FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNAL January 5, 2015 | VOL. 51, No. 1
16 | MENDELSSOHN CHOIR ON KEY YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
On the move BROTHERS OPEN FOURTH TWO MEN AND A TRUCK LOCATION
For the children
BY CRYSTAL KANG ckang@westfairinc.com TWO BROTHERS WHO OWN a moving services franchise in Norwalk, Millwood and Port Chester, N.Y., plan to grow its fleet and staff in the new year. With the help of a loan from the Small Business Administration and Wells Fargo & Co., brothers Stephen and Marc Viggiano of Ridgefield and Port Chester, respectively, plan to open their fourth Two Men and a Truck location in Yonkers, N.Y., this month. Ahead of the expansion, the Viggianos recently hired another business partner, Justin Brogan, to be the general manager of their Millwood office. Marc will slide into Yonkers, while Stephen will
mshustack@westfairinc.com IT’S HARD TO MISS THE array of photographs of youngsters posted in the headquarters of Child First in Shelton. And walking into Dr. Darcy Lowell’s office, a large image of an infant immediately catches the eye. “Most of the pictures around are of our families, but that one is mine,” the founder and CEO says of her granddaughter, then just 3 days old. Lowell using the term “our families” is a most telling choice of words, a window into the way she feels about the countless children who, along with their parents and caregivers, are served by the nonprofit organization. Child First’s stated goal, “to intervene with children at the earliest possible time to decrease emotional and
‘Tempered optimism’ Turnaround group survey gauges 2015 expectations
BY BILL FALLON bfallon@westfairinc.com
Lowell, also an associate clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Study Center at Yale University School of Medicine, says her own childhood had a tremendous impact on her life. » LOWELL, page 6
» SURVEY, page 4
Dr. Darcy Lowell in her Shelton office. Photo by Bob Rozycki
BY MARY SHUSTACK
westfaironline.com
CONNECTICUT BUSINESS EXECUTIVES AND ADVISERS do not expect 2015 to bring major positive change to the state’s economy and have mixed views about their own business prospects, according to survey results issued by the Weston-based Connecticut Turnaround Management Association, a nonprofit association of corporate renewal professionals with a national affiliation. The survey received 59 replies. A majority, 56.1 percent, said the Connecticut economy is stable. Just 5.3 percent said the economy is growing, while 38.6 percent said it is declining. The executives cited four notably strong business arenas in the survey: health care, pharmaceuticals and bioscience, finance and defense. “Our survey sampled attendees at our events and we believe they reflect a cross section of the business community throughout the state,” said Philip G. Kane, Turnaround Management Association regional president, in a statement. “The overall view is one of tempered optimism — that things will remain the same or get a bit better but that a widespread revival will continue to elude us.” The poll responses were tallied Dec. 2-11 and included data gathered from Turnaround Management Association events in 2014, including a Nov. 25 gathering at Fairfield University that featured U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, among others.
» MOVE, page 5
Dr. Darcy Lowell devoted to the very youngest
11 | ABILITY BEYOND
behavioral problems, developmental and learning problems, and abuse and neglect,” is accomplished through an innovative and intensive home-based model. Identifying and working with the most vulnerable young children and their families, Child First is based on the principle that all families want the best for their children. It also recognizes that consistent, stable and nurturing parent-child relationships provide a solid foundation for mental health, cognitive and language development and physical health, a jump-start that remains with them throughout their lives. Child First is also the means by which the veteran pediatrician — who has dedicated nearly 30 years to working with and for young children — continues her efforts.
FROM THE START