Starting in January, long-time Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce President Anthony Rescigno will start doing something that does not come naturally to him: Take it easy.
The North Haven resident will retire as of Dec. 31 after 17 years leading the chamber. It will be a challenge, acknowledged the 72-year-old, who loves to work and still puts in 10- to 12-hour days.
“Someone asked me what kind of hobbies do I have, and I really don’t have any,” Rescigno said last week during a phone interview from his car on his way to an event in Waterbury. “I really don’t do much other than work.”
All that hard work has paid off for the chamber, New Haven and its environs. During Rescigno’s long tenure, the chamber has seen its membership double and the city’s economic fortunes improve, thanks to strong growth in the biotech, medical and education sectors. That’s in sharp contrast to the stagnant business environment that Rescigno inherited when he took over in 2000.
“New Haven is way ahead of the rest of the state,” Rescigno said. “I think generally that people would agree that we’ve been on a good track over the last 15, 16 years.”
Rescigno is quick to downplay his role in the city’s improved fortunes, throwing credit to Yale University, Yale New Haven Hospital and the last two mayors – John DeStefano and Toni Harp. He noted that his ascension to chamber head coincided with Yale’s renewed commitment to the city, a critical factor in the community’s ensuing revival.
“Yale took a new attitude at the time,” Rescigno said. “It’s been a very good partnership. Yale has a huge vision of building New Haven into something special. They have invested a lot of money.”
Rescigno is in many ways the native son returned home to make good. Born in New Haven, he grew up on Franklin and Pearl streets not far from downtown, before moving to North Haven as a young man. After a successful business career – he started out as a concrete salesman and ended up part owner of the company – Rescigno entered politics, getting elected first selectman of North Haven. He held that position for a dozen years before taking over as chamber head in 2000.
Asked for his proudest accomplishments at the chamber, Rescigno immediately named moving Gateway Community College downtown. Criticized by some at the time who argued for a tax-paying business at the long-abandoned and dilapidated Macy’s and Malley’s department store properties, most now view the move as a big success, he said.
“I think people all agree it’s been a benefit and an asset, both from an aesthetic point of view and from a business point of view,” Rescigno said.
Rescigno points with special pride to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s accreditation of the New Haven chamber during his tenure, which he says means “we are doing everything right.” New Haven is the only chamber in Connecticut and one of only four in New England to hold the coveted designation, he said.
Other achievements listed by Rescigno include affiliating with the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce and sponsoring the New Haven public schools’ science fair. The chamber started sponsoring the event about eight years ago at an annual cost of $100,000 to help shrink the achievement gap between the city and suburbs, he said.
“We think this is one area the business community can play a role in helping improve the educational position of these kids,” Rescigno said. “These are our future workers.”
While New Haven’s outlook is bright, Rescigno is less sanguine about the state. To reverse the steady loss of companies and population, Connecticut must get its fiscal house in order, he said.
“Until we get things under control and stop the tax increases, you are going to continue to see the exodus of people and businesses,” Rescigno said.
Rescigno said he has “loved every second” of his years at the chamber, calling the experience “phenomenal.” So why stop now? “It was time to move on,” Rescigno said.
But Rescigno is not going away. He has already arranged to work part time at Southern Connecticut State University connecting the business community to the business school and students, he said. And he will stay on at the chamber as a consultant to help the transition to a new president, chamber Chairwoman Jennifer DelMonico said.
DelMonico, a managing partner at the Murtha Cullina law firm, praised Rescigno, saying his successor will have “big shoes to fill.”
“He has grown the chamber’s membership and expanded its base,” she said. “He’s also expanded the chamber’s economic development effort and been a very strong advocate for the business community at the state and local levels.”
The chamber expects to name a new president in the next several weeks, DelMonico said.
Christopher Hoffman can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com
