April 20, 2020 - Hartford Business Journal

Manufacturing

🔒Aerospace sector will see CARES-Act relief

Connecticut has long been a national leader in aerospace manufacturing, with some of the most prestigious names in the industry employing thousands of people within our borders, along with hundreds of vital members of the supply chain.

Politics & Policy

🔒Stimulus’ $350B PPP program good policy

In America, and especially Connecticut, criticizing government is a national pastime. Political leaders spend too much, or are out of touch with what businesses want or need; bureaucracy creates less efficient and effective programs at higher costs; and partisanship derails important things from getting done.

Real Estate & Construction

Office landlords, tenants dispute rent payments amid COVID-19 shutdowns

Restricted access to office buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic has some Greater Hartford office, retail and other commercial tenants thinking they may be able to skip monthly rent payments. That isn’t sitting well with landlords.

Advertising, Media & Marketing

As local news media covers coronavirus 24/7, industry’s financial health is ailing

Just weeks ago, some national experts were predicting the economic crisis set off by the coronavirus pandemic would be the death knell of the local news media industry, particularly newspapers, which have been struggling financially for more than a decade.

Small Business

Hartford’s startup accelerators adopt online-only approach as members worry about fundraising crunch

Hartford has seen a number of startup accelerators launch downtown in recent years, relying on in-person collaborations and co-working space to connect nascent companies with new ideas, talent and potential funders.

Hospitality & Tourism

Restaurateurs worry about long-term impact of COVID-19 shutdown

Steve Yung filed for unemployment three days after Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford closed its doors amid statewide bar and restaurant bans due to the coronavirus.

News

🔒With skeleton staffs and showrooms shuttered, CT car dealers hope for quick bounce back

In late March, as his sales continued to plummet due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, Jeffrey Merriam laid off about half of the 175 people who work across his four auto dealerships, including in Manchester and Middletown.

Politics & Policy

Wallingford among municipalities eager for stimulus funding

As Wallingford trudges through the coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty it’s created, Mayor William Dickinson is sure the town will seek aid, but isn’t sure how to go about it.

50: Richard Rosenthal

Many of the region’s most powerful political and business leaders dine at a Max Restaurant Group eatery, so it’s hard not to put the chain’s founder and president on a power players list. Hartford native Richard Rosenthal started the group back in 1986 when he opened his first bistro-style restaurant, Max on Main, on Main Street.

49: Charles Lee

At The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington, Charles Lee oversees the work of more than 300 scientists drawing millions of dollars in annual federal funding for their genomics research.

48: Rohan Freeman

Rohan Freeman, founder and president of Freeman Cos. LLC, epitomizes a steadfast entrepreneurial spirit.

47: Bruce Mandell

Bruce Mandell, owner and CEO of family owned direct-mail company Data-Mail Inc., employs roughly 1,000 people between locations in Newington and Windsor, but that’s not even his most notable job.

46: Carlos Mouta and Martin Kenny

Many former Hartford and central Connecticut offices and warehouses in recent decades have been converted into condos and apartments thanks to prominent developer-landlords Martin J. Kenny and Carlos Mouta.

45: Jill Adams and Kim Manning

Advertising agencies have taken on greater importance in recent years, calling the shots for many Greater Hartford companies on how, where and when they will pitch their products or services. It’s also an industry undergoing much change with the digital revolution.

44: Paddi LeShane and Patrick Sullivan

Paddi LeShane and Patrick Sullivan are a power couple if you ever met one. The husband and wife duo own and run Sullivan & LeShane Inc., one of the most powerful lobbying firms in Connecticut, and sister company Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations Inc.

43: Jay Malcynsky

When Jay Malcynsky started practicing law with Brian Gaffney in the mid-1980s, lobbying wasn’t a big part of their business.

42: David Fay

Since 2001, David Fay has led the Bushnell Performing Arts Center, which is arguably one of Connecticut’s...

41: Sal Luciano

Labor unions may never see their power return to what it was in the heyday of American manufacturing, but unions still have plenty of leverage today in Connecticut, especially in the public sector.

40: Cloud Family

The Cloud family carries significant sway in Hartford.Adam Cloud is currently the city treasurer, overlooking Hartford’s finances,...

39: Greg Woodward

University of Hartford President Greg Woodward thinks UHart isn’t always seen with the prestige he said it deserves, but he’s been in overdrive to change that.

38: Rhona Free

Rhona Free has literally changed the face of the University of St. Joseph since becoming president in 2015.

37: Mark Scheinberg

Mark Scheinberg essentially built a college from scratch and he was so successful he recently converted it into a university.

36: Jennifer M. DelMonico

Attorney Jennifer M. DelMonico deploys her influence on Connecticut’s business community far outside of her law practice.

35: Ray and Barbara Dalio

Ray and Barbara Dalio have lots of money and influence in Fairfield County, where Ray has run one of the world’s largest hedge funds, Westport-based Bridgewater Associates, which manages more than $160 billion in worldwide assets.

34: James Pitaro

When Bristol-based sports media behemoth ESPN turned 40 last year, James Pitaro, who took over as president...

33: Jim Smith and Bob Patricelli

It’s not just anyone who can talk state lawmakers into giving them a months-long spotlight for their public policy ideas, but Bob Patricelli and Jim Smith have been at the top of Connecticut’s corporate influencer food chain for years.

32: The Winstanleys

Connecticut’s hot industrial real estate market — spurred by demand for last-mile warehouse space from e-commerce giants like Amazon — has been a boon to the state’s economy, kickstarting job creation and new construction across the region.

31: David Griggs and Larry McHugh

Chambers of commerce have arguably lost their luster over the last decade as their memberships have waned in Connecticut and nationally. But two chambers that have either withstood the test of time or gotten a shot in the arm recently are the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, led by Larry McHugh, and MetroHartford Alliance, led by David Griggs.

30: Jack Barnes

People’s United Financial Chairman and CEO Jack Barnes sits in the corner office of Connecticut’s largest home-state bank.

29: John Ciulla

It was no shock when John Ciulla was named Webster Bank CEO in 2017.

28: Joanne Berger-Sweeney

Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney has been approaching her leadership role with the experimental mindset of a scientist.

27: Jill Hummel

Hartford is the insurance capital of the world, as its boosters like to say, and when it comes to winning health insurance business from larger Connecticut companies, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, led by president and general manager Jill Hummel, stands alone.

26: Rodney Butler

Rodney Butler is the jack-of-all-trades executive for Foxwoods Resort Casino, which has been at the center of a contentious debate over who should have rights to sports betting and internet gambling in Connecticut.

25: David Lehman

When Gov. Ned Lamont appointed David Lehman commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development many questioned the former Goldman Sachs investment banker’s job credentials.

24: Melissa McCaw

When it’s time to publicly present the budget of the state’s most powerful politician, Melissa McCaw stands and delivers.

23: Matt Ritter and Thomas Ritter

Connecticut doesn’t have many political dynasties, but the Ritter family is high up the list.

22: Shana and Benjamin Schlossberg

Shana Schlossberg broke into Hartford in 2016 with aspirations to build a new coworking, networking and incubator hub downtown to spur entrepreneurship.

21: Michael Freimuth & Suzanne Hopgood

The quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) in recent years has converted run-down Hartford office buildings into some 1,500 new apartment units. Michael Freimuth and Suzanne Hopgood have led that success.

20: Themis Klarides

It’s no secret that Connecticut’s Republican Party has struggled in recent years. The GOP owns no Congressional seats, while Democrats control the state House and Senate as well as the governor’s mansion.

19: Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan’s job hasn’t been easy since he took over as president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association in 2015.

18: Jay Williams

A former mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, and member of the Obama administration, Jay Williams is still a relative newcomer to the region, having been named president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in 2017. But he’s already made an outsized impact, becoming a familiar face at community events and on the public-speaking circuit.

17: Geno Auriemma

Many people know Geno Auriemma as the UConn women’s basketball coach, but he’s also an entrepreneur having opened several restaurants and established a line of wines and homemade sauces, all ingrained with a touch of his Italian heritage.

16: Karen Lynch

Hartford health insurer Aetna is one of Hartford’s and Connecticut’s oldest corporate residents but its presence here hasn’t been guaranteed in recent years.

15: Alan Lazowski

Alan Lazowski’s corner office recently moved to Hartford’s Gold Building at 1 Financial Plaza.

14: William Tong

Former Democratic state Rep. William Tong in fall 2018 won a tightly contested three-way primary to eventually become Connecticut’s first Asian-American attorney general.

13: Christopher Swift

When the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford wanted to raise $18 million for a new recreation facility in the South End of Hartford, the nonprofit’s executives needed a strong leader to help champion the fundraising campaign.

12: Paul Mounds and Josh Geballe

A new governor’s earliest hires are usually for consequential, inner-circle roles.

11: Mark Boxer and David Cordani

When state lawmakers were considering adopting a public health insurance plan for Connecticut residents and businesses last year, Cigna Corp. CEO David Cordani reportedly threatened to uproot his Bloomfield-based health insurer and relocate it elsewhere.

10: Luke and Sara Bronin

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Sara Bronin makeup one of the region’s foremost power couples.

9: Andy Bessette

Andy Bessette isn’t the top executive of New York-based property-and-casualty insurer Travelers Cos. but he is certainly the face of the company in Hartford.

April 20, 2020Edition

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