Fairfield County Business Journal 110419

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PRINT JOURNALISM: BECAUSE IT STILL MATTERS. NOVEMBER 4, 2019 VOL. 55, No. 44

westfaironline.com

A rendering of the main entrance to Urby Stamford.

Urby Stamford is open for business

INSIDE PAGE

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VACATION DAYS

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WORKING ENVIRONMENT

BACK FROM THE BRINK STAMFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RETURNING TO PROMINENCE UNDER HEATHER CAVANAGH

CITY’S INFAMOUS ‘HOLE IN THE GROUND’ IS GONE

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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tamford’s notorious “hole in the ground” is no more. Almost exactly two years since ground was broken on the long-vacant site at the corner of Greyrock Place and Tresser Boulevard, Urby Stamford is open for business. The $200 million residential

development — the result of a joint venture between Ironstate Development Co. and Brookfield Property Group — came in on budget and “mostly on schedule,” according to Ironstate President David Barry. Barry said residents began moving in last month. “It’s been really exciting so far,” he said, noting that Urby signed about 30 leases in its first three weeks. Interest in the 464 units that

are available has been high, Barry said. That statement was confirmed by Leasing Manager Alexandra Novoa, who said that along with General Manager Jason Pennypacker and Property Manager Casey Craig, has been leading daily tours around the complex at a rate of about 10 a day. Though marketed primarily to 20- and 30-somethings, Urby has drawn “a really diverse mix,” Pennypacker said. “We’ve been getting really great feedback so far.” “Typically, families are looking for more space and houses,” Barry said. “So the Urbys tend to draw the younger end of the spec» » URBY

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BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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early bankrupt 18 months ago, the Stamford Chamber of Commerce is now on much more solid footing, thanks almost entirely to the efforts of President and CEO Heather Cavanagh. That she’s done it in a little over a year stands as a testament to her being “a ball of energy,” said Chamber Treasurer David Cingari, owner of David’s Soundview Catering. “She’s very positive, very into it. She’s made a huge difference.” Cavanagh was lauded several times at the cham-

ber’s 32nd annual meeting and awards ceremony on Sept. 26. There was a sense of excitement over what she has done to transform the perception of the chamber as a somewhat moribund organization to one that’s well-positioned to prosper. She said the key to reinventing the organization was bringing it into the 21st century. “Almost everything was being done by hand,” she said. “Things were falling through the cracks, due more to human error than anything. So much was being done by mail, which can lead to things not being read. Even registering someone for an event meant manually typing that informa» » CAVANAGH

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