May 17, 2021Edition

Authority makes you the boss, but that doesn’t make you a leader. Influence does. How do you influence others?

For too long Connecticut has been used to seeing poor economic news, but as we begin to reopen in earnest on May 19, I believe the state has a six- to 12-month window to solidify and leverage its recent population gains. That’s why it’s critical for Gov. Ned Lamont to maintain his opposition to any tax increases, including proposals by members of his own party to boost income taxes on high-end earners, among other revenue-raising efforts.

In 2009, the company’s offerings expanded beyond distribution to include contract manufacturing operations — a move that has fueled the company’s growth over the past decade and prompted a recent rebranding of the company name to Pearse Bertram + Streamline Contract Manufacturing.

Technology is becoming increasingly important to the finance world, and higher education institutions in Connecticut are responding by adopting financial technology, or fintech courses and degrees.

As acceptance and legalization of marijuana grows, so has demand for trained professionals in the cannabis industry for positions including growing, extracting and testing plants. Marijuana industry companies have been increasingly recruiting cannabis students at Connecticut colleges, including UConn and Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson and Willimantic, prompting both schools to expand their course offerings.

Employers across Connecticut are offering new incentives, including generous signing bonuses, in an effort to draw in job applicants amidst what they describe as an unprecedented labor shortage.

From expanding Hartford’s Parkville Market to establishing an advanced manufacturing hub in the city, plans are under way to spend nearly $800 million in Connecticut economic development funds expected from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act pandemic relief package.

In Depth: Joe Nolan, who started as Eversource’s new CEO on May 5, said he will be a visible and public figure, and one of his top priorities is to restore customers’ confidence in the company.

Like many restaurateurs in Connecticut and across the country, the past year has been a near endless struggle for Chip Kohn, owner of West Hartford’s Beachland Tavern, Beachland Smoke and Rockledge Grille.

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) executives chose a scenario for their Sept. 2019 systemwide emergency drill that seemed unlikely at the time: A pandemic caused by a mutated influenza virus.

Over the past year, the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) has made significant renovations to both its facility and staff with the hopes of better helping the state’s manufacturing industry as it recovers from the pandemic and tries to keep pace with ever-changing technology.

Hartford Business Journal polled a half-dozen large companies that collectively employ thousands of workers in the Capital City, asking them about their current remote work situations and plans to bring more workers back to the office in the months ahead.

Building owners have little to no power to compel tenants — many of which continue to pay their rent — to return more quickly than planned, and incentives don’t seem to be an effective option either.

In Depth: Employers still face a host of challenges with how to handle their workforce, including skittish employees who feel unsafe about coming back or who simply prefer remote work; decisions about office layouts, space needs and hybrid scheduling logistics; liability concerns; and potential employee resentment over some positions being allowed to work remotely when others are required to be present.