www.ConnTact.com $1.50APRIL 2014

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES

Quinnipiac Bank Sold to BankwellAcquisition affords New Canaan Bank footprint in N.H. County

By Felicia Hunter

HAMDEN – Quinnipiac Bank & Trust Co. is being acquired by Bankwell Financial Group, Inc., a move that will expand the latter’s business operations into New Haven County and add $100 million in assets to Bankwell’s coffers.

The acquisition calls for Quinnipiac to merge into Bankwell Bank. Bankwell Financial Group is the holding company for the Bankwell Bank, which now

Nemerson Over the Wall Into the Soup Page 3

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Hooking Up With A Tutor

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NEWCO: DJ, The Marrying Kind.

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Envisioning A New Downtown

With its acquisition of Quinnipiac Bank & Trust, Bankwell’s Patterson has achieved her objective of entering the New Haven County marketplace.

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3APRIL 2014

WHO’S WHAT, WHERE

Enter Your Events on www.ctcalendar.com

Matthew Nemerson of New Haven is the city’s new economic development admin-istrator, reporting to Mayor Toni N. Harp. Since 2003 he had been president of the Connecticut Technology Council. From 1987 to 2000 he was president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and before that was found-ing vice president of the Science Park Development Corp. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College and in 1981 earned an MBA/MPPM from the Yale School of Organization & Management (now the Yale School of Management).

Since you’re not new to our readers, let us start by asking how is this new job for you?

I have been looking through the window of city policy for 30 years — all the time throwing my suggestions over the wall, trying to get people’s attention. Now, for the first time, I actually can be part of the process. I’m on the other side [inside] of the wall.

So now that you’re a true ‘insider,’ what have you found?

It is different than what I expected. First of all, there is an amazing talent and dedication that people [in city govern-ment] have here. We have all been in the private sector [and have come to believe] that the folks in government don’t care or don’t have a real view of how the world works. People here are very hard, they’re very smart and they are trying in a most realistic way to manage all the complexities in the way the whole society has operated. They are trying to hold it together and steer a very unwieldy ship as best they can.

You’ve been the top executive in your organizations for more than two decades. Now you have an actual boss, and not just a board of directors. What has that been like?

I have been the CEO of my own organiza-tions for 23 of the last 27 years. Coming here it was a change for me, but I have found that the mayor is just a fantastic boss. I can honestly say I learn things from her every day. She is a quiet and very competent person, she has no airs and she never tries to impress anybody with anything other than who she is. And in every meeting there is someone who has a better command of the subject than I do.

You mean you’re no longer the smartest guy in the room?

I’ve never claimed to be the smartest — but I often sort of behaved that way. The interesting thing is she is clearly the smartest person in the room. Those of us who know her expected her to be an

absolute whiz when it comes to budget-ing [as a state senator Harp chaired the legislature’s Appropriations Committee]. She has almost a photographic memory when it comes to numbers and budgets. But there is so much complexity of policy she understands — housing, transporta-tion, economic development. She always has a point of view and always comes to from a sense of history and a sense of the economics and the details. She is [all about] the task at hand and keeping it real and she is never about proving her-self right. It is very clear to all of us we are working for her: She sets the rules, the expectations and when you don’t meet them she lets you know — without a lot of fanfare.

So how do you define ‘economic development’ from the perspective of your new job?

In three ways: First, things that are about a creating an atmosphere of opportu-nity and equality. Cities are in a unique position in a world very segregated by income and background. [Cities] are one of the few places left where you have people coming together. The mayor is very clear that her first responsibility is to maximize opportunity for people whose gateway to advancement, to educa-tion and in some ways to get out of the city, is the city itself. They have to come through the city. It’s about jobs, about the distribution of opportunity. It is not about entitlements or handouts. Our job here is to create the best environment for people to be upwardly mobile.

The second thing is we have to be world-class — she says this all the time. We have to be the best and not settle. We have to hold each other, our institutions, our small businesses, [municipal] gov-ernment and other governmental levels [accountable] — that we come to the table saying we are a great community. We will behave as a great community and also expect to be treated as that.

The third piece is the transactional piece: There are many deals, things that we have to perform and perform them well. How we treat developers as clients, how we spend our very limited dollars and time to make sure we are not only look-ing at the downtown but the impact on the neighborhoods, the retail corridors.

What is the timetable for the development of the Live Work Play project on the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum site?

It is the building of Orange Street [that is the complicated part] going toward the train station from the front of what will become the signature hotel in the state of Connecticut — our four-and-a-half-

Return of the Prodigal SonAT LONG LAST, NEMERSON GETS TO TEST DEVELOPMENT THEORIES FROM INSIDE ‘THE WALL’

. . .

Continued on page 12

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Vol XX, No8April 2014

How to send a letter to the editor

Business New Haven welcomes letters to the edi-tor pertaining to subjects covered in these pages. Please e-mail to letters@businessnewhaven.com, mail to letters, Business New Haven, 20 Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513, or fax to 203-781-3482.

How to get your calendar event listed

Mail to: calendar, Business New Haven, 20 Grand Avenue., New Haven 06513, fax to 203-781-3482 or e-mail to calendar@conntact.com. Deadline three weeks prior to the issue in which the listing is to appear. Include: name of event, brief description, name of speaker, date, location including street ad-dress, time and cost (if any) and telephone number for further information.

Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertis-ing for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of Business New Haven are copyright © 2011 by Second Wind Media, Ltd. No portion may be reproduced without written per-mission. of the publisher.

Publisher Mitchell Young

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Editorial

Access Health ShamTwo years before then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) announced his candidacy for President, this space called for a Connecticut health-insurance mandate to expand coverage to the uninsured.Along with providing coverage to the uninsured, we wrote that we hoped that enhanced coverage would cre-ate transparency for the cost-shifting from government and large companies to small employers and individu-als for their health-insurance costs.We wanted then — and continue to want — Connecticut residents to have access to affordable health care and help in obtaining insurance, if they can’t afford it.We did not, however, and fervently oppose the feder-alization of health care known as the Affordable Care Act, a/k/a “ObamaCare.” This so-called progressive legislation is a sham and a shame and needs its own overhaul — especially a repudiation of federal control over health care.Unfortunately, the political and academic architects of the law cared more about their vision for how to run the health-care economy than they did for the uninsured, for health-care providers and their employees — or in-deed, the quality of health-care delivery itself.Let us say it as clearly as possible to our progressive friends and politicians alike: You were suckered. For years Connecticut liberal media mouthpieces — the Hartford Courant, Connecticut Public Radio and the state’s commercial television stations — joined with Juan Figueroa, then head of the Universal Health Care Foundation, in promoting (in spite of much evidence to the contrary) the figure of 424,000 uninsured in the state. It was a concerted effort to mobilize support for a federal program instead of state and private efforts to increase health-insurance coverage, today they con-cede to Kaiser Healthcare’s estimate of only 280,000 unisured.Executives of Access Health CT, the state’s ObamaCare “echange,” have been crowing about its great success in signing folks up. There’s just one prob-lem: Access Health CT can’t (or won’t) release the data on how many people who didn’t have health insurance have actually signed up.The estimate from others is that the number is a fraction of the uninsured population both here in Connecticut and across the country.So why did we turn the United States’ health-care in-dustry — the best in the world — upside down? Advocates, like our own Health Care Hero Steve Wolfson, MD (BNH, March 2014), whom this publica-tion recently cited for helping to organize free medical care to the region’s uninsured, haven’t been willing to make the connection between federal government ac-tion and the cutting back of insurance networks.But, unfortunately, there is a clear line in federal policy for the shrinking of networks, as in Yale-New Haven’s Hospital network of physicians being cut from insurer United Healthcare’s network for Medicare Advantage. More importantly, the politically motivated architects of the Affordable Care Act have stated boldly in numer-ous media outlets it is imperative to reduce network size and in fact “eliminate academic hospitals” from net-works to lower costs. Further, consolidation is now the order of the day: With the aid in some cases of for-profit corporate partners, Hartford Hospital and Yale-New Haven are acquiring physicians’ practices and seeking to purchase hospitals at a dizzingly rapid pace.Was this the “sell” you heard for the ACA? Because we don’t remember anyone from Yale’s SOM, Harvard or MIT telling us this was behind Door No. 1. BNH

By D. Dowd Muska

To the populist right, it’s the final step in Barack Obama’s scheme to destroy our once-great nation.

The president’s plan for immigration reform would grant “undocumented im-migrants a legal way to earn citizenship that will encour-age them to come out of the shadows so they can pay their taxes and play by the same rules as everyone else.”

Immigration restrictionists believe that placing millions of mostly Mexican illegal aliens on “a pathway to citi-zenship” will buy votes for the Democratic Party and accelerate America’s lurch toward European-style Unlimited Government.

Charge No. 1 is debatable. Charge No. 2 is downright dodgy.

First, a quick question for tea partiers of all stripes: What’s the value in shield-ing the Republican Party from ballot-box threats? Conservatism has little to show for its investment in the GOP. Ronald Reagan couldn’t eliminate a single cabinet-level bureaucracy, Newt Gingrich’s “revolu-tion” imploded, and George W. Bush tried to match LBJ’s feverish expansion of the federal “public” sec-tor. (Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former fiscal warrior in Washington, recently invoked “Saint Peter” in his defense of expanding Medicaid: “He’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small, but he’s going to ask you what you did for the poor.

You’d better have a good answer.”)

Notwithstanding pesky political realities, let’s go with the notion that Latinos are good for the Democratic Party. It’s tough to refute, if scanned through the prism of presidential elec-tions. In the modern era, Republican nominees have crested 40 percent of the Latino vote just once. But the party has fielded some appallingly unappealing candidates — e.g., George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney — in recent decades. Shouldn’t the nominees bear much of the blame?

On Capitol Hill, the story isn’t so simple. The ratio of Democrats to Republicans for Latino congressmen is 27:8. It’s 1:2 in the Senate, and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are top-tier contenders for the GOP’s presidential nod in 2016. At the state level, the premise that a “browner” America spells electoral doom for Republicans almost disintegrates. Texas has nearly doubled its share of Latinos in the last 30 years, while the Lone Star State has grown redder.

The nation’s two Latino governors are Republicans. (In New Mexico, Susana Martinez’s ethnicity is nearly the majority. Latinos comprise more than a quarter of the population in Brian Sandoval’s Nevada.) Last November, Chris Christie won 51 percent of New Jersey’s Latino vote. Univision viewer-ship, it’s worth noting, can be quite thin in moonbat states. Vermont, Minnesota, Hawaii and Maine are deep blue, with infinitesimal numbers of Latinos.

Politics matters, of course, but culture has far more impact. Dissect the habits and principles of America’s Latinos, and talk-radio gab-bers’ stereotypes begin to shatter. Welfare is a good place to start. “No amnesty!” activists frequently claim that taxpayers bear an in-tolerable burden for loose borders. Last year, the Cato Institute examined the data, and concluded that

“low-income non-citizen im-migrants are less likely to receive public benefits than low-income native-born citizens and…the value of

Op-Ed

Was It Latinos Who Broke America?

Continued on page 25

D. Dowd Muska (dowd-muska.com) of Broad Brook writes about government, economics and technology. Follow him on Twitter @dowdmuska.

5APRIL 2014

REDEVELOPMENT

Steel Point To Break GroundBRIDGEPORT — The long-antici-pated redevelopment of the historical Steel Point neighborhood, plans for which have spanned six mayoral administrations in the Park City, may actually get underway this sum-mer. Construction is scheduled to being on the project’s first anchor, a 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops.

Eventually the city plans to add additional shops, hotels, a public waterfront and more than two million square feet of housing in a project whose total price tag is expected to approach $1 billion.

Steel Point sits between the Pequonnock River and the Yellow Mill Channel, bordered on the north by I-95 and by Long Island Sound .

All told the city and state combined have spent some $100 million on rede-velopment efforts over three decades, but their efforts have been hampered by property disputes, three reces-sions and a corruption scandal involv-ing Mayor Joseph Ganim.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Kelly Murphy has a new job.

The former New Haven economic devel-opment chief recently joined Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB) as Director of Planning & Landscape Architecture in the firm’s White Plains, N.Y. office.

VHB provides multidisciplinary planning design, engineering and consulting ser-vices for the public and private sector, in real estate, transportation, education and other markets. The firm was instrumen-tal in planning and designing the new West Haven commuter rail station.

“I was lucky I had a number of choices,” Murphy says. “What I liked about VHB was the integrative aspect, integrating planning, transportation, civil engineer-ing and environmental services.”

The position is “a good fit,” she adds, because it allows her “to stitch together relationships in different areas doing what I really love to do.

Murphy oversaw several important projects for the city of New Haven

including the city’s first large-scale residential tower, 360 State Street, a 500-unit apartment tower at the long vacant Shartenburg site, as well as the reloca-tion of Alexion Pharmaceuticals to down-

town New Haven from Cheshire. She also worked on the location of Higher One, a New Haven-grown public finan-cial services firm that took more than 150,000 square feet of space in the peren-nially undeveloped Olin factory build-ing. Forest City is currently developing 158 apartments at the site as well.

“I have a wide variety of clients, including real estate developers and municipalities.”

Murphy covers New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but says she also will be able to share her expertise on VNB projects in other areas.

A graduate of James Madison University, she holds a master of urban planning in economic development and finance from the University of Illinois/Chicago.

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin has 22 offices from Maine to Florida.

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HIGHER EDUCATION

From Business Problems to SolutionsSHU biz students seek corporate partners for projects

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FAIRFIELD — Launched in January through the college’s John F. Welch College of Business, the Sacred Heart University (SHU) Problem-Based Learning Lab (PBL) is now working with regional clients and is seeking corporate and community partners to submit potential projects for fall 2014 and beyond.

The interdisciplinary, experiential learning program is designed to expose students to real business problems. It targets community organizations and businesses looking to address growth and marketing opportunities, enhance or influence public perception, develop new business models and implement innovative action plans.

Student work typically includes market studies, examining current business models and recommending new strat-egies for product development and future direction. The PBL teams func-tion similarly to an internal consulting group and are already working with several organizations focused on vari-ous challenges and audiences.

The group’s inaugural project for the city of Bridgeport involves an eco-nomic-impact study of city facilities and events on the local economy. SHU

Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of Finance Kwamie Dunbar says the study will afford city officials metrics on job creation and enable them to examine tourism revenues and local business activities that will be used in its marketing campaigns and as eco-nomic updates to media outlets.

The lab’s process model, Dunbar explains, involves organizing internal teams for each assignment, conducting client-directed research and meetings, reviewing options, formulating strate-gic potential solutions and then working with the client to communicate plans. Student candidates are screened and

interviewed in a competitive process to determine qualifications and inter-est, and then are assigned to teams. As projects are identified, the PBL team seeks out subject matter experts from corporations in the area, SHU alumni and business-school networks.

“We’re always looking for ways to bring real-world practice into the classroom and to connect the theoreti-cal and practical through guided, inter-active, hands-on learning,” says Dunbar.

“This effort mutually benefits our stu-dents and the local business community by providing high-quality business solutions to some of today’s complex business problems.”

Scott Gaffney and Maggie McCabe are two SHU students participating on PBL teams. Both believe the practical expe-rience and opportunity to work with real companies outside the classroom has proven invaluable.

More information about the PBL pro-gram may be found at sacredheart.edu/academics/johnfwelchcollegeofbusi-ness/wcobinnovationcentersproblem-basedlearninglab.

Sacred Heart Sport Management Professor Josh Shuart (right) talks with students as part of problem-based learning.

Photo: Tracy Deer-Mirek

7APRIL 2014

AGRICULTURE

Fed Funds Keep Farms Fecund

HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, state Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Conservationist Lisa Coverdale have announced an agree-ment that will allow Connecticut to use more than $8 million in federal funds to keep farmland in agricul-tural production.

The agreement also will increase flexibility in use of federal funds through the state’s Farmland Preservation Program. More than 300 state farms have been protected under the program, including nearly 100 achieved with $20 million in assis-tance from the federal USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm & Ranchland Protection Program.

“This funding will be used to ensure that our state’s farms – some of the best in the country – will continue producing Connecticut Grown prod-ucts and keep our beautiful lands and natural resources preserved,” said Malloy. “Connecticut continues to lead New England in the growth rate of farms over the past couple of years, where the agriculture industry con-tributes $3.5 billion to our economy and provides nearly 28,000 jobs in our state. I remain committed to the growth of this crucial industry and to the hard working families of Connecticut who work in it.”

The agreement will extend all NRCS farmland-protection funds obligated to Connecticut until March 31, 2015, giving the state greater flexibility in negotiating agreements with farm owners wishing to participate in the program.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

(Business) Planning for SuccessNEW HAVEN — The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) is accept-ing applications for its “Passion to Profit” business plan-development program in New Haven. The program will begin on April 28 at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, 900 Chapel Street.

Passion to Profit is WBDC’s business plan-writing program, which is designed to help emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs transition from an idea to a workable plan for new levels of business growth.

Over a nine-week period WBDC’s busi-ness instructors provide guidance, sup-

port, resources and motivation to a small group of like-minded entrepreneurs. In addition, each entrepreneur can access an interactive Web tool that features a step-by-step process to draft and complete a professional business plan.

The application deadline for Passion to Profit is April 17. Additional information about the program is available at 203-925-0686 or by e-mailing KBanks@ctwbdc.org.

Registration and materials fee is $300. (Reduced-fee scholarships are available for those who qualify based on income guidelines.)

Founded in 1997, the Women’s Business Development Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women achieve economic equity through entre-preneurial training, financial education and professional development. The pro-vides education, training, resources and connections to women (and men) at train-ing sites statewide, offering a continuum of programs and services to its clients in need.

More information about the group is avail-able at ctwbdc.org.

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LABOR

DOL Shutters Elm City DeliJ&B charged with flouting wage laws

Financial Group is the holding company for the Bankwell Bank, which now has six branches and one loan office in Fairfield. Quinnipiac is headquartered in Hamden.

“We’ve been looking to get into New Haven County for actually several years,” says Peyton Patterson, president and CEO of Bankwell Financial Group. She adds that as Bankwell has grown as a commercial bank it has sought to extend its geograph-ical reach. She declined to comment about whether other banks had also been under consideration.

“We’re just delighted to be partnering with Quinnipiac,” she says.

The agreement, announced April 1, was unanimously approved by the board of directors of both financial institutions. It is expected to close the third quarter of this year. Terms of the transaction include an exchange of 25 percent of Quinnipiac shares for $12 cash, or $3.6 million in aggregate; and exchange of 75 percent of Quinnipiac shares for 0.56 shares of Bankwell Financial Group stock. Quinnipiac shareholders have the choice of receiving stock, cash or a combination of both.

Quinnipiac President and CEO Mark Candido and Quinnipiac Executive Vice President Richard Barredo conceived Quinnipiac in 2005 as a community-ori-ented bank, as opposed to an impersonal financial institution. After an extended planning stage, Quinnipiac opened to the public in 2008. It emphasized local service and catering to clients that might have been underserved by larger banks.

Patterson says Quinnipiac’s emphasis on local, hometown banking will continue.

“Clearly, for this to be successful, we have to preserve that,” says Patterson, who previously was president of NewAlliance

Bank before it was acquired by Firsts Niagara Bank in 2010. She notes as well that Bankwell’s greater legal lending capacity should help Quinnipiac further the goals on with it was founded.

“They really are a like-minded community bank,” says Candido of his new parent company. “They enjoy a terrific reputation in Fairfield County. They have excellent food drives, clothing drives, blood drives” as part of Bankwell’s community outreach, he adds.

While Quinnipiac’s healthy business operations make this “perfect timing” for the acquisition, the Hamden bank has never been in a position when it felt such a change was necessary to maintain that health, Candido says.

“We’ve been doing so well literally since we opened and, truth be told, we were sought after by a number of banks,” he notes.

Like Patterson, Candido emphasizes that among the advantages of becoming part of the Bankwell group is the ability it will give Quinnipiac to compete with larger banks, such as will lending.

“I truly am excited,” Candido says.

Both Candido and Barredo will remain in positions equivalent to those they cur-rently hold. Candido will head the greater New Haven regional market, and Barredo will continue as chief credit officer.

Bankwell Bank was founded in 2002 as a Connecticut state commercial bank. It is the banking subsidiary of Connecticut bank holding company Bankwell Financial Group, headquartered in New Canaan. This most recent deal with Quinnipiac boosts the holding company’s total assets to $779.6 million. The com-pany’s loans total $632 million, deposits $661.5 million, and shareholders’ equity $69.5 million.

QUINNIPIAC BANKContinued from page 1

NEW HAVEN — J&B Deli, 1147 Chapel Street, was is-sued a stop-work order by the state’s Department of Labor in March for alleg-edly failing to comply with wage laws.

A DOL investigation con-cluded that deli operators John and Cheong Rhee violated statutes include not paying minimum wage or overtime, paying workers in cash, failure to make legal deductions, and failure to maintain payroll records.

“This is a case where an employer is taking unfair advantage of their employees and also cheating the state by not paying the proper taxes

or protections, such as unemployment insurance and workers compensa-tion,” said state Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer in a department release.

The order was issued by DOL’s Wage & Workplace Standards Division. An in-vestigation was launched after two employees claimed they worked about least 60 hours per week but were not paid at least minimum wage or overtime. Other findings surfaced after that initial complaint.

Palmer said such al-leged practices are “a loss for our entire state”

and upsets its economic equilibrium.

“While we want to keep Connecticut’s economy strong and help employers stay in business, our first obligation is to ensure that people are paid fairly for the work they do, and have the proper protection should they get injured while on the job,” Palmer stated. “Only by creating a level playing field can we help those employers that are doing the right thing to remain competitive.”

Companies that violate state wage laws can be fined $300 for each week an employee has worked while not on the payroll.

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9APRIL 2014

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturers See Improving FortunesBut lack of qualified workers continues as drag on growth

WATERBURY — On April 1 the Manufacturing Alliance of Connecticut (MAC) released the find-ings of its second annual industry-wide survey of the state’s manufacturers.

Undertaken by MAC in conjunction with other Connecticut manufactur-ing industry associations (includ-ing the New Haven Manufacturers Association) and chambers of commerce, the survey found that Connecticut’s manufacturers see slightly improved economic conditions in the state overall as well as for manu-facturers specifically.

The survey also found that while most manufacturers are forecasting increased employment levels in the future, they continue to have difficulty finding qualified employees.

“MAC and its partners were pleased to gain a renewed understanding from manufacturers across the state of the current economic climate and the status of their operations,” said MAC President Frank Johnson, President of MAC. “We found that while the chal-lenges of the recession are subsiding for many manufacturers, there are still important issues to be addressed, such as finding qualified employees to fill Connecticut’s manufacturing jobs.”

Among the survey’s key findings:

 • Economic conditions viewed slightly more positively — While still viewed negatively, manufacturers rate eco-nomic conditions in Connecticut slightly higher in 2014 than they did in 2013 — both in terms of Connecticut overall, and specifically for the manu-facturing industry.

• Prior year’s sales exceeded expecta-tions — Compared to 2013’s survey, a higher percentage of manufacturers say that the past year’s sales exceeded predicted levels.

• Future sales forecasted to increase in the coming year — Manufacturers proj-ect increased sales for 2014 at a much higher rate than they had predicted for 2013.

• Employment levels on the rise, quali-fied employees still hard to find — Most manufacturers report higher levels of employment in 2013 than in 2012, and a majority anticipate higher levels in 2014 than 2013. However, as in last year’s survey, nearly eight in ten manu-facturers say they have difficulty find-ing employees with the qualifications or skills needed at their business.

“Building on the findings of last year’s survey provided us with a great deal of interesting data,” said MAC’s Johnson. “Our biggest takeaway is that our state’s manufacturers continue to work hard to compete in the national economy, and with the right support from policymakers, manufacturers are positioned to provide residents with good paying jobs right here in Connecticut.”

BREWING & BOTTLING

Something’s Brewing in East HavenAST HAVEN — Overshores Brewing Co., which describes itself as Connecticut’s first and only dedicated Belgian style brewery, will commemorate the opening its new brewing facility in East Haven with an April 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony at 250 Bradley Street. The event will take place in partnership with the East Haven Chamber of Commerce.

Bradley Street is where four-year-old Overshores Brewing will produce its five signature beers: the Simpel, the Tripel Brun, and the Belgique du Noire that fans are already familiar with as well as

a saison, La Belle Fermiere and Blanc de Blanche, a Belgian style white beer.

Overshores beer debuted at the 2011 CPTV Craft Beer and Chili Challenge, where it placed third in a field of more than 70 breweries, including a num-ber of true Belgian imports. In 2012, Overshores returned to the event and earned top honors, besting more than 85 breweries.

“We are so excited to be finally brewing here in East Haven. The town has been extremely welcoming and we’re looking

forward to being a part of this great com-munity,” said Overshores founder and President Christian Amport. “As the only Belgian-style brewery in Connecticut, we look forward to getting our beer out to our fans that have supported us for so long as we got up and running.”

More information on Overshores’ prod-uct line may be found at overshores.com.

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Laticrete Founder Rothberg DiesHenry M. Rothberg, the founder of Laticrete International Inc., died on March 17 in Manalapan, Fla. He was 91.

Born on June 1, 1922 in Derby, Rothberg started his company in 1956, after earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Carolina and building a floor covering and furniture business. An innovator, he revolutionized the tile, stone and concrete industries with the creation of synthetic latex products using a “thin-bed” mortar of sand and cement that could be mixed on site, replacing thick, heavy and labor-intensive mortar bed installa-tions. As a result, ceramic tile and stone became used more for flooring and facades.

Now headquartered in Bethany, Laticrete International today has more than 1,500 employees in 35 locations, and sells its products in more than 112 countries.

Rothberg’s survivors include his wife, Lillian and seven children; Irene Molinari, Henry B. Rothberg, David Rothberg, Deborah Rothberg, Celia Meadow, Jonathan Rothberg and Michael Rothberg, along with grandchildren and great-grand children.

Rothberg’s many honors include the Carl V. Cesery Award from the Tile Contractors Association of America, the Joe A. Tarver Award for Lifetime Service to the Tile Industry from the National Tile Contractors Association and induc-tion into the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association Hall of Fame.

An online memorial to Rothberg can be found at laticrete.com/in_memoriam.aspx. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: the University of South Carolina Department of Chemical Engineering, 301 Main Street, Columbia, S.C. or the American Technion Society, 55 East 59th Street, New York, N.Y.

Grant Empowers ParentsNEW HAVEN — The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a $3,000 grant to Christian Community Action to support Parent Leadership Training programming in New Haven. The People Empowering People (PEP) program will be offered free of charge to the community. PEP is a ten-week personal and family development program that builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent/family relationships and community involvement.

Founded in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for low- to moderate-income people by investing in education, affordable housing and nonprofit capacity building.

Christian Community Action is a faith-based not-for-profit ecumenical social services agency that provides emergency shelter and transitional housing, food, advo-cacy and leadership education and training and other support to those who are poor, in particular families that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Jumping on the Pre-K BandwagonHARTFORD — Taking a cue from new New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Democratic legislative leaders in Hartford now say they want to “invest” $200 million over ten years to provide pre-kindergarten to some 50,000 four-year-olds. The initiative, announced at an April 9 press conference, is planned as a forerunner to “universal” pre-K in Connecticut.

“Everyone agrees Pre-K helps prepare children for grade school, academically and socially, so why wouldn’t we want to make this investment?” said House Speaker Brendan Sharkey (D-88) of Hamden. “Pre-K not only increases the chances of future success in and out of the classroom, but helps meet the ongoing challenge of pro-viding equal educational opportunity to every child.”

Actually, not everyone agrees. Critics of pre-K mandates both in New York and Connecticut say the academic benefits of pre-K are short-lived and that making it universal is a fantastically expensive means of providing free day care.

UConn’s Bonus BabySTORRS — University of Connecticut head men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie can count his blessings after his tem completed its improbably run to a national champion with a 60-54 April 7 defeat of Kentucky in Ollie’s second season at the helm after suc-ceeding Jim Calhoun.

There are other things he can count, too. Ollie’s contract (which, as a state employee, is a matter of public record) awards him a base salary of $400,000, or $33,333.33 per month. But there are some performance bonuses as well: According to the Hartford Courant, Ollie is to be paid another month’s salary for making the NCAA tournament, as well as an additional month’s salary each for making the Sweet 16, making the Final Four, and two months additional salary for winning the national championship. Check, check and check — for an additional $166,666.66. Nice work if you can get it, Coach.

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HARTFORD — The state will be seek-ing proposals from railroad companies to begin operating more robust commuter service on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line in 2016. “Like the I-95 corridor across southern Connecticut, the I-91 corridor through the center of Connecticut is a vital artery for economic development and jobs growth,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. “Enhancing commuter rail service between New Haven and Springfield will benefit com-muters and their employers, and will re-duce traffic congestion by taking cars off the road, with the added bonus of reduced pollution.

“As the gateway to New England, the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail program will also facilitate improved service to Massachusetts, Vermont and eventually Montreal,” added Malloy. “New train ser-vice will connect communities, generate sustainable economic growth, help build energy independence, and provide links to travel corridors and markets within and beyond the region.” The state’s Department of Transportation will be seeking proposals over the next six to 12 months. Current service is provided by Amtrak, which owns the line. “The state of Connecticut believes that the benefits to the customers of our new service can best be realized in the market-place,” wrote DOT Commissioner James

P. Redeker in a letter to Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman. “We intend to issue a Request for Proposals that will invite state-of-the-art, proven strategies for the highest quality operations, cus-tomer service and maintenance. “While federal and state statutes drive open com-petition, the importance of competition to high-quality service is equally or more important.” The letter to Amtrak concludes with, “We appreciate the long-standing favorable relationship the Department and Amtrak enjoy, and we encourage Amtrak to pursue this new opportunity with us.” Commissioner Redeker also pointed out that Amtrak will remain responsible for existing services on the line. The objective of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail Program is to provide significant new regional passenger rail service options as a key component of a robust and vibrant multi-modal regional transportation system. With funding from the new High-Speed Intercity Rail Program created in 2008, the NHHS Rail Program is intended to provide the infra-structure and trains to operate improved passenger rail service. The NHHS Rail Program will also facilitate improved ser-vice to Massachusetts, Vermont and even-tually Montreal.

In the future, NHHS rail service will operate at speeds up to 110 mph, cutting

travel time between Springfield and New Haven to as little as 73 minutes, accord-ing to the DOT. Travelers at New Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield will be able to board trains approximately every 30 minutes during the peak morn-ing and evening rush hour and hourly

during the rest of day, with direct or connecting service to New York City and multiple frequencies to Boston or Vermont (via Springfield). Future train stations also are planned at North Haven, Newington, West Hartford and Enfield.

TRANSPORTATION

On Track for Improved RailDOT to issue RFP for enhanced N.H.-Springfield service

Amtrak ran service between Springfield, Mass. and New Haven in the 1980s. Now Amtrak will have to bid for the right to run the line again in a revitalized rail corridor.

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star hotel. That becomes an intersection of new land to behind the police station [which] will change the entire percep-tion of how the city works. This is a joint project by the city and the state [in terms of funding]: The city will be putting in bonding money and the state will [like-wise inject funding] and it will be start-ing this year. I think [Yale graduation attendees] will be going to this hotel for commencement of 2017.

What about Church Street South — where does that stand?

Church Street South was sold about seven years ago [to Northland Investment Corp. of Boston] when Northland was the preferred developer for the Coliseum. They understood that there would be no distinction between one side of the highway and the other side, so they bought it with the idea it would be a development site.

Northland got into financial trouble in 2008 and lost control of the Coliseum site and now they have this cash cow [the federally subsidized Church Street South Apartments] which is generating money but is falling apart and has to be rebuilt. Aside from the fact that they are fall-ing apart it is a very important place for people to live. There are very few places

in the city where you can have a three-bedroom [apartment] that is affordable.

Is Northland in a position to do this, or are they likely to have to sell it?

They are a well-run company; they have projects all around the country. The abil-ity to raise money for these large projects is based on the expected return. As we pick up on the planning from the last administration, and the mayor adds her own connections with the state and her own vision for where we’re going, that project will be viable. Over the next year, I think we’ll have a program that will work for them and they will be able to make the investments.

We’ve got Regional Economic Accelerator groups, we’ve got regional tourism groups, we’ve got Market New Haven, the city’s Economic Development Corp., the Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism with its new leader, Andy Wolf, the city’s Economic Development Department, the Downtown Special Services District.

This seems like a lot of cooks in the economic-development broth, and it’s not clear that there is much unity of message or purpose. What is your view?

In the 1990s there were two players: the city and the chamber. The chamber had the marketing program and the economic-development program. We ran the [Chapel Square] mall, we were developing the [Omni-New Haven] hotel, operated the [900 Chapel Street] office building. We had the Regional Leadership Council [comprising] 25 lead-ing business people. We managed for a while [Tweed-New Haven] airport. We did it all in collaboration with [Mayors] [John C.] Daniels and [John] DeStefano and we met all the time, the business people would come together. We had two worlds: the business world and the insti-tutional world. Yale was a strong member of the chamber. The Chamber [has since] shed a lot of the things it was working on, and the city outsourced a lot of things

it was doing. There are a lot of different people and a lot of overhead and boards, and a lot of people waiting for leadership and direction.

Yale University has put up a lot of money to help with city marketing through Market New Haven and the Economic Development Corp.

Yale clearly stepped up because it didn’t make sense for Yale to not have things going well in the city. Yale became the super-constituent: They took over for the 12 banks that went out of business and the three or four Fortune 500 corpora-tions we had that were very involved. There are lot of genies out of the bottle. My approach may be that you have to break a few eggs. The mayor, however, is very much, ‘Scrambled eggs — no broken eggs.’ The mayor wants to make sure we build collaboratively. They mayor is very clear we are going to change things a lot — but we are going to do it in a smooth and collaborative way. Andy [Wolf. the new head of city’s cultural affairs and tourism department] will be a very important part of that. He comes from LA — he was president of the [Pacific] Design Center out there; he comes from a very world-class area where he was dealing with the presidents of Hollywood film studios and major phi-lanthropists. He has a very clear sense of

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what it means to be world-class and how that all works.

Since we’ve been talking the past, let me bring back a buzzword of the 1990s: regionalism. You were a major proponent of addressing regional challenges across municipal lines. But for the past few years the city hasn’t worried too much about that. Is regionalism effectively dead?

As the economy has slowed down, the relative importance of the size of each of these players in the regions is even more starkly limiting. Being a city with 130,000 people in a state that is the slowest growing in the country isn’t good enough. We need at least 500,000, 600,000, 700,000 people all working together. We have the fourth-largest hospital [Yale-New Haven Hospital] in the country. It’s not servicing 130,000 people; it is serving a couple million people, and a direct service of maybe 800,000 to 900,000 people. The effective tax rate in New Haven is higher than the richer towns around us, but they are being hurt because we don’t have the job base we once had. Property values in the suburban towns are impacted by our inability to grow because our taxes are too high. Our taxes are too high because we can’t share the burden of our region with the other towns. It would make more sense for Branford or Milford, if

our taxes were lower and we had more businesses here, they would be stronger suburbs. I think we are about to embark on a new conversation; the personalities [of Mayor Harp and suburban mayors and first selectmen] will mesh very well — the mayor’s style and some of the first selectmen who are seeking to grow the economies of their towns by being part of a stronger region.

In early March you asked a branding expert, Patrick Hanlon of Minneapolis-based Thinktopia, to come in to talk to business and community leaders about building a New Haven brand. What are you trying to accomplish?

We have outsourced our branding and a lot of our thinking about the community. We need to start having a conversation. We brought in a person [Hanlon] who normally charges $95,000 for a day ses-sion with a company. He was willing to do it for free. We grew up in Connecticut and New Haven is always an iconic con-versation to have about cities. People who love cities and difficult things always want to include New Haven. We wanted to invite everyone who had been part of this balkanized conversation and talk about what they saw the brand becoming. We now have to package it up and then begin to have working sessions on this — on the whole conversation on what does it mean to be world-class. BNH

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The search for rentable space in downtown New Haven may become a bit easier in the near future when two major projects fulfill the need for small businesses looking to establish or expand opera-tions here. Two projects that have been proposed or are just getting under construction stand to deliver upwards of 100,000 square feet of new retail space and 200,000 square feet of new office space, in addition to the build-out planned within the footprint of Route 34 slated to host several new buildings.

A project to develop the long-vacant former New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum site on George Street took a step closer to startup when the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a developer agreement last December. Montreal-based Live Work Learn Play (LWLP) proposed a $395 million development featuring residential units, an office tower, a hotel, shops, restau-rants and public spaces to fill the 4.65-acre site. Usage will comprise 200,000 square feet of office space, 30,000 to 77,000 square feet of retail space, 1,000 residential units and 160 hotel rooms.

Another project moving forward is development of a par-cel of land located at the corner of George and College streets, which will add significant space for downtown retail.

Developer Robert Landino, of CenterPlan College Square, LLC of Middletown, won approval last June from the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals to build a $65 million six-story mixed use building housing 20,000 square feet of retail space and 160 apartments, with underground and street-level parking. The project is slated for completion in August 2015 (see March 2014 BNH).

“We have nearly full occupancy in the Broadway dis-trict and on mid- and upper Chapel Street,” says Helen Rosenberg, an economic development officer for the city of New Haven. “The same goes for the Ninth Square area, which is almost fully occupied.”

Rosenberg says the downtown areas most suitable for retail small businesses and street-level office space are located on Chapel Street between Church and State streets. There are a few vacancies on Church Street between George and Crown streets and on Temple Street between Chapel and Crown streets.

Jeff Dow of Dow Realty Co. agrees with Rosenberg and notes that defining what a small business needs may depend on how many employees a company has or how much space it requires to operate.

“The space requirement can vary greatly based on the number of employees,” says Dow. “You can have a two- or four-person company occupy 200,000 square feet or they can occupy 1,000 square feet. In greater New Haven, I don’t think there have been a lot of new busi-nesses. I think there may be more space on the market than there was a year ago. In the suburbs, it’s about the same even for industrial and warehouse space.”

According to a CoStar report furnished by Dow, indus-trial vacancies in greater New Haven are hovering at nine percent, while the office vacancy rate is slightly below that mark. Retail space vacancies in the area are slightly above five percent in what most real-estate pro-fessionals agree is statistical full occupancy.

John Wareck, managing broker/owner of Real Living Wareck D’Ostillio Real Estate, sees New Haven as a vibrant city that is attracting national as well as local

businesses that want to locate downtown where there are some spaces for lease.

“Of course there is interest in moving to New Haven,” says Wareck, who also chairs the Commercial Investment Division (CID) of the New Haven Board of Realtors. “Even the national franchises that are coming in, like Pinkberry Yogurt, will have both full-time and part-time employees comprising a small business here on Chapel Street in the former Savitt Jewelers store” at 1064 Chapel Street.

Wareck notes the availability of the former Wells Fargo Bank branch at 205 Church Street that offers 23,000 square feet that can be subdivided.

“We certainly could accommodate small businesses that need 5,000 or 10,000 square feet there,” adds Wareck.

“The low vacancy rate is a good sign that New Haven is getting stronger and getting better. However, we’re also losing commercial square footage that’s coming off the market to developers who are putting in residential units. We’re seeing it in a big way at the Wells Fargo Bank building [the former Union Trust building] on the

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

The Race for SpaceThe state of the region’s small-business real-estate market

By Thomas R. Violante

When Michael Schaffer of C.A. White the developers of apartments at Church and Chapel presented this vison of a dynamic lower Chapel Street in 2007 there were as many doubters as boosters.

15APRIL 2014

corner of Elm and Church streets, where the bank is the sole occupant of the first floor and the upper floors that were office space are being converted to residential.”

Wareck notes the same thing happened several years ago when the upper floors of the building that houses Citibank on the corner of Church and Chapel streets

were converted to residential use. He says many of the floors formerly dedicated to office space in the 900 Chapel Street building have been converted to residen-tial units as well.

“Downtown New Haven is in somewhat of a unique posi-tion where there is plenty of potential land development,” says Wareck. “There is the whole Route 34 connector area, where Winstanley is putting up the first building, but they have another eight acres there that could be developed. If there were demands for it, the administra-tion could figure out how to accommodate small busi-ness growth there.”

“In the suburban areas outside New Haven, given the recession that’s happened, there are a lot of people who were put out of business or lost their jobs and have started small businesses,” says Rich Guralnick, senior broker of the business development group at H. Pearce Real Estate. “They run the gamut from retail to small service businesses. Over the past two years, I’ve seen an increase in the availability of small retail plazas and flex industrial space in places ranging from Milford to Cheshire to Madison — basically in New Haven County.”

“There’s been a lot of infill by smaller businesses run by people who need a second job where the wife or husband has lost their job,” adds Guralnick. “A lot of these spaces, whether it’s on Route 1 or Route 5, have filled up over the last 24 months, frankly. In most retail markets within New Haven County, namely along Route 1, Route 5 and along State Street in North Haven, have basically filled up. I literally have no more product.”

Guralnick sees the business climate improving for small businesses and the vacancy rate shrinking from where it stood two years ago.

“It’s doing well but at a somewhat lower level within a ten-ant market, where the tenant has the power versus the landlord,” says Guralnick. “The landlord might have lost a larger tenant using 12,000 square feet and now he’s willing to accommodate three 4,000-square-foot tenants in that same space. All of the service and retail busi-

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Realtor Jeff Dow,: not enough new business development. “more space on the market than there was a year ago”.

Realtor Wareck,”there is interest in moving to New Haven”, but the trend toward converting office space to residential space continues.

WWW.CONNTACT.COM16

nesses, like a day-care center or a beauty salon, have filled in spaces of 1,000 to 5,000 square feet in the last 24 months.”

Guralnick says that business owners have become more adaptable when look-ing for space that fits their needs.

“On the service side for flex industrial space, which is swing space that can be used for light industrial or office space, I’ve found that segment of the market has done very well,” says Guralnick. “It’s capturing smaller office tenants that don’t want to pay the big bucks of a Church Street space or Class A suburban

office buildings. I’ve seen a lot of doctors, accountants and insurance companies opting not to go to the larger multi-tenant office buildings but instead go to a flex space in suburbia, where there’s no charge for parking. New Haven is a killer for parking, where it costs $150 to $200 per car per month — which can add $5 a square foot to the rent.”

“There’s no doubt that New Haven is mov-ing in the right direction,” says Wareck.

“The leasing market is growing stronger and we’re seeing more start-ups in small businesses locate in the city and operate here.”

Who Says Manufacturing Is Dead?Although new manufacturing space in the city is scarce, activity in the sur-rounding greater New Haven region seem to be picking up.

“We’re getting new members,” says Jerry Clupper, executive director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association.

“In the last 12 months, we’ve actually had 21 new manufacturers that have joined our organization, from local businesses to those located elsewhere in the state. We get some members that are statewide that want to be part of a collaboration to support manufacturing in the state.

“Some of the new members within the greater New Haven area include Pennsylvania Globe Manufacturing in North Branford, that manufac-ture lighting products, and Hessels Industries that does metal stamping,” Clupper adds.

Rich Guralnick, of H. Pearce Real Estate, says Branford is host to several companies new to the area.

“In the Branford Business Park, I just leased 12,000 square feet to LQ Mechatronics, from Hamburg, Germany, that needs to be closer to their customers here in the Northeast and in Connecticut,” says Guralnick.

“In flex space, they opened up a high-end electronics research-and-development operation. And Evotec, a Hamburg-based biotech company, leased 13,500 square feet in the same park. They landed some collaborative projects with Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale University.”

Helen Rosenberg, an economic devel-opment officer for the city of New Haven, says that downtown vacancies are few and far between, and indus-trial and manufacturing space is even scarcer.

“There is some space located in the Mill River area on John Murphy Drive and Clay Street in Fair Haven, but it’s not what most businesses are looking for in the 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot range,”

says Rosenberg, who notes that new space or buildable land is also hard to find. “There is some space available on Grand Avenue and East Street as well. Land nearer the water is expensive and few are willing to invest in it.”

Space-Craft Manufacturing, at 300 East Street, continues to anchor the manufacturing cluster in the Mill River area. The company, founded by John Soto, has been in New Haven for 20 years. It manufactures precision machined components for the aero-space industry in a 28,500-square-foot facility with adjacent land available for expansion.

BoldWood Interiors, at 138 Haven Street, manufactures custom wood products for the restaurant industry, including bars and cabinetry. Founded in 1991 by Rob Bolduc, the company uses high-quality hardwoods to hand-fit their products on a custom basis. Bolduc says his business that employs 17 people is thriving and he is planning an expansion.

Bolduc purchased the building he occupies and uses the 40,000-square-foot first floor for manufacturing. His expansion will include the second floor and occupy a total of 70,000 square feet. He ships his products worldwide to countries including Guatemala and Dubai, and is contracted to remodel the interiors of the chain of eateries known as Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub.

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Downtown Crossing Project on TrackRoute 34 remake to ‘complement’ surrounding streetscape

By FELICIA HUNTER

NEW HAVEN — “Right on schedule” is how one city administrator describes the Downtown Crossing/Route 34 project, a city-enhancement behemoth intended to improve transportation and traffic flow, attract new business activity, spur economic development, make neighbor-hoods more accessible and create new jobs.

That’s a complicated mission for a single project, but planners are confident about its fulfillment.

“The truth is, we’re right on schedule,” says Matthew Nemerson, the city’s economic development administrator. “I

think we’re all absolutely delighted with what’s happened so far.”

What has happened is the beginning of a downtown transformation. Perhaps the biggest change to the original plan is the occupancy at 100 College Street, a biotech center intended as a home to a major, and several smaller, tenants. Alexion Pharmaceuticals was to be the anchor company.

Now, “Alexion will take the whole thing,” notes Nemerson, who says he is pleased with the development.

“Two stories were added to the building. We’ll be renting those two stories as well,” explains Irving Adler, executive director of corporate communications for Alexion. “It’s already under construc-tion.” Adler says the building, which will be Alexion’s new corporate headquarters, remains on target for completion the lat-ter part of 2015.

Winstanley Enterprises is the developer of the project, which was expected to generate 2,000 construction and 1,000 professional jobs to the city. That esti-mate, too, remains in effect, says Adler.

“The job projections are still intact,” Adler says.

The project also includes transform-ing Route 34 into a complement of local streets.

Vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians are all considered in the restructured street design, which is intent on easing the flow of traffic while making city streets more accessible to local dwellers.

Major thoroughfares are being affected. They include College, Temple and Orange streets.

Nemerson encourages local contractors that have not already done so to contact his office about opportunities related to the project.

“The contracting goes to a percentage of local companies,” he notes. “We want to make sure qualified New Haven compa-nies have registered with our office.”

Helping make the project possible was a $16 million TIGER II (federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant. The project also received state and city funding. In addition, Alexion is one of the state’s

“First Five” program recipients. The pro-gram offers companies tax credits, loans, grants and other subsidies in exchange for substantial in-state financial invest-ment and job creation.

The relocation of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is destined to create a new vision for what was once called the Oak Street Connector. The route 34 highway project that displaced more than eight hundred families and some argue set back New Haven development for decades.

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The reimagining of Church Street South has been a work in progress for, literally, decades.City officials are hoping the latest iteration, crafted with community members, will finally take root in reality.

The Hill to Downtown Community Plan aims to recon-nect streets and recreate neighborhoods between Union Station and the Yale medical area that were fractured during construction of the Oak Street Connector in the 1950s.

In coming weeks, the Board of Aldermen will decide whether to make the Hill to Downtown Plan part of the comprehensive plan of development for the city.

Matthew Nemerson, the city’s new economic develop-ment administrator, describes the redevelopment of Church Street South, a housing project with 37 build-ings and 301 federally subsidized units across from Union Station, as the “keystone” to the plan.

“It’s rundown, in very bad shape and needs to be invested in,” he says.

Northland Investment Corp. of Newton, Mass. owns the property.

Nemerson has repeatedly tried to contact Northland executives since joining Mayor Toni Harp’s administra-tion at the beginning of the year. So far, they have not replied.

Northland did not return requests for comment for this story.

Church Street South was conceived in the 1960s, a time of radical downtown redevelopment.

City plan department Executive Director Karyn Gilvarg says Blue Cross/Blue Shield wanted to relocate to the site. When that didn’t work out and the city couldn’t attract a commercial user, the redevelopment agency contemplated constructing an ownership co-op there.

The co-op never materialized, and the site became proj-ect-based Section 8 subsidized housing, designed by an architectural firm headed by Charles Moore, then dean of the Yale School of Architecture. Constructed in 1970, Church Street South opened in 1972.

In her book New Haven: A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design (Yale 1976), author Elizabeth Mills Brown describes Church Street South as an attempt “to rethink current planning stereotypes with their strong subur-ban bias and to provide a civilized urban environment, preserving some of the traditional qualities of the urban context — permanence, dignity, festivity, interaction, variety.”

These days the concrete complex is crumbling.

In January 2011, five Church Street South residents, including one child, were hospitalized for carbon mon-oxide poisoning caused by a leaky, poorly installed HVAC system.

The incident occurred after 48 of 120 apartments failed a July 21, 2010 city inspection with housing code viola-tions ranging from missing smoke detectors to mold, bedbugs and rodent infestation.

Church Street South scored 68 on a September 20, 2010 Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspection of dealdealsde25 units by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). A passing grade of 60 or higher is required for HUD funding.

Documents obtained by Business New Haven through a Freedom of Information request show HUD sent Northland a notice of default after a score of 26 on its January 29, 2013 inspection. The company appealed the results, and the score was changed to 62 following a reinspection on September 11, 2013.

During 2014, Northland will receive around $2,899,533 in subsidy for Church Street South, according to HUD spokesperson Rhonda Siciliano.

Asked whether city inspections have any bearing on eligibility for HUD funding, Siciliano replied, “HUD-subsidized properties are required to be in compliance with all applicable local and state regulations.”

She also said that HUD does not routinely scrutinize city inspection reports.

However, she added, “After HUD became aware of the city of New Haven’s property inspection results (which appeared in press reports about the carbon monoxide poisonings), a notice to the owner was sent on January 20, 2011 requesting the 2010 city inspection reports as well as a corrective action plan.”

In an April 30, 2013 letter to HUD, William M. Thompson, Northland’s senior vice president for multi-family and asset management, provided documentation in response to a March 27, 2013 letter from Suzanne C. Piacentini, director of HUD’s Connecticut Multifamily Program Center, requesting a detailed plan addressing security issues, reduction of vacancies and repairs to the property.

“Obviously we work with the property owner to correct deficiencies,” Siciliano says. “If things aren’t corrected HUD does have the option to terminate the contract with them, which is seen as a last resort, and is not a step that’s taken lightly. Northland has made improve-ments. There still are issues we’re working on. Some deficiencies can be considered minor. Health and safety issues are priorities.”

Health and safety deficiencies found during the 2013 reinspection included missing/inoperable smoke detec-tors, blocked/unusable fire exit and missing electrical covers.

Other “systemic deficiencies” must be corrected as part of an “ongoing maintenance program.”

In February 2013, 60 of 100 Church Street South units failed a city inspection. A February 20, 2013 housing code compliance notice from the city’s Livable City Initiative to Northland details dozens of violations rang-ing from peeling paint, damp ceilings and leaky roofs and vermin infestation to defective heaters, and includes a schedule for correction.

The property is due for a city and a federal inspection in 2014.

“The units [apartments] have reached the end of their functional life,” says Erik C. Johnson, executive direc-tor at the city’s Livable Cities Initiative (LCI). “Church Street South is a masonry structure with flat roofs prone to having water issues and antiquated heating systems. We recognize these are people’s homes, and some are two- or three-generation residents. Because of where it’s located, the unfortunate reality of it is [that] it is a poor gateway into the city from the train station that inversely affects job development. It is not a job generator nor is it

Urban RemovalCity officials are keen to redevelop Church Street South, but the project’s Bay State owner stands in the way

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a tax generator for the city. It also has a negative impact on the perception of the city for people who are coming in.”

Gilvarg says there have been “no less than five different attempts” to fig-ure out how to redevelop Church Street South since she became city plan direc-tor in 1994.

Northland purchased the property for $4.8 million in 2008 from Community Builders, which had wanted to do “a complete rebuild” and relocate residents, Gilvarg says.

In 2008, Northland also became the city’s preferred developer for the adja-cent Veterans Memorial Coliseum site.

“They expected to have this massive development stretching all the way from Crown Street to Church Street South and Trowbridge [Square] to Long Wharf,” Nemerson says.

However, the recession put a damper on redevelopment plans.

Two of three Northland properties in downtown Hartford went into foreclosure in 2009; a year later the third was in arrears on loan payments.

In 2011 LiveWorkLearnPlay of Montreal became the preferred developer for the Coliseum site.

LCI’s Johnson began discussing Church Street South’s future with Northland in 2010, when he arrived in New Haven.

Later that year, the city and Meriden partnered with the state’s Department of Economic & Community Development in submitting an application for a fed-

eral HUD Challenge grant to develop a master plan for mixed-use and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) covering, in the Elm City, two sites adjacent to Union Station — Church Street South, on an 8.3-acre parcel, and Robert T. Wolfe, a 93-unit senior housing development on 2.5 acres. The grant application con-tained preliminary plans for “a mixed-use development with 600 to 800 residential units and 200,000 to 400,000 square feet of office and retail space. Between 20 [and] 30 percent of the residential units were to be for households at less than 60 percent of area median income.”

The grant was approved. New Haven’s share was approximately $1 million.

“We were going to use the money for Northland to facilitate predevelopment,” Johnson says.

By February 16, 2011, the Northland proj-ect had a $520 million price tag, accord-ing to a New Haven Independent story, which said early plans included “350,000 square feet of commercial space and 50,000 square feet of retail space with associated parking.”

On May 31, 2011 the city and Northland signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a master plan.

Johnson says negotiations reached an impasse over the number of afford-able units in the new development and plans to relocate residents during its construction.

The MOU expired in May 2012 and has not been renewed.

City officials then used the Challenge grant money to create Hill to Downtown, a more expansive plan encompassing roughly 293 acres, including Union

Station, Church Street South, Union Station, Tower One/Tower East and the Robert T. Wolfe apartment buildings, and the medical area with Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine and other institutions.

\drop cap\Hill to Downtown ties in with a transit-oriented development plan for Union Station, which proposes a re-merchandizing strategy for the station, including development of a restaurant and two new store spaces inside the sta-tion, a new two-story annex in the rear of the station and immediate development of a new garage with at least 630 parking spaces.

The Hill to Downtown Plan was devel-oped with the planning and architectural firm Goody Clancy and with input from community members, gleaned from eight meetings and a field trip to Philadelphia.

A major objective is transforming Church Street South from an eyesore into “an active, connected and desirable des-tination at the doorstep of downtown,” improving connectivity within the dis-trict to downtown by reconfiguring roads and creating more open space and new shopping and entertainment venues in the neighborhood.

The redevelopment scenario for Church Street South envisions “predominantly mid-rise apartments, select high-rise residential blocks, town homes and pub-

lic spaces, complemented by retail and office use.”

The plan envisions street-level retail along parts of Church Street, Columbus Avenue, Union Avenue and Orange Street, as well as a new public space at the inter-section of Church Street and Columbus Avenue, to be known as “Union Square.”

Key development principles include 650 to 750 new units of housing, 150 afford-able units, 70 to 100 three-bedroom units, 70 to 80 percent workforce and market-rate units, a community center, active and passive green space and a com-mercial building preferably along Union Avenue.

“You have to look at this project [Church Street South] in the context of the whole [Hill to Downtown] master plan,” says Nemerson. “What’s different between the 1950s and 2014 is now we see mixed-used housing as an important part of the community.”

With the construction of 100 College Street underway and development plans moving forward for the Coliseum site, Downtown Crossing and Route 34 (see story this issue), city officials are eager to resume discussions with Northland about Church Street South.

“I want them to know that our door is always open and I look forward to fruit-ful but complicated conversations with them,” Nemerson says. “They’re get-

A stressed out and aged apartment complex sits on what has become some of New Haven’s most valuable property. Blocks from the Yale New Haven Hospital, the new home of Alexion Pharmaceuticals and the half billion dollar investment at the New Haven Coliseum, Live Work and Play development.

Continued on page 29

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Study: Most Cancer Survivors Exercise Too Little To BenefitNEW HAVEN — Despite the ben-efits that physical activity can offer, a mere ten percent of cancer survivors are exercising enough to reap those benefits, according to research con-ducted by the Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Public Health.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) recom-mends cancer survivors engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, and two sessions of strength training, every week. The Yale researchers found that among the population of cancer survivors studied in the U.S., only ten percent met these physical activity guidelines.

Yet, all survivors who said they exercised at recommended levels reported better quality of life (less fatigue, improved mental and physi-cal health, and increased satisfaction in social activities and relationships).

The team reviewed data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey that included information from more than 19 million cancer survivors. The large sample size of survivors and the inclusion of more than ten types of cancer were unprecedented in this type of study.

“We know that exercise not only improves multiple aspects of quality of life, but other studies have shown it also is associated with lower risk of recurrence and mortality,” said o-author Melinda Irwin, co-director of the cancer prevention and control program at Yale Cancer Center, and associate professor of epidemiol-ogy at the Yale School of Public Health. “This rate is similar to what we see in the healthy adult popula-tion, so we need to make huge efforts to increase physical activity for everyone.”

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NEW HAVEN — Oncology pioneer Vincent T. DeVita Jr., MD, the Amy & Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine at Yale Cancer Center, and professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale School of Medicine, has been named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy Class of 2014. DeVita is one of 38 internationally renowned cancer scientists being inducted during the AACR’s annual meeting in San Diego.

The AACR Academy was created to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose scientific contributions led to significant innovation and progress against cancer.

While at the NCI, he devel-oped combination chemother-apy programs that ultimately led to an effective regimen of curative chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

In 1972, DeVita was awarded the Albert Lasker Clinical Research Award for his outstanding contribution to the concept of combination therapy in the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease. He was later appointed physician-in-chief, and attending physician, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he also served in the molecular phar-macology program.

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Yale Cancer Center Joins Clinical Trials Network NEW HAVEN — The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has named Yale Cancer Center a lead site in a new clinical trials research network dedicated to improv-ing treatment for the more than 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year. The new system, called the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), is a consor-tium of 30 academic cancer centers.

“Clinical trials are the pri-mary way advances in cancer treatment are made for cancer patients. Yale Cancer Center is gratified to join the NCTN since collaborating with other leading cancer centers will help us all deliver break-throughs more quickly,” said Howard Hochster, MD, profes-sor of medical oncology and associate director for clini-cal sciences at Yale Cancer Center. One hundred clinical trials for multiple types of can-cer are available to patients of Smilow Cancer Hospital and affiliated care centers. The growing portfolio of trials includes Phase I trials, which are the critical first step in testing new cancer drugs in patients.

Here Comes the SunWALLINGFORD — Gaylord Hospital will be recognized on April 29 by People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE) with the 2014 Environmental Energy Leadership Award as the first Connecticut hospital operating with a solar thermal heating system.

“We would like to tell the public about the diminished use of fuel oil and the finan-cial savings that the hospital will enjoy,” said PACE Chair Judi Friedman. Two-thirds (66 percent) of the hospital’s hot water demand, a total of 18,000 gallons daily, is heated with rooftop solar pan-els, arrayed in four separate installations, each equipped a 3750-gallon water storage tank.

PACE (pace-cleanenergy.org) is the only all-volunteer Connecticut nonprofit public health organization devoted solely to clean energy education.

Exploring Roots of Psychiatric DisordersNEW HAVEN — Newborns whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to any of a variety of environmental stressors — such as trauma, illness, alcohol or drug abuse — become susceptible to psychiatric disorders that frequently arise later in life. However, it has been unclear how these stressors affect the cells of the developing brain and give rise to condi-tions such as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism and bipolar disorders.

Now, Yale University research-ers have identified a single mechanism in the develop-ing brain that sheds light on how cells may go awry when exposed to a variety of differ-ent environmental insults. The findings, to be published in the May 7 issue of the journal Neuron, suggest that different types of stressors prenatally activate a single molecular trigger in brain cells that may make exposed individuals susceptible to late-onset neu-ropsychiatric disorders.

The researchers found that mouse embryos exposed to alcohol, methyl-mercury, or maternal seizures all activate in the developing brain cells a single gene — HSF1 or heat shock factor — which pro-tects and enables some of the brain cells to survive prenatal insult. Mice lacking the HSF1 gene showed structural brain abnormalities and were prone to seizures after birth, even after exposure to very low lev-els of the toxins.

QU Unveils Nurse Anesthesia ProgramHAMDEN — Quinnipiac University will introduce a new graduate nurse anesthesia program that will commence next month.

Approved by the state of Connecticut and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), the program will offer two options: a full-time, three-year post-baccalaureate doctor of nursing practice (DNP) for registered nurses with critical-care experience who wish to become nurse anes-thetists; and a part-time, 24-month option for

certified registered nurse anesthetists with a current master’s degree who would like to earn the DNP.

The post-baccalaureate curriculum offers courses in advanced physiology and patho-physiology, anatomy with cadaver lab, advanced health assessment, advanced phar-macology, basic and advanced principles of anesthesia, physics and advanced chemistry for anesthetic practice, patient safety, ethics, professional aspects, biostatistics, clinical scholarship, health care leadership, epidemi-ology and evidence-based practice. To learn more 203-582-8875.

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HEALTH CARE

QU Prepares Leaders for Long-Term Care Field

Responding to the rapid growth of nurs-ing-home and long-term-care industries as baby-boomers begin to enter their se-nior years, Quinnipiac University’s Long Term Care Administration Certificate Program prepares students for careers in that fast-growing field.

In addition to teaching students the skills and prerequisite knowledge they need to become effective administrators, the pro-gram prepares them to take the national nursing home administrators exam and the state portion of licensure require-ments. It likewise affords them opportu-nities to connect and work closely with professionals in the field.

The QU program has been approved by the state of Connecticut.

According to Angela Mattie, a QU associate professor of management who also chairs the school’s Health Care Management & Organizational Leadership program, the certificate pro-gram fills a growing need.

“There’s a requirement by the state of Connecticut that nursing-home adminis-trators need to be licensed,” she explains.

“This involves a residency component and a course component that [covers] the major factors [involved in] running a long-term care facility.”

Coursework includes “everything from how to care for an elderly patient, Medicare requirements for billing, dietary [practices] — all aspects of being a leader

in a nursing-home or assisted-living situation,” she adds.

The program also involves long-term care practitioners as part of the cur-riculum in roles such as guest lecturers and collaborators.

Employment of medical and health-services managers, including nursing-home administrators, is projected to grow, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. “As the large baby-boom population ages and people remain active later in life, the health-care indus-try as a whole will see an increase in the demand for medical services,” according to the DOL’s website. “Managers will be needed to organize and manage medical information and health-care staffs in all areas of the industry.”

The program, which is under the auspices of QU’s business school, also requires two 450-hour residencies that can take place in a licensed facility.

Students entering the program range from seasoned professionals who have worked in the field by lack a license, as well as younger people entering the pipe-line of nursing home administration for the first time.

The long-term-care administration course is a three-credit course, plus two four-credit residencies, for a total of 11 credits needed to attain certification. Costs are in the neighborhood of $800 per credit, according to Mattie.

Quinnipiac’s Mattie says her school’s certificate program fills a growing need.

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MADISON — “Brainstorm often, exe-cute quickly and kill bad ideas fast.”

That’s the key to success as a serial entrepreneur, according to Ryan Duques. The Madison native has seen his share of success since the mid-1990s, when he launched Shore Publishing, which ended up publishing 16 weekly newspapers from East Haven into Rhode Island. The company was sold to the New London Day in 2008.

He even wrote the short book 37 Days to Launch in 2011, chronicling his own experiences into a how-to about getting a startup company off the ground in just over a month.

Duques, 38, then turned his attention to education, and in 2007 launched Tutapoint.com, an online portal to link-high school students with online tutors in subjects including math, science, language arts, world languages as well as SAT preparatory courses. The site features live video chats with tutors and interactive elements to assist in learning.

The site connects students anywhere with tutors from all over the country. This semester it is reaching 5,000 students in schools across the country. The site is utilized both by individual students as well as school systems for multiple students. The lion’s of the instruction sought — fully 75 percent — is for math.

“Competitiveness for college applica-tions and the continuous enhancements and changes in curriculum are making the learning process more demanding,” Duques explains. “We’re experts at help-ing kids master concepts; concepts are the foundation to everything.”

This spring Tutapoint’s SAT prep course EdgePrepLIVE was partially underwrit-ten by the West Haven Public Schools system for use during a session for students.

“Since we’ve been around — and in Internet years that’s a long time — we’ve been fortunate to get a good reputation

as a place for tutors to provide their ser-vices,” Duques says.

Many of Tutapoint’s tutors — some 100 nationwide, with another 300 on the waiting list — are current or retired teachers or graduate students, but either way, they must have more than two years of experience. “This can’t be someone’s first time being a tutor,” Duques says.

Much of the good will the company has built stems from Tutapoint employ only U.S.-based tutors, which goes a long way in establishing trust with parents, some-thing Duques says has been one of the key challenges to offering services like these online. Tutapoint will also provide informational videos and interviews, and will even phone parents to have them engage with a real voice.

“Developing that sense of trust is easy to do in an offline environment,” says Duques. By contrast, “Online there’s a sense of anonymity that can be challeng-ing to overcome, especially when you’re dealing with someone’s child.

“We have found that parents are cau-tious about [offshore instructors],” he adds. “We really believe in using tutors based in the U.S. because the rhythm of instruction is hard to duplicate if you haven’t come out of the same system the students are in.”

The logistical aspect of finding a tutor through Tutapoint is also a key factor compared with the time-consuming pro-cess of finding a tutor the way Duques recalls from his own high-school days.

“In the ‘90s there were many steps to finding a tutor: You had to find one, call and get their rates, get references, meet with them and see if it works — all these logistical components are gone now,” he says. “Half the students we work with come into our system and are getting help within 30 minutes.”

With all the instruction happening live, Tutapoint can track students’ progress in real time to ensure they’re learn-ing — which has obviated the need for Tutapoint to open a bricks-and-mortar tutoring center, something Duques says he’s had the opportunity to do.

Duques says Tutapoint has been grown steadily especially over the last six quar-ters. While 90 percent of its business is in online tutoring services, the remain-ing ten percent is from the modest num-ber of books, e-books and instructional DVDs it publishes.

While the company keeps an office loca-tion in New York, the bulk of operations still are housed in Madison, and Duques finds Connecticut to be more and more a welcoming state for other entrepreneurs, given its Innovation Ecosystem, wide range of large companies and educa-tional infrastructure

“The ecosystem has evolved positively over the last 10 to 15 years,” he says. “It has become trendy to a certain extent [to be an entrepreneur]. The state on many levels has embraced the idea. There is a lot of firepower here that I think a lot of people forget about.”

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Biomed Startups Get Seed $$$Three local bioscience and medical-device startup com-panies were among the seven to split a $1 million investment from Connecticut Innovations Inc.’s (CII) Pre-Seed Fund, which has now assisted more than 50 companies since its launch in 2010.

The seven companies each are receiving up to $150,000 which mainly will be used for research-and-development expenses.

Woodbridge-based GlyGenix Therapeutics is developing cures for metabolic disorders caused by genetic mutations. Its pre-seed money will be used to help develop a drug to treat glycogen storage disease type 1A; those with the disease are unable to convert glycogen to glucose in the liver, resulting in hypoglycemia. The drug, G6Pase, has already received orphan status.

InboxHealth, of Madison, is developing software to simplify doctor-patient com-munication, including digital bill delivery and online pay-ments. Branford’s Tangen Biosciences is developing por-table instruments and methods for molecular diagnostics. Its first product will analyze DNA

in patients with active pulmo-nary tuberculosis.

Stamford-based EvoLux Transportation was the winner of the 2013 Sikorsky Innovations Global Entrepreneurial Challenge, and is building an online market-place for the helicopter and avia-tion industries.

The other three companies include financial planning com-pany Cashpath Financial and online audience data analytic software firm Tru Optik Data Corp., both of Stamford; and Weatogue-based Yingo Yango, which is developing a platform to link health-care and wellness resources provided by employ-ers to individuals.

CTNext Honors InnovatorsThe entrepreneurial community likes to honor its own.

CTNext, the state’s govern-ment-initiated innovation ecosystem honored six start-ups with some cash to grow at its first ever Entrepreneur Innovation Awards, which had the companies give five-minute pitches of their upcoming projects.

The six finalists were FaceChecks (Bridgeport), a software maker developing facial recognition software for security systems; AdapTac Games (Stamford), develop-ing action and strategy games for tends with ADHD; Dura Biotech (Storrs), a biotech

developing technology to improve functionality of trans-catheter aortic valves; Green Buildings Online (Ridgefield), an online company develop-ing the Poplar Network social network connecting architec-tural, design and construction professionals with LEED and green building practices; Secor Water (Vernon), developing a portable water filtration system as an alternative to bottled water; and VAL Health (Greenwich), a behavioral economics firm building an online platform that uses incen-tives to change health-related behaviors.

Each company received $10,000 for their projects, while FaceChecks won an additional $2,000 “crowd favorite” award.

Secor Water scored an extra $2,000 as the “judges’ favorite.”

The pitches were judged by a five-person panel that included David Tomczyk, professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at Quinnipiac University, and Edward Goodwin, president of the Angel Investor Forum and research scientist in genetics at the Yale School of Medicine.

YEI Boot Camp DoublesNEW HAVEN — The second year of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute’s Tech Bootcamp has seen enroll-ment double this year.

Thirty Yale students (including two locals) from each of Yale College classes 2014 through 2017, as well as graduate stu-dents, will spend this summer learning to code and create Web applications. The program was launched in 2013 and had 15 students enrolled that year. This year’s class was selected from 127 applicants.

Each student in the Bootcamp receives a full scholarship for the program’s tuition, $1,500 in living expenses for the ten-week program, and will take part in trips to area startups and tech incubators.

The course will be taught by Casey Watts, assistant man-ager of Yale’s Student Tech Collaborative.

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CT Firms Share SBIR FundingNORTH HAVEN — Clean energy company Precision Combustion Inc. (PCI) of North Haven is one of three Connecticut companies to claim a piece of a $37.6 million round of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, which were awarded to 153 com-panies nationwide.

PCI received $149,904 for research and development into a process of converting natural gas directly into industrial chemi-cals. The use of natural gas is supposed to be cheaper and less intensive a process than the current practice of using crude oil.

New Haven-based science firm Omega-P received $150,000 for further research into radio frequency accelerator technol-ogy, and Sonata, of Bethel, was awarded $149,674 for research into fossil-energy technologies.

One Connecticut company, Plantsville-based Supramagnetics, was among 94 nationwide to receive an SBIR Phase II grant to the tune of $999,716 for research in the field of superconductor magnet technologies for high-energy particle col-liders. Phase II grants totaled $93 million.

Seahawks Down UnderSTRATFORD — MHSCo., the joint helicopter parts consortium formed by Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed-Martin, has broken ground in Australia on a new maintenance and warehouse facility for a fleet of new helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy.

When completed in early 2015 the facility, at Albatross Aviation Technology Park in Nowra, New South Wales, will consist of two buildings and total 120,000 square feet, housing up to 120 employees.

Workers there will perform maintenance on Australia’s fleet of 24 Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk helicopters (of which four have been delivered to date), which were con-tracted in 2011. The Royal Australian Navy’s current helicopters are at a train-ing site in Jacksonville, Fla., but will trans-fer to Australia later this year, when the current staff of 30 is expected to increase to 70.

The Nowra facility will also house Australian personnel of Sikorsky, Lockheed-Martin and General Electric.

Plastics Makers MeldWALLINGFORD — An Attleboro, Mass.-based plastics company has acquired a local manufacturer.

Precision Engineered Products has purchased Connecticut Plastics (CP) of Wallingford to expand its machining capa-bilities. CP will remain in Wallingford and will continue to operate under its original name. The 30-year-old company currently employs 40 workers at its 23,000-square-foot facility. CP manufactures components for the electronics and medical industries, life sciences and aerospace instrumenta-tion and control companies.

Founded in 1980, Precision has 1,000 employees at 11 manufacturing locations and operates under eight brand names, including MicroPep and Lacey.

Powering Up the FatherlandWALLINGFORD — Connecticut indus-trial gases manufacturer Proton Onsite ist ein Hamburger.

The Wallingford firm was awarded a contract to provide a hydrogen generator at one of the first hydrogen fuel-cell sta-tions in Hamburg, Germany. The C-series proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer will be partially powered by renewable energy sources and should be operational by late summer or early autumn.

Part of the country’s H2Mobility network, the station will be one of a planned 50-sta-tion network to be completed by 2015, set to cost roughly US $481.4 million.

In 2012 Proton OnSite delivered a hydro-gen generator to Germany at a solar-pow-ered refueling station in Freiburg.

The current unit being delivered is the result of a collaboration between Proton and Danish firm H2 Logic. It uses the same technology as is in place at the SunHydro commercial fueling station in Wallingford, which opened in 2010.

Avitus Move Gets CII CashFARMINGTON — Medical-device manu-facturer Avitus Orthopaedics may soon provide a more efficient way for surgeons to take bone grafts.

A recent $350,000 grant from Connecticut Innovations Inc. (CII) will enable the company to complete its relocation from Maryland to Connecticut and to continue developing and eventually market its mini-mally invasive and disposable bone graft harvesting tool.

Avitus was founded in 2011 at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design by biomedical engineers and surgeons from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. It began its relocation to Connecticut in 2013 where it is now headquartered at the University of Connecticut’s Technology Incubation Program in Farmington.

Logan Steel ExpandsWALLINGFORD — Metal fabrication and distribution company Logan Steel has completed Phase I of a large-scale expan-sion initiative.

The company was founded in Meriden in 1972 but has been based in Wallingford since 1975. The company added a 20,000-square-foot building addition to house its new sandblasting, priming and painting operations. Logan already stocks carbon, aluminum and stainless steels and has a 12,000-square-foot fabrication shop on-site.

The company is currently finishing work on its new powder coating facility that is expected to be fully operational by the end

of the second quarter.

A Better State By 2017?A new campaign is being launched to raise the state’s economic profile and convince all and sundry that Connecticut is a great place to live and work.

The “CT20x17” initiative is looking to make Connecticut a top 20 state for business by the year 2017 by targeting negative rankings as received by various media outlets such as Forbes and CNBC (which in 2013 ranked the Nutmeg State the fifth-worst state for doing business based on such variables as business costs, infrastructure, workforce, quality of life, technology and innovation, cost of liv-ing, education and access to capital) and working to improve problem areas. Forbes ranked Connecticut the 33rd in the nation for business-friendliness.

The campaign was started by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) along with statewide business groups, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations and community groups. For information:t ct20x17.org.

Mfg4 Conference ReturnsHARTFORD — The biennial Mfg4 con-ference will return to the state this year to focus on growth and strategies of the state’s aerospace, defense, medical and micro manufacturing industries.

Slated for May 6-8 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, the event will feature keynote presentations, pro-grams, workshops and networking events.

Subtitled “The Crossroads of Manufacturing,” Mfg4 is presented by Michigan manufacturing advocacy group SME. Local partners include the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Connecticut Innovations Inc. and the Connecticut Technology Council.

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If Connecticut is to remain a hub of aerospace manufacturing for at least the next 15 years, it will be in no small part due to a major reinvestment by United Technologies Corp.

The defense giant, which owns seven facilities in Connecticut, including Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, and UTC Aerospace in Cheshire, will invest up to $500 million into upgrades and expan-sions of its research, development and manufacturing facilities in the state over the next five years, while also investing up to $4 billion in research and other expenditures statewide.

The major investment centers around P&W’s new 425,000-square-foot global headquarters in East Hartford, as well as other capital investments in its Middletown facility. Also planned are upgrades and expansions of 100,000 square feet of research and engineering labs in East Hartford, new engineering labs and a 12,000-square-foot train-ing center at UTC’s Windsor Locks Aerospace Systems business unit. Those upgrades account for $375 mil-lion; Sikorsky’s facility will also receive upgrades and improvements of up to $125 million.

The agreement comes with a com-mitment from UTC to keep Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut for another 15 years, and Sikorsky in the state for at least another five years.

In addition, as part of the Connecticut Aerospace Reinvestment Act, UTC may receive up to $400 million in tax cred-its over 14 years. All construction will begin this year and continue through 2018.

According to an impact study commis-sioned by the Aerospace Industries Association in 2012, Connecticut is sixth in the nation in number of aero-space jobs, with UTC providing half of the state’s 41,000 jobs in the sector, while also accounting for 90,500 addi-tional indirect jobs.

— John Mordecai

UTC Stakes Its Future in State

CEO Louis Chenevert committing UTC to CT.

25APRIL 2014

Webster Bank has named Dawn C. Morris execu-tive vice president and chief marketing officer. Reporting directly to Webster Chairman and CEO James C. Smith, she will be responsible for bank marketing, product manage-ment, database/product analytics and marketing services. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and captain in the U.S. Army, Morris previously worked for Citizens Bank and RBC Bank in North Carolina.

Burzenski & Co., PC, a full service accounting and financial management firm, has named two new partners: Melody Mann Fox, CPA, of Stratford joined Burzenski in 1984. As the firm’s director of cli-ent services she provided guidance and leadership to clients related to accounting, computer technology and work flow management. She specializes in the field of veterinary practice man-agement and has expertise in financial and tax plan-ning. William (Bill) S. Kalinowski, CPA, of Cheshire joined Burzenski in 1994. As the director of client accounting and

auditing services he has specialized in the areas of construction, manufacturing, nonprofit and governmental engagements.

Eugene A. Marconi has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties as general legal counsel, representing 1,500 sales executives as well as providing legal advice to the company’s executive team. Previously Marconi was general counsel for the Connecticut Association of Realtors for more than 20 years. He succeeds John Sable, who served as gen-eral legal counsel for more than 30 years.

Craig J. Patla has been promoted to vice president of service delivery for the Connecticut Water Co., suc-ceeding the recently retired Terrance P. O’Neill. Patla will oversee the Clinton company’s opera-tions, engineering, water-quality and service-delivery teams. He is a licensed professional engineer and a certified water-distribution operator who began his career at Connecticut Water in 1990.

Heather Whalen of Branford has been named director of inbound sales in the western New England regional headquarters of Comcast. Before join-ing Comcast, Whalen worked for Xerox, AT&T Wireless and Symon Communications.

Also at Comcast, Rob Specyalski of Southington

has been named manager of information technology. He previously held posi-tions with Chicago Title Insurance and also spent nine years as a computer technician in cryptology for the U.S. Navy.

Kristen P. Lombardi, CVPM, PHR, of the Burzenski & Co., PC vet-erinary practice team, has earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification, awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute. Lombardi is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

During its April 2 annual meeting, the Waterbury Regional Chamber elected members of its 2014-15 board of directors. New directors include Lori Greene of Elizabeth Richard Gifts; Kent S. McClun, Wells Fargo; Pasquale Salvatore, La Tavola Ristorante; Corey Shaker, Shaker Auto Group; and Robin Sills, RN of Naugatuck Valley Radiology. Re-elected directors were William R. Harris, American

Copy Service Center; Steven A. Fournier of Gar Kenyon Aerospace & Defense; Jonathan D. Albert, Cornerstone Realty; Jack E. Traver Jr., Traver IDC; and Rich DuPont, Resource Development Associates.

William A. Reidy has been named vice president for university advancement by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, responsible for planning, initiating, direct-ing, reporting and evaluat-ing all fundraising activities from private and public sources. Since 2008 he has served as managing direc-tor of the fundraising con-sulting firm Changing Our World Inc. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross.

Kevin R. Convey, for-mer editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News, has been named chair of the Department of Journalism at Quinnipiac University. A journalist for three decades, Convey worked his way up from reporter to editor-in-chief at the Boston Herald before becoming editor-in-chief of the Daily News. After he left the paper in January 2012, he earned a master’s degree in entrepreneurial journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College in 1977.

Stuart G. Marcus, MD, FACS has been appointed CEO and President of St. Vincent’s Health Services (SVHS). A $500 million healthcare system, SVHS is a member of Ascension Health, the nation’s larg-est Catholic and largest non-profit healthcare sys-tem. Marcus most recently served as president of St. Vincent’s Medical Center and executive vice presi-dent of St. Vincent’s Health Services. He succeeds Susan L. Davis, Ed.D,

RN, who is transitioning full time to her role in Pensacola, Fla. as president and CEO of the Sacred Heart Health System, also a member of Ascension Health.

TD Bank has promoted

Carrie L. Zlotnikov of Seymour to store man-ager of its 249 Bank Street, Seymour branch. She will be responsible for new business development, con-sumer and business lend-ing, managing personnel and overseeing day-to-day operations.

A graduate of Drexel University, Zlotnikov has seven years of retail bank-ing experience.

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benefits received per recipient is less for the immigrant groups.”

Looking at all residents, legal and other-wise, by race/ethnicity and gender, Latino men post the highest workforce-partici-pation rate. At 78.1 percent, the cohort significantly surpasses the rates for black (64.2 percent) and white (71.3 percent) males. Latino women are not job-seeking superstars, but that’s because many refuse to contract out the raising of their children. Solid family and community bonds con-tribute to the “Latino paradox.” As newer arrivals, residents who trace their origins to Central and South America have below-average incomes and subpar school-com-pletion rates. Yet their health is as good as, if not superior, to both whites and blacks, in metrics including heart disease, cancer, stroke and infant mortality.

Hardworking men, women who care for their children, healthy social capital. Who do these Latinos think they are, Luis and Sofia Cleaver?

Many in the liberty movement realize that putting America’s second-largest racial/ethnic group in the crosshairs isn’t helpful. Others wallow in baseless — and frankly, bigoted — shibboleths of welfare dependency and resistance to assimilation. But demagoguery doesn’t invalidate the truth that Latinos played no role in the New Deal, aren’t responsible for the Great Society, and made only a small contribu-tion to the Bush-Obama fiscal and eco-nomic catastrophes.

Serious responses are needed, now, to the twin crises of family fragmentation and government insolvency. Instead of spread-ing myths, hurling accusations, and slam-ming gates, it’s time to ask Latinos how they can help.

OP-ED LATINOSContinued from page 4

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NEWS

Tarry Lodge Eyes Elm CityNEW HAVEN — Celebrity chef Mario Batali may be expand-ing his restaurant empire to a 2,500-square-foot space at 278 Park Street.

His Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group is seeking city approvals for a Tarry Lodge restaurant.

“The space was originally zoned for a 54-seat restaurant, which is really too small for our purposes,” says Tarry Lodge managing partner Nancy Selzer.

“We need 74 seats. We’re also going to be seeking a restau-rant liquor license.”

If all the hurdles are sur-mounted, Selzer adds, the new restaurant will be similar to the Tarry Lodge in Westport, which has a wood-fired pizza oven and is a “more casual style” eatery than the “fine dining” flagship Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, N.Y.

The Batali group is working with Yale, which leases 278 Park Street from St. Thomas Moore Corp.

Calling All DevelopersHAMDEN — The town is seek-ing developers for the former Michael J. Whalen Middle School property, a 13-acre site containing four buildings and 140,000 square feet.

For an RFP form, contact the purchasing department at pur-chasing@hamden.com.

The deadline for proposals is 11 a.m. April 25.

PEOPLE

Pearce’s Good-Deed-DoersNORTH HAVEN — More than 15 H. Pearce Real Estate agents and staff recently pre-pared and served dinner for 100 residents at Columbus House, a local homeless shelter. The company says such volunteer work exemplifies the Pearce’s ongoing commitment to com-munity service.

SALES

BRANFORD — May Pasqualoni has purchased the Shoreline Laundromat, 20 Alps Road for $30,500. Frank Greco and Mike Boyarsky of Colonial Properties represented the seller, Heather Vause. The buyer was unrepresented.

BRANFORD — The U.S. Army has acquired 15 acres for an Army Reserve Training Center at 777-779 East Main Street. The sale price was $3,706,850. Part of the 86-acre Bittersweet Farm site, the parcel was sold by Bittersweet Partners, LLC. The Proto Group was the sole broker in the transaction.

MERIDEN — Phoenix Realty Group has teamed with PCCP, LLC to purchase Newbury Village, a 180-unit multifamily

community at 211 Pomeroy Avenue, for $27.5 million.

Phoenix will manage the prop-erty, which will undergo an upgrade and has been renamed Alvista Willow Brook.

Jeffrey Dunne, Patrick Carino and Mike Stone of CBRE rep-resented the seller, Winthrop Realty Trust, and procured the buyer.

MILFORD — Paradigm Milford LLC has purchased a 175,000-square-foot property on 16 acres at 265-269 Old Gate Lane for $1,695,500.

John Bergin, Carl Russell, and DeForest Smith of H. Pearce Commercial represented both the buyer and the seller, U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Haven.

The buyer also has assumed an outstanding tax lien of more

than $1 million due to the city of Milford.

Formerly used by Aerosols Techniques Inc., the property had been vacant for 18 years.

NEW HAVEN — The APT Foundation has purchased a 27,640-square-foot office build-ing at 495 and 517 Congress Avenue for $2.8 million. Steve Miller of Levey Miller Maretz represented the buyer. Frank Hird of OR&L Commercial represented the seller, 495 Congress LP and Mortgage Investors V, LLC.

NEW HAVEN — Grand Market, LLC has acquired a 7,659-square-foot retail plaza at 240 Grand Avenue for $475,000. Phil Marshall and Toby Brimberg of OR&L Commercial represented the seller, Peoples United Bank. The buyer was unrepresented.

ORANGE — Jone Heo and Jiyenu Sung have purchased a 9,700-square-foot strip mall at 512 Boston Post Road for $940,000. The sellers were James and Margaret Lu. Joseph Han of Weichert Regional Properties was the sole broker.

WALLINGFORD — Wallingford Business Park LLC (WBP) has acquired Wallingford Business Park, 718 North Colony Road for $4.55 million.

Naugatuck Wallingford, LLC sold the 389,000-square-foot property. Dan Garofalo of Reno Properties Group (RPG) was sole broker in the deal.

RPG has a contract with WBP to manage the business park, including plans to increase the property’s energy efficiency.

WATERBURY — Pashtan Properties, LLC has purchased 122-134 East Main Street for $960,000. The four-story, 19,816-square-foot building houses four storefronts and 12 apartments. John Famiglietti of Drubner Commercial repre-sented the buyer and the seller, Wolfpitts Associates, LLC.

LEASES

BRANFORD — Shoreline Center for Family Counseling & Psychotherapy, LLC has leased 2,688 square feet at 9 Business Park Drive.

Barry Stratton of the Geenty Group, Realtors was the sole agent. The landlord is Bellaire Properties, LLC.

BRANFORD — The Westview Company, LLC has leased 1,024 square feet at 11 Sycamore Way. Branford. The landlord is Gray Eagle Corp. Bill Clark of the Geenty Group, Realtors was the sole agent in the transaction.

GUILFORD — World Champion Taekwondo has leased 1,200 square feet at 639 Boston Post Road. Kristin Geenty of the Geenty Group represented the tenant. Juan Marquez of the Geenty Group represented the landlord, Childress & Duncan, LLC.

HAMDEN — Highwood Square at 953 Dixwell Avenue has three new tenants. Hamden Dental Case signed a five-year lease for 1,467 square feet, Hamden Health Insurance Store penned a two-year lease for 477 square feet and Jeremy Chandler inked a two-year lease for 412 square feet. Fred Messore of Colonial Properties was the sole broker. The landlord is Highwood Square Limited Partnership.

MERIDEN — The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut has leased 11,236 square feet in the Meriden Enterprise Center, 290 Pratt Street, to house its administrative offices and a common meeting space for Episcopalians from around the state.

Peter Holland of Goman + York Property Advisors, LLC rep-resented the diocese. Peter S. Shiue of Colliers International represented the landlord, 290 Pratt Street, LLC.

MILFORD — Coastal Canine Grooming, LLC has signed a two-year lease for 800 square feet at 253 Naugatuck Avenue. Frank Greco of Colonial Properties was sole broker in the deal. The landlord is Albert Faustini Family Trust.

MILFORD — Hobby Lobby Stores has signed a ten-year lease for 43,148 square feet at 1777 Boston Post Road, a building formerly occupied by Sports Authority. The lease value is more than $5.6 mil-lion .The Proto Group repre-sented the landlord, 1777 BPR

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Pashtan Properties plunked down $960,000 for a 19,816 square foot multi-use building in Watebury’s downtown.

APT the drug rehab foundation purchased a 27,640 square foot office building for $2.8 million on New Haven’s Congress avenue.

27APRIL 2014

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Associates Limited Partnership. Rob Robledo and Kevin Higgins of CBRE/Grossman represented Hobby Lobby.

NEW HAVEN — Jordan’s Furniture has signed a 20-year lease valued in excess of $16 million for 197,581 square feet at 40 Sargent Drive, the former New Haven Register building. This will be Jordan’s first store in Connecticut. Tim Fegan and Rob Robledo of CBRE represented the landlord, 40 Sargent Drive, LLC. The Proto Group represented the tenant.

NORTH HAVEN — Rockville Bank has signed a 15-year lease valued in

excess of $1.3 million at the North Haven Shopping Center, 117 Washington Avenue. There will be a new 2,500-square-foot bank branch and a 2,500-square-foot second-floor loan office at the location. Jay Fisher of Accubranch (real estate experts for banks and credit unions) represented the bank. The Proto Group represented the landlord, Luciani Realty Limited Partnership.

ORANGE — Sun West Mortgage has signed a three-year lease for 2,000 square feet at 263 Boston Post Road. Brita McGee of Colonial Properties represented the landlord, Consolidated Management, LLC. Dick Brown of Remax Right Choice represented the tenant.

OLD SAYBROOK — Interior Partitions Specialist, LLC has leased 1,793 square feet at 20 Research Parkway. Barry Stratton of the Geenty Group, Realtors represented the tenant. Kevin Geenty of the Geenty Group represented the land-lord, Mill Meadow Development, LLC.

ROCKY HILL — Sally Beauty Supply has signed a ten-year lease for 2,029 square feet at Town Line Plaza, 80 Town Line Road. Dan Neaton of Saugatuck Commercial represented the landlord, Acadia Realty Trust. The Proto Group represented, and is exclusive broker for, the tenant.

WEST HAVEN — Sangam Beauty Salon has leased 750 square feet at 973 Boston Post Road. Brita McGee and Frank Greco of Colonial Properties were the sole brokers. The landlord is 973 Orange Avenue, LLC.

WEST HAVEN — The Happy Lung has leased 736 square feet at 97 Campbell Avenue. Fred Messore of Colonial Properties was the sole broker, represent-ing the tenant, which sells e-cigarettes

and upscale juices. The landlord is the Peschell family.

WEST HAVEN — The Tortilla Villa Inc. has leased 4,000 square feet at 107 Campbell Avenue. Fred Messore of Colonial Properties was the sole broker in the transaction. The landlord is the Peschell family.

WEST HAVEN — Attorney Benita Lee has leased 736 square feet at 486 Derby Avenue. Fred Messore of Colonial Properties was the sole broker. The land-lord is 486 Derby Avenue, LLC.

The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut has leased 11,236 square feet in the Meriden Enterprise Center.

Hobby Lobby is filling a 48,186 square foot hole left by the Sports Authority on the Post Road..

WWW.CONNTACT.COM28

SPECIAL EVENTSJunior Achievement of Southwest Connecticut hosts its 34th annual Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner. The event recognizes past and present business and com-munity leaders who have made significant con-tributions to the prosperity of the region and the strength of its communities. This year’s laureates: Hoard K. Hill, founder of Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, Hugh I. Manke, partner with the law firm of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, and David I Newton, president of Elm Advisors, LLC. Also, annual Cor-porate Award will be presented to First Niagara Bank. 5:30 p.m. May 7 at New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave., New Haven. $150. Reserva-tions. 860-525-4510, JAConn.net.

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) presents its Connecticut 2014 Eco-nomic Update. The United States is experienc-ing a sustained economic recovery — when and how will Connecticut get off the sidelines. Fresh insights in this mid-year economic update featuring Ryan Sweet of Moody’s Analytics. 8:30 a.m.-noon May 9 at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 Berlin Rd., Cromell. $50 CBIA members, $65 others. Registra-tion. 860-244-1900, cbia.com.

SYMPOSIA, CONFERENCES & EXPOSITIONSThe Midstate Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business & Community Showcase in conjunction with the 36th annual Meriden Daffodil Festival. The 50,000-plus festival attendees typi-

cally lure a highly diverse mix of corporate exhibi-tors. Drawings, giveaways, networking, more. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 27 at Hubbard Park, W. Main St., Meriden. Free. 203-235-7901, info@meridenchamber.com.

The University of New Haven, West Haven Chamber of Commerce and TD Bank co-sponsor a Women in Leadership Conference. Open to females and males alike, the event will feature keynote speaker Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman as well as Laurie Harkness, director of ERRARA CTCenter, Carroll E. Brown, president of the West Haven Black Coalition, Rosemary Raccio of the New Haven Board of Realtors, Maureen Lillis, health director for the city of West Haven, and more. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. May 8 at Dodds Auditorium, University of New Haven, West Haven. $15 mem-bers, students advance; $20 at door. 203-933-1500, info@westhavenchamber.com.

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCEThe Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce hosts it 220th Annual Meeting. Guest speaker: Peter Salovey, president of Yale University. Plus, presentation of awards, election of directors, etc. 7:30-9:30 p.m. April 9 at Omni-New Haven Hotel at Yale, 155 Temple St., New Haven. $75 GNHCC members, $85 others. Reservations. 203-787-6735, gnhcc.com.

Each third Friday the Greater New Haven Cham-ber of Commerce (GNHCC) hosts Discover the Chamber, an informational and networking ses-sion for new and prospective members. Free pizza, even! Noon April 18 at GNHCC, 900 Chapel St.

(10th Fl.), New Haven. Free. 203-787-6735, gnhcc.com.

The Shoreline Chamber of Commerce (incorporat-ing the former Branford and Guilford chambers) hosts Business After Hours. Networking, door prizes, giveaways — plus take a swing at a piñata full of surprises. 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 22 at Bal-lou’s Wine Bar, 2 Sybil Ave., Branford. Registration. 203-488-5500, bvranfordct.com.

The Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce presents its annual B2B expo, North Haven &Walling-ford Business Showcase. Speed networking, food tastings, trivia events and of course dozens of exhibitors strutting their stuff. Bring business cards! 3-7:30 p.m. April 24 at Best Western Plus North Haven Hotel, 201 Washington Ave., North Haven. Free. 203-269-9891, maribel@quinncham.com.

The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce presents Business After Hours, replete with networking, refreshments and door prizes, as well as a preview of the 2014 Business Expo. 5-7 p.m. April 25 at Hubbard Park, W. Main St., Meriden. Free. 203-235-7901, info@meridenchamber.com.

The Clinton Chamber of Commerce hosts Busi-ness After Hours. Fun, networking, beverages, light refreshments. 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 29 at Aqua Restaurant, 34 Riverside Dr., Clinton. $10. Registration. 860-669-3889, chamber@clintonct.com.

EDUCATION Human Resources

Quinnipiac University hosts a panel discussion, Social Media: Key Issues for Companies & Their Employees. Part of QU’s Social Media Breakfast Series, the panel will include vice presi-dent for HR Ron Mason, Brian Murray, director of

talent and culture for Likeable Media, and Chuck Stohler, who heads the Labor & Employment prac-tice group for the law firm Carmody & Torrance. 7:30-9:30 a.m. April 3 at Center for Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Quinnipiac University, North Haven. Free. Registration. 203-582-8841, susan.daddio@quinnipiac.edu.

For the second session of its six-session Human Resources Roundtable Breakfast Series, the labor and employment group of the law firm of Carmody & Torrance presents Creating, Updating & Enhancing Your Employee Handbook. Roundtable discussion designed principally for HR professionals and in-house counsel. 8 a.m.-9:15 April 24 at 50 Leavenworth St., Waterbury. $65 ($250 for six sessions). Reservations. 203-578-4247, aslack@carmodylaw.com.

Fred Pryor presents Human Resource for Any-one with Newly Assigned HR Responsibili-ties, an HR training course covering key issues, basic laws and best practices for those with newly assigned responsibilities in this key area. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 28 at Best Western Plus North Haven Hotel, 201 Washington Ave., North Haven. $149. Registration. 800-780-8476, pryor.com.

Legal

The New Haven County Bar Association’s Ask a Lawyer program offers free ten- to 15-minute consultations with an NHCBA attorney to all comers (no pre-registration necessary) each third Wednesday. 5-7 p.m. April 16 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free. 203-468-3890, hagamanlibrary.info.

Management

Fred Pryor presents a Project Management Workshop. One-day seminar is designed to teach attendees up-to-date, hands-on project man-agement techniques, from avoiding common plan-

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ning pitfalls to building a highly effective project team. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 17 at Omni New Haven Hotel, 155 Temple St., New Haven. $199. Registra-tion. 800-780-8476, pryor.com.

Manufacturing

The New Haven Manufacturers Association pres-ents Environmental Compliance & Regula-tory Issues for Manufacturers. Jamie Barr, vice president of Langan Engineering, will offer attendees guidance on navigating the complex landscape of state and federal requirements, per-mits and regulations for manufacturing companies. Noon-1:30 p.m. April 10 at Graduate Club, 155 Elm St., New Haven. $15 members, $20 others. 203-387-5121, newhavenmanufacturrs.com.

Small Business

The New Haven chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) holds a Pre-Busi-ness Workshop. Attendees will learn essential business information on how to write a business plan, insurance needs of a business, financing/bookkeeping, Connecticut tax information and marketing tips. 8:30 a.m.-noon April 9 in Rm. S105, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven. Free. 203-865-7645, newhavenscore.org.

The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce in partnership with SCORE offers free and confiden-tial Mentoring to entrepreneurs and small-busi-ness owners the second Thursday of each month. Call for appointment. 9, 10 & 11 a.m. April 10 at 3 Colony St., Suite 301, Meriden. 203-235-7901, meridenchamber.com.

Under the auspices of the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce, SCORE volunteers offer free and confidential Mentoring to entrepreneurs and small-business owners the third Wednesday of each month. Counselors have experience in such areas as marketing, management, business-plan preparation and more. Call for appointment. 9, 10 & 11 a.m. April 16 at Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce, 100 S. Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. Free. Reservations. 203-269-9891, maribel@quinncham.com.

SCORE New Haven offers a workshop for entre-preneurs. Financial Planning & Manage-ment Tools for Your Business offers an overview of bookkeeping software and managing key performance indicators. 7-8:30 p.m. April 16 in Rm. S105, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven. Free. 203-865-7645, newhavenscore.org

RECREATIONSpecifically designed with the business golfer in mind is the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce’s 13th annual Quinnipiac Golf League, which commences play April 22 and continues Tuesdays throughout the season. Shotgun start so all play-ers finish nine holes at (approximately) the same time to allow time for networking. 5 p.m. Tuesdays (beginning 4/22) at Traditional Golf Club, 37 Harrison Rd., Wallingford. $600/season members of Quinnipiac and New Haven chambers of com-

merce; $700 non-members. 203-269-9891, mari-bel@quinncham.com.The West Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Group presents Bowling for Schol-ars, an evening of duckpin bowling and cabaret-style entertainment. Proceeds will help fund scholarships for female high-school students in West Haven. 7:30-10:30 p.m. April 26 at Wood-lawn Duckpin Bowling Alley, 240 Platt Ave., West Haven. $25. 203-933-1500, info@westhaven-chamber.com.

LEADS/NETWORKING GROUPSThe Fairfield I chapter of Business Network International meets Tuesdays. 7-8:30 a.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at First Congregational Church, 148 Beach Rd., Fairfield. Free. 203-430-4494.

The Waterbury chapter of Business Network International meets Tuesdays. 7-8:30 a.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at the Village at East Farms, 180 Scott Rd., Waterbury. 203-755-5548, water-burybni.com.

The Shoreline chapter of Business Network International meets Tuesdays. 7:15-8:30 a.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at Parthenon Diner, 809 Bos-ton Post Rd., Old Saybrook. 203-245-0332.

The Hamden chapter of Business Network International meets Tuesdays. 7:15-8:45 a.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at Knights of Columbus, 2630 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-294-1505, hamdenbni.com.

The Milford Chamber of Commerce’s Tuesday Morning Leads Group meets. 8:30 a.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at Milford Chamber of Commerce, 5 Broad St., Milford. Free. 203-878-0681, cham-ber@milfordct.com.

Connecticut Business Connections meets first and third Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. April 1, 15 at Tus-cany Grill, 120 College St., Middletown. 860-343-1579, connecticutbusinessconnection.org.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce’s (GVCC) Valley Business Network meets first and third Wednesdays. 8-9:15 a.m. April 2, 16 at GVCC, 10 Progress Dr. (2nd Fl.), Shelton. Free. 203-925-4981, laura@greatervalleychamber.com.

The Trumbull Business Network (formerly Bottom-Line Business Club) meets Wednesdays. 7:30-8:30 a.m. April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at Helen Plumb Building, 571 Church Hill Rd., Trumbull. Members free (annual dues $50). Reservations. 203-452-8383, trumbullbn.com/contactus.htm.

The New Haven chapter of Business Network International meets Wednesdays. 8-9:30 a.m. April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at the Bourse, 839 Chapel St., New Haven. $100 registration; $365 annual fee. 203-789-2364, boursenewhaven.com.

Milford Chamber of Commerce’s Wednesday Morning Leads Group meets 8:30-9:30 a.m. April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at Milford Chamber of

Commerce, 5 Broad St., Milford. Free. 203-878-0681, chamber@milfordct.com.

The Greater New Haven Business & Pro-fessional Association, an association of predominantly African-American business people, holds networking sessions Wednesdays. 11 a.m.-noon April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at 192 Dixwell Ave., New Haven. Free. 203-562-2193.

The Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunities (CABO), which describes itself as the state’s LGBT chamber of commerce, meets first Thursday mornings. 8-9:30 a.m. April 3, May 1 at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park, 1555 Asy-lum Ave., West Hartford. $15 members, $25 oth-ers. 203-903-8525, thecabo.org.

The Entrepreneur Business Forum (EBF) meets Thursdays. 7 a.m. April 3, 10, 17, 24 at Hamden Healthcare Center, 1270 Sherman La., Hamden. Free. 860-877-3880.

The Professional Networking Group of Waterbury (PrefNet) meets Thursdays. 7 a.m. April 3, 10, 17, 24 at Waterbury Regional Chamber, 83 Bank St., Waterbury. 203-575-101, ProfNetWaterbury.com.

The Hamden Chamber of Commerce’s Cham-ber Business Network IV meets first and third Thursdays. 8 a.m. April 3, 17 at chamber office, 2969 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-985-1200.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Alli-ance Leads Group meets first and third Thurs-days. 8-9 a.m. April 3, 17 at GVCC, 10 Progress Dr. (2nd Fl.), Shelton. 203-925-4981, nancie@greatervalleychamber.com.

The Milford chapter of Business Network International meets Fridays. 7-8:30 a.m. April 4, 11, 18, 25 at Hilton Garden Inn, 291 Old Gate La., Milford. Free. 203-214-6336, greatermilfordbni.com.

The Sound chapter of Business Network Inter-national meets Fridays. 8-9:30 a.m. April 4, 11, 18, 25 at Parthenon Diner, 374 E. Main St., Bran-ford. Free. 203-208-1042.

Milford Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Morn-ing Leads Group meets. 11 a.m.-noon April 4, 11, 18, 25 at Milford Chamber of Commerce, 5 Broad St., Milford. Free. 203-878-0681, cham-ber@milfordct.com.

The Hamden Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Business Network I (formerly Leads Group I) meets second and fourth Tuesdays. 8 a.m. April 8, 22 at 2969 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-281-1233.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce’s (GVCC) Women in Networking Leads Group meets second and fourth Tuesdays. 8:45-10 a.m. April 8, 22 at GVCC, 10 Progress Dr. (2nd Fl.)., Shelton. Free. 203-925-4981.

The Hamden Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Business Network II (formerly Leads Group II) meets second and fourth Tuesdays. Noon April 8, 22 at Lifetime Solutions Community VNA, 2 Broad-way, North Haven. Free. 203-288-7305.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce’s (GVCC) Seeds-to-Leads Group meets second and fourth Wednesdays. 8 a.m. April 9, 23 at GVCC, 10 Progress Dr. (2nd Fl.), Shelton. Free. 203-925-4981, laura@greatervalleychamber.com.

The Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce’s QNet Group meets the second and fourth Wednes-days. 8-9 a.m. April 9, 23 at 100 S. Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. Free. 203-234-0332, 203-269-9891, quinncham.com.

The Greater New Haven chapter of Toastmas-ters meets second and fourth Wednesdays. 6:30 p.m. April 9, 23 at New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St., New Haven. 203-871-3065.

Connecticut Business Connections meets second Thursdays. 7:30 a.m. April 10 at the Greek Olive, 402 Sargent Dr., New Haven. 860-343-1579, connecticutbusinessconnection.org.

The West Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Leads Plus A.M. Group meets second Thursdays. 8:30 a.m. April 10 at 140 Capt. Thomas Blvd., West Haven. 203-933-1500.

Middlesex County Toastmasters meets second and fourth Thursdays. 7 p.m. April 10, 24 at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Rd., Middletown. 860-301-9402, middlesex.free-toasthost.com.

The Hamden Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Business Network III (formerly Leads Group III) meets second and fourth Mondays. 5 p.m. April 14, 28 at SBC Restaurant & Brewery, 950 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-288-6831.

The Jewish Business League meets third Wednesdays for networking and information-sharing. March’s guest speaker is Gerry Barker, principal of Barker Specialty Co., who will discuss

“Fighting Conventional Wisdom: The Benefit of Con-trarian Thought in Business.” 7:30-9:15 a.m. April 16 at Temple Beth David, 3 Main St., Cheshire. $8 advance, $10 at door. tinyurl.com/8-alnnuz.

The Connecticut Business Hall of Fame hosts a statewide networking event the third Friday each month. 7:30-9 a.m. April 18 at Connecticut Labor-ers Council, 475 Ledyard St., Hartford. $5. 860-523-7500, ctbhof.com.

The West Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Leads Plus P.M. Group meets fourth Thursdays. Noon April 24 at 140 Captain Thomas Blvd., West Haven. 203-933-1500.

The West Haven Chamber’s Women in Busi-ness meets the fourth Monday of each month. 11:45 a.m. April 28 at American Steakhouse, 3354 Sawmill Rd., West Haven. 203-933-1500.

Editor’s note: Fraternal meeting listings can be found on our website (ctcalendar.com) along with additional events taking place statewide.

Send CALENDAR listings to Business New Haven, 20 Grand Ave., New Haven 06513, or e-mail to news@conntact.com.

ting a lot of money from HUD and managing a decrepit parcel.

“They’re not doing anything legally wrong, but we’d like them to have a different relationship with us.”

Nemerson adds the city needs to “deal with” Church Street South for two reasons.

“One is New Haven is clearly a place that takes affordable housing very seriously, in part because very few other cites do,” he says. “We understand down to great detail all the challenges and all the responsibilities. When we see the condition of the site, the condition of the housing, and the squalor people are living in, I think people are embarrassed by it. Number two is as we move away from

that embarrassment, we incorporate open space, park-land, walkability and maybe more in terms of diversity of apartment styles, with affordable and mixed-use.

“All these things are doable, and we’re very anxious to do them.

Johnson and other city officials introduced the Hill to Downtown plan at a meeting month of the Board of Aldermen’s Community Development Committee.

“Once it is adopted [by the full board], we’ll use it to reopen dialogue with Northland,” Johnson says. “One of the critical elements is what happens with Church Street South. “We now believe there’s a partially shared vision from residents, politicians and city officials, and we want to get Northland, or someone else, to participate in that shared vision. I know the city is committed to working out incentives and infrastructure investments to facili-tate the developer. All that is predicated on having a rea-

sonable and motivated development partner. Our interest is in making it work.”

Johnson believes the redevelopment of Church Street South hinges on “finding what the relocation strategy is [for residents], who pays for it, and how the developer — whoever it is — wants to move forward with the city.

“The folks at Northland have to figure out whether they want to be in the game or out of the game,” he says. “We need to have a mature partner willing to assume some sort of risk.

“We want a partner that wants to do something catalytic to the property, not status quo.”

CHURCH STREET SOUTHContinued from page 19

WWW.CONNTACT.COM30

BRANFORD -- When Craig Ventura goes to work as a deejay, he makes sure he has everything needed to get the job done successfully. Sound equipment. Music selections. Marriage vows.

Marriage vows?

That’s right. Among the services Ventura offers at his customized party events is justice-of-the-peace duty.

“Last year I did 12 weddings over which I presided,” says Ventura. “For seven of those I also deejay’d the reception. Sort of like killing two birds with one stone.”

Ventura is sole proprietor of Big Boy Entertainment, a party/event planning company he established two years ago. In addition to deejaying for birthday, graduation and other types of parties, he has offerings for karaoke evenings, trivia nights, weddings and corporate events, and other occasions. He works through-out the New Haven area and beyond.

Ventura became a justice of the peace last year, and immediately incorporated that service into his business as well. He admits that at first it might seem to be an odd fit. But that was why he did it, he says. He had a couple of friends who were justices of the peace and thought

he’d look into it for himself as a way to attract new business. He applied to the Branford town clerk’s office for a JP appointment, and was accepted.

“It was just something that made me a little more different from everybody else,” Ventura explains.

Big Boy Entertainment is Ventura’s first business venture. Before he took the entrepreneurial leap, the 35-year-old held down an office job that “wasn’t going anywhere,” he notes. He left that job in March 2012.

“It was time to make the move, and it was the best move I ever made,” he proclaims today. “It’s been onwards and upwards from there.”

That doesn’t mean it’s been easy.

“I was scared out of my mind,” says Ventura about leaving a secure (if dead-end) position for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship.

His advice for new business owners is to “Make sure you have some sort of game plan. Don’t go into it flying blind.”

One thing that helped Ventura was his family. Both his father and wife are busi-ness owners, and Ventura was able to

gain insight — and sidestep common rookie pitfalls — with their guidance and encouragement. (His father, a carpenter, is an independent contractor, and his wife owns Elm City Wellness in New Haven.)

Also helping was the fact that Ventura was treading somewhat familiar turf. He deejay’d off-campus while study-

ing history at Central Connecticut State University, honing his chops at

parties and other gatherings. He subse-quently became an on-air personality at New Haven-based CT Ultra Radio, and also ran trivia nights at the Black Bear Saloon on Temple Street in downtown New Haven.

“It kind of snowballed,” he says off his early efforts. “So I decided to take that leap of faith. I left my [day] job in March of 2012, and I haven’t looked back.”

Ventura appears to have precious little time to do so. He stays busy with his vari-ety of offerings at Big Boy Entertainment, having tapped into the first “secret” of business success — give people what they want. One of his most popular events is trivia nights, which attract a wide age range of crowds from college students upward

And if clients want to get married during an event? Well, he can give them that, too.

“It’s a little bit of strategy and a little bit of luck,” Ventura says of creating and sustaining a company. “Everything is not a piece of cake, but you put in the blood, sweat and tears to reap the rewards.”

— Felicia Hunter

NewCoDeejay Is the Marrying KindKey to entrepreneur’s success: Quit your day job

Double-threat Craig Ventura can marry you one minute and rock your reception the next.

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Apprentice Training OfferedWETHERSFIELD — The state’s Department of Labor reminds employers that its apprenticeship program is available to help them train and develop trade skills of potential workers. These placed apprentices earn while learning through supervised, site-based vocational training, with an emphasis on building a strong employer-employee relationship. The program is offered through the department’s Office of Apprenticeship Training. Employers who wish to become a program sponsor are matched with expert consultants who provide technical assistance, monitoring and other services. In addition to the possibility of adding to its customized

workforce and other workplace advantages, a company that trains apprentices for the manu-facturing trades could be eli-gible for a corporate-tax credit. For more information, contact the Office of Apprenticeship Training at 860-263-6000.

Fairfield Cty. Jobs StagnantNORWALK — “Unremarkable” is how the top administrator of a Fairfield County job-market monitoring and résumé database company describes job activity in the region for February. Job postings declined by two percent compared to the previous month, according to FairfieldCountyJobs.com. In keeping with prior monthly observations, job titles most often posted in February were in the accountancy, administra-tion and sales categories. Job-seekers were most interested in jobs in the financial services, accounting and professional-services areas. In addition, FairfiedlCountyJobs.com reports that the most active markets within the county were Stamford, Norwalk and Westport. “The February num-bers reinforce the ongoing trend

of unremarkable activity in the area’s job market,” said David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs.com, in a release. “With no real sign of any positive momentum in the area of employment, the first quarter of 2014 is not look-ing promising.”

Help Getting HiredHAMDEN — The Hamden CTWorks Center is offering a number of training and employ-ment workshops this month at its 37 Marne Street office. Topics range from improving interviewing techniques to job-search strategies to drafting an effective résumé. The latter will be explored April 23 and 25. “Résumé Basics,” presented April 23 from 1 to 4 p.m., will be geared toward first-time résumé writers. “Advanced Résumé Writing” will be offered April 25 at the same time and will cover aspects of job hunting beyond the résumé, such as interview-ing skills and networking. A workshop devoted specifically to networking, titled “The Networking Club,” will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. April 24. And for older workers, “Over 40 and Looking for Work” will

be offered April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The session will cover challenges for older workers such as stereotyp-ing that a job-seeker might encounter during the hiring process. For more information, including additional workshops being offered in April, call the Hamden CTWorks Center at 203-859-3200

Heroes for Hire

BRISTOL – With more than 100 job openings, ESPN of Bristol is seeking the best and brightest candidates to fill them. That’s why the company participated in last month’s Heroes 4 Hire job and career fair, which brought together potential employers and 1,200 job-seekers who have served their country as a mem-ber of the U.S. Armed Forces. ESPN Bristol was one of 85 exhibitors attending the event, which was sponsored by the

state’s Department of Labor, the state and federal Departments of Veterans Affairs, Travelers, CBS Radio and local cham-bers of commerce. ESPN’s Diane Larivee lauded the event as an opportunity to meet and possibly hire quali-fied job candidates. Similarly, Courtney Wengenroth, a human resources specialist at Yarde Metals in Bristol, attended the event “looking for veterans to fill a good number of our openings because they bring great skills to our workplace,” according to a DOL release. The release also quotes state Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer. “It’s very rewarding when there are so many employ-ers eager to hire our veterans,” Palmer states. “The Heroes 4 Hire Career Fair is always a special event because it reflects Connecticut’s ongoing com-mitment to return the favor, even in a small way, to the men and women who represented this country in the military.” Employers interested in exhibit-ing at or finding out more about the next Heroes 4 Hire Career Fair should e-mail hiringourhe-roes@uschamber.com.

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HARTFORD — The March 26 vote by the state legislature that incrementally raises Connecticut’s minimum hourly wage up to $10.10 by 2017 could serve as a catalyst for other states, as well as the nation, to double their efforts to do the same.

“This legislation is about making sure that people working full-time and sup-porting families aren’t living in poverty,” stated Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a release.

“The extra money that these folks earn will be put back into our economy and help our communities. I am proud that Connecticut is once again a leader on an issue of national importance.”

Malloy signed the bill into law the day after its legislative passage. The move means Connecticut leads all other states in the nation when it comes to highest mandated hourly minimum wage, at least theoretically.

Like Connecticut, a number of other states are considering hiking their mini-mum wages, a move that has received vocal and vigorous support from the Obama administration. Washington now has the highest state minimum wage, at $9.32 per hour.

The new Connecticut wage will be phased in over the next three years. It

will rise to $9.15 on January 1, 2015; $9.60 on January 1, 2016, and $10.10 on January 1, 2017.

The minimum wage in Connecticut is now $8.70, a significant $1.45 above the current federal minimum wage. President Barack Obama seeks to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, and has solicited the support of Malloy and other Democratic governors to help achieve that goal. Likewise, Obama has enthusiastically supported Malloy in his efforts to raise the minimum wage in the Constitution State.

The increased wage was lauded by legis-lators who championed it.

“A low minimum wage forces the govern-ment to subsidize the cost of employment while privatizing the profits,” Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-11) of New Haven said in a statement. “As a result, the costs are shifted to govern-ment in the form of aid to low-wage work-ers. President Obama and Gov. Malloy are right; the minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living and full-time work should pay full-time wages.”

Jim Horan, executive director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services, released a statement saying

that the increase “will directly help 140,000 workers, many who are women with children, move out of poverty.” He added, “This higher wage means greater financial stability for families, reduced need for government safety-net pro-grams, and higher earnings for students who are working to pay for college.”

Horan went on to call Connecticut “a leading state in addressing poverty and promoting economic success through progressive policy change” because of

the raised minimum wage and other leg-islative mandates such as paid sick days.

Some pundits have taken issue with rais-ing the state’s minimum wage, however, theorizing that it would further restrict businesses struggling to recover from what is commonly referred to as “the great recession.”

Bill Villano, executive director of New Haven-based Workforce Alliance, doesn’t think the effect will be nearly as dire as some are predicting.

“There’s almost no employer I can think of paying less than $10 an hour anyway that we place people with,” says Villano.

“So Connecticut, for the most part, is pretty much there.”

Career centers affiliated with Workforce Alliance place clients in entry to mid-level positions. It’s diverse placements include areas such as IT, advanced manu-facturing and engineering.

Villano also notes that only a small per-centage of jobs in the state pay the mini-mum wage. That significantly narrows the scope of the new legislation, he says.

“So I don’t think it’s going to have an impact,” Villano adds.

— Felicia Hunter

Lawmakers Approve $10.10 Minimum Wage

New Haven Democrat Looney: ‘Full-time work should pay full-time wages.’

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