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Richard H. Gesseck has joined J.H. Cohn LLP as an audit partner in the consulting firm’s Glastonbury office. He has more than 40 years of public accounting experience, including 20 years as an audit partner with Ernst & Young. Gesseck, a CPA, serves middle-market, public and privately held manufacturing, distribution, and hi-tech entities, including those in the developmental stages, and providers that have alternative energy solutions. He has served as a conference leader for more than 200 technical accounting and auditing seminars for numerous state CPA societies and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Small Business Advisory Committee, a member of the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy, and a trustee of Lincoln College of New England.
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Steven H. Rosenberg has been named chief financial officer of Western Connecticut Healthcare, a recently formed health network comprised of Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and affiliated organizations. Rosenberg moves to the new job after serving as CFO of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. He holds an MBA. from the University of New Haven and is a member of the state Hospital Association Finance Committee and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
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Thomas J. Rechen, a partner in the Hartford office of McCarter & English, has been appointed chair of the Public Defender Services Commission by Gov. M. Jodi Rell. He will complete the term of Carl D. Eisenmann and then serve a full three-year term concluding Dec. 20, 2013. Rechen has over two decades of experience handling commercial disputes on behalf of public and private companies. He is the immediate past chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He also presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hartford County Bar Association. The commission is a seven-member panel that oversees the Division of Public Defender Services, a state agency with a mission to provide legal to any person charged with the commission of a crime in Connecticut who does not have the financial ability to hire an attorney.
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William W. Lee has been named president and chief executive officer of The Lee Company, a family-owned manufacturing company. He had been chief financial officer of the Westbrook-based firm. Leighton Lee III has retired from the position of president but remains chairman of the company. Alexander M. Corl, who recently joined the company as treasurer, has added the title of CFO. Marietta S. Lee has been named secretary of the corporation in addition to her duties as vice president for the Restrictor Group. The Lee Company is a supplier of miniature hydraulic and pneumatic components used in numerous industries including aerospace, medical devices, oil tools, Formula 1 racing and large character inkjet printing. The company employs approximately 800 people in manufacturing operations centered in Westbrook and Essex, with additional manufacturing in Valencia, CA.
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Trendowski & Allen P.C. has named Refai Arefin an associate in the Centerbrook law firm. He had been a law clerk with the firm. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law. in 2010. He held a number of law clerk and internship positions, including positions with the Honorable Senior District Court Judge Dominic J. Squatrito, the Appellate Unit of the Office of the Public Defender, and the New York State Division of Human Rights. The general practice firm also has an office in Westerly, RI.
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Diane M. Blair has been named vice president of sales and marketing at Sanson, Inc., maker of fine cabinetry, stairs and millwork in New Britain. Blair joins Sanson from Apis Capital Advisors LLC in Greenwich where she served as administrative manager to the global hedge fund. Previously, Blair was president of Manchester Lumber, Inc. in Manchester. In her new role, she will oversee the sales team and be responsible for strategic marketing and development. Also, Mike Esposito has been promoted to vice president of operations at Sanson, Inc. where he has acted as plant manager since 2005. Esposito will be responsible for production management, procurement and site operations.
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John Abbate Jr., the former owner and president of Professional Mechanical Contractors in Connecticut, has been named New England regional manager for the Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Co. Abbate, of Glastonbury, will lead the company’s new branch in Springfield, Mass. His five-state service territory will include Connecticut. This is the first venture into New England for Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Co., based in suburban Buffalo. The firm offers complete design, installation, fabrication, inspection and testing of various fire protection systems.
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Steven Marantz has been promoted to assistant vice president and financial advisor at Rockville Bank. He joined Rockville Bank in 2008 as a financial advisor and has been in the financial services industry for 28 years — 19 years in brokerage houses and nine years in banks.
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Brenda Adelson has been named marketing director of Organizational Design and Development Associates, a management consulting firm in Hamden specializing in organizational development services. She brings 15 years of experience in strategy, analysis and design for print, web and social media marketing. She has worked as a volunteer business adviser in Mali, working with small enterprises to develop new opportunities in ecotourism. She holds an MBA in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
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Paul J. Healy of Milford has been named executive director of campus operations maintenance at Sacred Heart University, in addition to his current responsibilities as executive director for emergency management and public safety. In this new position, Healy will be responsible for preventive maintenance, the trades, small capital projects, inventory, work orders, and vandalism for campus operations. His prior work experience includes a 25-year law enforcement career with the Connecticut State Police and the Chief State’s Attorney’s office from which he retired as a chief inspector.
