To the editor:
As executive director of the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership, the group that markets the interstate region as New England’s Knowledge Corridor,” I write to clarify a mischaracterization in a recent HBJ story on management changes at Northeast Utilities (“Exec’s departure signals culture, strategy shift at NU,” Jan. 6, 2014).
Lyle Wray, executive director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments, noted NU’s long-time support of HSEP’s marketing outreach and then is quoted as saying, “the biggest impact they had was eliminating their support.” It’s important to note that NU remains an important member of the HSEP steering committee and is current with its annual membership dues. Consistent with the point of the article, NU has scaled back its economic development marketing support, but very much remains at the table as a corporate backer.
Connecticut continues to benefit from NU’s community support in many ways in the aftermath of its merger with Boston-based NStar. It remains the major funder of both the Connecticut Economic Resource Center Inc. and Connecticut Main Street, and it recently published the 16th edition of the Connecticut Economic Review, a major marketing fulfillment piece that effectively captures Connecticut’s value proposition. I led the economic development and community relations functions at pre-merger NU and can vouch for the fact that many areas of focus remain intact under the company’s new management team. I hope and expect the utility to remain an important player in Connecticut and the region going forward.
Douglas G. Fisher, Executive Director Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership
