The Business Council of Fairfield County will shut down for good next week in the face of financial and operational difficulties arising from the coronavirus pandemic.
“For decades, the Business Council has played an important role in both Fairfield County and the State of Connecticut,” James Fitzgerald, who chairs the Business Council’s board of directors, said in a statement.
“The significant changes in our local economy, the changing business landscape and the financial and operational issues recently caused by the COVID-19 virus have dramatically impacted our long-term financial sustainability,” he added.
“As a result, and after thoughtful review, we made the difficult but responsible decision to cease ongoing operations,” Fitzgerald said.
The Stamford-based Business Council will begin to conclude regular operations effective at close of business next Tuesday (March 31).
“I’m very saddened to see this happen, especially with an organization that has done so much for the business community over the years,” said Garrett Sheehan, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, one of the nation’s oldest business groups. “And it puts a spotlight on the extreme fiscal pressures that all chambers are feeling — just in the same way our businesses are.”
The move comes less than three months after the board named Erin K. Flynn its new president and CEO after Chris Bruhl retired from that position after three decades at the helm.
Attempts to reach Flynn Thursday afternoon were unsuccessful.
The 501(c)6, tax-exempt, private, nonprofit corporation was formed in 1970 and governed by a board of directors comprising senior business executives and served by a professional staff of nine.
