesses, accounting for about 23 million jobs and representing a $3 trillion impact on the economy. Since the start of the recession, women-owned businesses have grown 274,000 jobs, said Claire Leonardi, CEO of Connecticut Innovations. Despite those gains, there were still three challenges that existed for women: access to capital, access to federal contracts and access to businesses, training and counseling. “On the capital side, only $1 out of $23 that are lent to small businesses go to women-owned companies,” Leonardi said. “That’s only 7 percent of the venture capital. On the supply side, only 10 percent of venture capitalists are women. While these statistics are frustrating, real sustainable change only comes from demonstrated business success. And this comes from being really good at what we do. We need female CEOs because women are as talented as men can be and it takes talented people to build companies.” Leonardi fired up the 350 women attending the University of Connecticut’s second annual women entrepreneurs conference at the campus
DRIVING BUSINESS With a woman at the wheel … 5 LISTEN UP Salespeople need to speak and speak well ... 13 MISSING LINKS? Marc Halpert begins a two-part social media guide for business … 16
MEDIA PARTNER
» UCONN, page 10 Candice Hughes, founder of Darien-based AdapTac Games. | Photo by Crystal Kang
Norwalk mall nears formal proposal DEVELOPER PLANS A 700,000-SQUARE-FOOT RETAIL CENTER BY BILL FALLON bfall@westfairinc.om
A +
long-vacant, 9-acre site at the junction of West Avenue, Route 7 and Interstate 95 in Norwalk could be home to a
6
REAL ESTATE RULES
The Business Journal hosts a panel of experts
700,000-square-foot mall built over 30 months at a cost of $941 million. The developer is New York City-based General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP), which bought the land last year for $34 million and has been both selling its idea and harvesting criticism — notably traffic concerns — as it prepares to formally introduce the idea to the city of Norwalk in the next two months. GGP owns and operates 120 properties between Maine and Hawaii, including its nearest malls, Brass Mill Center in Manchester and
+
18
MAKING IT
Newsmakers’ weekly accounting of successes
Waterbury’s Buckland Hills Mall. It plans also to own and operate the mall in Norwalk. The project has been introduced through a series of informational meetings, the most recent Sept. 24 at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk, which would be neighbor to the mall. Douglas Adams, General Growth’s senior director who lives in Fairfield, and Lawrence Cafero, a 22-year state legislator representing Norwalk and New Canaan and the land attorney for GGP » MALL, page 4
NEWS NOON @
Sign up now at westfaironline.com