High School Ambulance Corps Gains Prominent Supporter, Urges CPR Training

Local resident Scott Pelley is prominently featured in efforts to alert Darien neighbors  of an upcoming opportunity to learn how to save a life.  Pelley, widely known as the anchor of the CBS Evening News and a lead correspondent on 60 Minutes, has recorded a video in support of Darien Emergency Medical Services Post 53, which is presenting Hands for Life, a day of training in hands-only CPR, open to local residents on September 29.

In the video that appears on the Post 53 website, Pelley notes that the local ambulance service, founded in Darien in 1970, is “possibly the only one in the country” staffed predominantly by high school students.  Post 53 and the Darien YMCA are coordinating the training day.

Each year approximately 20 high school students, at least 14 years of age, are selected to be members of Post 53 from a large pool of applicants. Over the course of their four-year career at Post 53, members progress through five roles: Candidate, Radio Roomie, Rider, State-Certified EMT, and then Driver, usually by their senior year, according to the organization’s website.

The mission of Post 53 is to provide emergency medical services to the Darien community at the highest level of excellence, using Darien High School students and adult volunteers. The members of Post 53 are committed to achieving and maintaining the highest level of training and skill in providing pre-hospital care and transport to the citizens of Darien.

The young adults staff the ambulance on a 24-hour/day, 7-day/week basis, except during regular school hours (7:30 AM - 2:30 PM, Monday-Friday during the school year).  During those times, the adult advisors staff the first response ambulance and are the primary support unit for Darien.  In the event that two calls occur which overlap during the school day, the second response young adult crew is paged out.  Darien High School supports the commitment of the Post 53 young adults and there is a mutual obligation to support the emergency medical needs of Darien while minimizing the impact on the school work of the young adults.

Post 53 is considered one of the finest emergency ambulance services in the United States for its consistently high quality pre-hospital emergency care, according to the website.  In total, over 550 Darien High School students have served their community as members of Post 53 since its inception four decades ago.  Darien EMS-Post 53 does not rely on any government funding for the annual operating budget.

Each year, nearly 785,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack. Nearly 300,000 of these people suffer sudden cardiac arrest at the time of their heart attack, outside of a hospital setting. Less than one in four receive CPR from a bystander, and only about 5 percent of cardiac arrest victims survive, the Post 53 website points out.

Studies show that survival rates fall 10 percent each minute without CPR before emergency medical assistance, often with a fatal outcome. The Post 53 website points out that if more people knew how to provide effective, simple-to-apply Hands-Only CPR, more victims could be helped, doubling or even tripling their chances of survival.

The September 29 day of CPR training for members of the community is free of charge and open to people of all ages. It is being held, 10AM – 4PM, at the YMCA in Darien.  No appointment is necessary.

Warning: Be Wary of State Economic Development Rankings, Study Finds

New analysis from a national research organization is casting considerable doubt on the validity of the steady stream of state economic development rankings that routinely appear in the media.  State economic rankings cannot be taken at face value, according to an article published online by the Journal of Applied Research in Economic Development.

"How Can I Create My Favorite State Ranking?" points out that such rankings typically are subjective and often offer little meaningful information, despite their pervasiveness in the media, government and among economic analysts.

"Often, these rankings are plagued by lack of clarity about what is being measured or whether the ranking accurately assesses what it claims to measure," said Yasuyuki Motoyama, Ph.D., senior scholar at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, who wrote the article with Jared Konczal, a senior analyst. "Further, the connection between these indexes and actual economic growth and performance at the state level is ambiguous, at best."

The proliferation of state rankings, the authors point out, can lead policymakers and economic development consultants to misuse them, either celebrating a conveniently positive ranking or initiating efforts to address a poor ranking, when neither action may be based on valid economic indicators.  The Kauffman Foundation website points out that the authors conducted a series of exercises to demonstrate how such rankings can be manipulated, using eight state-level indicators:

• Self-employment rate
• Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity
• Business startup rate
• Ratio of science and engineering bachelor degree holders to the total population
• Patents per science and engineering workforce
• Venture capital investment over Gross State Product
• Research and development expenditures
• Number of high-growth Inc. 500 firms  

The indicators were chosen because they typically are used to measure entrepreneurship and innovation, two vital indicators for every state's economic health. The subjectivity and limitations of state economic rankings led to four observations, according to the article:

1. Policymakers should not rely on a single indicator to gauge economic conditions.
2. Aggregating indicators does not provide solutions because indicators are highly variable.
3. Policymakers should not focus on improving their states' rankings because the rankings lack meaning.
4. Rather, they should employ a scorecard approach, which does not create a normative, quantified measure, but descriptively assesses various conditions of each state.  

Demonstrating that rankings can be developed in ways that favor any given state, the Kauffman researchers created a simulation analysis with randomly generated weights, which revealed that, among 1,000 different scenarios, five states were eligible to be No. 1, 16 were eligible for the Top Five and 22 could be ranked in the Top 10.

Depending upon how a range of variables were weighted, Connecticut placed in the top 10 in 41 of the scenarios, 17^th overall among the states.  (Just ahead of Texas; just behind Maine).  The full report can be viewed on Journal of Applied Research in Economic Development. website.

CT Companies Among World’s Most Innovative, Forbes List Shows

Google was #47.  Apple was #79.  Ranked at #43, Danbury headquartered Praxair surpassed both, one of two Connecticut-based companies in the top 50 on the latest Forbes® World's Most Innovative Companies list. 

The highest-ranked company located in Connecticut, placing at #2 globally, was New Haven based Alexion, in the midst of a much-heralded move back to the city where it was founded.   It is the second consecutive year that Alexion was ranked at #2.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders through the development and commercialization of life-transforming therapeutic products. Its marketed product Soliris is the first and only therapeutic approved for patients with two ultra-rare and severe disorders.

A specialized chemicals company with more than 26,000 employees worldwide, Praxair improved its “innovative” position on the Forbes list, up from #46 in 2012. Praxair, Inc. products are oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, electronic gases and a range of specialty gases. Praxair Surface Technologies supplies coatings, which protect metal parts from wear, corrosion and heat. 

Ranked at #73 among the world’s 100 most innovative companies according to Forbes was Amphenol Corporation, with world headquarters in Wallingford.  Amphenol is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems and coaxial and high-speed specialty cable. Amphenol systems are used primarily to conduct electrical and optical signals for a range of electronic applications.

Assa Abloy, at #78, is a Sweden-based company engaged in the secure door opening solutions. With operations in New Haven, the company's operations are divided into five divisions, including the supply of electronics security solutions worldwide. Assa Abloy provides secure identity solutions, contactless identification technology solutions, electronic lock systems and safes for hotels and cruise ships.

Based in Ireland, but with a strong presence in North Haven, Covidien Public Limited Company ranked at #67.  Covidien is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of healthcare products for use in clinical and home settings. It operates its businesses through three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Supplies.

The San Francisco Bay Area had three of the top 10 spots and six spots overall on the list of 100 companies.  Companies headquartered in Connecticut, or with a strong presence in the state, had a strong presence among the world’s most innovative. 

For the third year in a row, San Francisco-based Salesforce.com topped the Forbes’ list.  After Alexion, the remainder of the top five were U.S. companies VMware at #3, followed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ARM Holdings. Amazon was # 7; Starbucks was #19. The complete ranking is featured in the September 2 issue of Forbes magazine.

In compiling the list, Forbes utilizes a detailed methodology.  Companies are ranked by their innovation premium: the difference between their market capitalization and a net present value of cash flows from existing businesses (based on a proprietary formula from HOLT/Credit Suisse), the magazine reported.  To be included, firms need seven years of public financial data and $10 billion in market capitalization.

“Hometown” Banks Continue to Locate Away From Home

Apparently hometown pride and banking are mutually exclusive – or at least travel well.  The volume of banks bearing a community’s name that are opening branches far, far away from home continues to grow, which suggests that banks have clear and convincing evidence that the distant moniker just isn’t an issue for consumers.

The latest: Vernon-based Rockville Bank is asking state approval to open a Hamden branch, its first retail incursion into New Haven County, the Hartford Business Journal has reported.  The bank is planning to establish a 2,000-square-foot, full-service retail branch near the commercial- and residential-loan production office the bank opened in July 2011.  Earlier this year Rockville Bank crossed the Connecticut River to open a high profile branch in thriving West Hartford Center.

Connecticut by the Numbers has previously reported on the increasing number of banks with the name of a Connecticut town within the bank’s name that have opened branches – and many of them – in other towns.  An increasing number are opening in towns far afield, and last month, Massachusetts-based Westfield Bank opened a branch in Granby, CT.

Already, the list of town names doing double-duty as bank names is lengthy, with the institutions numbering two dozen:  Fairfield, New Canaan, Groton, Darien, Essex, Farmington, Greenwich, Suffield, Guilford, Jewett City, Litchfield, Milford, Naugatuck, Putnam, Rockville, Salisbury, Danbury, Simsbury, Stafford, Thomaston, Torrington, Wilton and Windsor.  And those are only the Connecticut towns, of course.

Among the town-line-jumping trendsetters:  Farmington Bank in South Windsor, Essex Savings Bank in Madison,  Jewett City Savings Bank (“your hometown bank”) in Brooklyn, Simsbury Bank in Bloomfield, and the Savings Bank of Danbury in Waterbury.  There are many more.

Although there are 25 out-of-state banks with a presence in Connecticut, only Rhode Island-based Newport Federal Savings Bank, with an office in Stonington, included the name of a town – until the arrival of Westfield Bank.  Other well-known names, evoking out-of-state regions, include Bank of New York, Berkshire Bank (which is now in the process of purchasing 20 Bank of America branches in New York State), First Niagra Bank, and Hudson Valley Bank.

To look back at the CT by the Numbers hometown bank story, click here:

http://ctbythenumbers.info/2013/04/17/hometown-names-go-beyond-hometown-for-connecticut-banks/

To review the list of banking institutions in Connecticut, see the state Department of Banking list:

http://www.ct.gov/dob/cwp/view.asp?a=2228&q=296954

Connecticut's Green Report Card: Needs Improvement

Connecticut’s state government received mixed grades in the new edition of the Connecticut Green Guide, published by Hartford Business Journal.  The publication reviewed state policy in our areas – microgrids, gasoline taxes, wind turbines and greenhouse gas reduction efforts – and graded the state’s efforts.

Connecticut received an “A” for recently announcing an $18 million grant program with nine microgrid projects in eight Connecticut communities, “adding protection from power outages and moving away from a centralized electricity system.”  Just a week ago, Gov. Malloy was joined by the White House Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality to highlight one of the state’s microgrid sites, in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford.

The state received an “F” because of a moratorium on wind turbines, which has been in place since 2001, according to the Green Guide.  “Because of poorly written legislation and prolonged bureaucracy,” the publication explained, several projects have been delayed.  Another poor grade, a D+, was assigned because state taxes on gasoline rose 4 cents on July 1, “giving Connecticut the third highest taxes on motor vehicle fuel in the country.”  The publication noted that while “higher prices might encourage conservation, very little of the tax revenue goes toward fixing the aging transportation system, leading to vehicle inefficiencies and congestion.”

Connecticut fared better. earning a B+, in the analysis of the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, along with the other eight states in the region, which will “further lower the cap on power plant pollution,” which should, according to the publication’s review, “make the air cleaner, and the proceeds will aid the clean energy industry.”

The publication also noted that Connecticut became the first state in the country to mandate mattress recycling, with a new law approved by the legislature this year, also adding a new paint recycling requirement to existing laws that call for recycling of electronic waste and mercury thermostats.  The state’s move toward a greater emphasis on “product stewardship,” is characterized by an increasing obligation imposed on consumers to recycle designated products, which helps the environment and provides business opportunities in the recycling of those products.

In a report on the green initiatives across all 50 states, published by Forbes magazine in July, Connecticut excelled in the areas of mass transit, ranking 5th among the states, in CO2 controls, ranking 11th, and recycling, ranking 18th.  The state was 44th in use of renewables and 47th in water quality.  That's according to this recent green ranking of states from MPHOline.org, a website that provides information on a variety of public health topics.

Data from the green product rating site GoodGuide was used to assess air and water quality, information from Wikipedia was the basis of the comparison on the number of mass transit systems in each state, and state agencies were used to provide information on the other categories.

CT Worst in Nation for Unemployed, Near Bottom in GDP Growth - But Not Miserable

Connecticut is the worst state in the nation for the unemployed, according to data compiled by Bloomberg news.  The state ranked last among the 50 states and District of Columbia on the difficulty of life for the unemployed based on three equally weighted criteria: income replacement, the unemployment pool and income disparity, based on data compiled from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and U.S. Census.

According to the business news service, the ten most challenging states for unemployed residents are Connecticut, New Jersey, District of Columbia, California, Maryland, Alaska, New York, Virginia, Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The best states – at the opposite end of the data compilation – are North Dakota, Utah, Iowa, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, Montana and Idaho.

In developing the rankings, Bloomberg used the following:  Average weekly unemployment benefits was the quarterly average from 2Q 2012 to 1Q 2013. Personal Income per capita was calculated by dividing 2013 preliminary total personal income by state data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis by the state population from the Census as of mid-year 2012. Unemployment rates were the July 2012 to June 2013 seasonally adjusted 12-month average figures for the civilian non-institutional population. Household income ratios were from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011.  The three scores were averaged for the final ranking.

Connecticut also ranked third from the bottom on Gross Domestic Product growth between 2008 and 2012, according to a companion Bloomberg report of data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Only Arizona and Nevada had a worse track-record during the period.  Connecticut was one of ten states to experience negative GDP growth during the years of the comparison.  The state’s GDP dropped to 197.2 billion last year, from 202.5 billion in 2008.  The most dramatic increase in GDP was in North Dakota, where GDP grew 35 percent.  Next was Texas, with a 12 percent increase, followed by Oregon, West Virginia, Alaska, Louisiana, Utah, Nebraska, Maryland and Indiana.

There was some good news for the Land of Steady Habits in recent data.  Connecticut ranked #13 among the "least miserable" states in the nation.  Which are the most miserable states?  Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, New Mexico, South Carolina, Alabama, Nevada, Tennessee and Kentucky.  All of which seems to indicate that a state can have solid GDP growth and still be relatively miserable - particularly for the unemployed.

Thirteen variables from the United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings were isolated to determine each state's Misery Score. Among them:  Air pollution levels refer to micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter. High school graduation rates refer to percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years. Poor health days refer to the number of days in which a person could not perform work or household tasks due to poor mental or physical health. Personal income refers to income from all sources and is not inflation adjusted.

The least miserable states were – from the top - Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming, South Dakota – and then Connecticut, at lucky #13.

State Lottery Shows Strength in Connecticut, Land of Steady Habits

What would you do if you won the lottery?  According to a new survey, you’d go to work.  That's true not only in the Land of Steady Habits, but nationwide.

Two-thirds of American workers say they would continue working even if they won $10 million in the lottery, while 31% say they would stop, according to a new Gallup poll, released earlier this month. The desire to keep working after enjoying a financial windfall is higher today than in three earlier Gallup measures, all prior to the 2008-2009 recession, the polling firm reported.

Additionally, most American workers who predict they would continue working even after winning the lottery say they would want to stay at the same job rather than seek a new job. The roughly 2-to-1 ratio in favor of keeping the same job versus getting a new one is about the same as in 2004, but slightly higher than in 2005 and 1997.

Bloomberg News has reported that lottery players in the U.S. spend an average of $396 a year purchasing lottery tickets, with residents of Massachusetts, Georgia and New York leading the way.  Using data from this analysis, Bloomberg identified which states see the highest and lowest payout ratios. Connecticut tops  neither list. On average, Massachusetts players spend $861, Georgians spend $471 and New Yorkers spend $450 on lottery tickets.  At the bottom in per person spending, on average, are Oklahoma ($71), Montana ($61) and North Dakota ($47).

In fiscal year 2012, players in Connecticut won $659.9 million in prize money. At the same time the CT Lottery provided a record $310 million to support the services and programs founded by the state’s General Fund including public health, libraries, public safety, education and more, according to state lottery officials. Connecticut’s first lottery began in 1972, and was the fourth in the nation.

According to the quasi-public Connecticut Lottery Corp.'s most recent annual report, released in May, the lottery achieved record sales totaling nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2012, an increase of $65.1 million from the previous fiscal year, the Day of New London reported.  The lottery credited a number of factors for its total sales increase, including higher sales of instant tickets and higher sales of multistate games, such as Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life. Also, 2012 was a leap year, meaning an extra day for sales.

For the first time in 15 years in fiscal year 2013 (which ended on June 30), the lottery is bringing in more revenue ($16 million) than both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, WTNH-TV reported last week.  Lotteries are ubiquitous.  In North America every Canadian province, 43 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all offer government-operated lotteries. Elsewhere in the world, according to NASPL, publicly-operated lotteries exist in at least 100 countries on every inhabited continent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, only seven U.S. states don't run lotteries: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada. Of the 43 states that do run lotteries, the average payout is just under 60% of the revenue dollars collected. Using U.S. Census data, Bloomberg reported that of the estimated $50 billion spent on lottery tickets in 2010, only $32.8 billion was returned in prize money.

A previous Gallup Poll on Gambling in America found that 57% of American adults reported buying a lottery ticket in the past 12 months. People with incomes of $45,000 to $75,000 were the most likely to play -- 65 percent had played in the past year -- while those with incomes under $25,000 were the least likely to play at 53 percent. Further, people with incomes in excess of $75,000 spend roughly three times as much on lotteries each month as do those with incomes under $25,000, the National Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) points out.

Connecticut's 40 Fastest Growing Technology Companies Earn Statewide Recognition

Some of the names may be familiar – Priceline, Alexion, TicketNetwork, HigherOne - but most will likely not be, despite steady track-records of rapid growth in their respective technology industries.  The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) and Marcum LLP have announced the 2013 Marcum Tech Top 40 list of the 40 fastest growing technology companies in Connecticut.

Companies earn their place on the list on the basis of revenue growth over the last four years. They must have at least $3 million in revenue, with several of the public companies this year approaching or exceeding $1 billion in revenue.  Companies were grouped into six technology areas:  Software, IT Services, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, New Media/Internet/Telecom, and Energy/ Environmental Technologies.

The 2013 list features primarily privately held companies, but 14 public companies also made the list, including: Priceline.com, Rogers Corporation, Gartner Inc. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

Geographically, Fairfield County is home to 14 companies this year, followed by Hartford County with 10 companies and New Haven County with eight companies.

The winners in each of the six categories will be announced on September 26, and one company will be named overall winner for demonstrating the greatest percentage growth in revenue across all the technology verticals. The six category winners from 2012 – RSL Fiber Systems, FuelCell Energy, eVariant, Datto, and Alexion – as well as overall winner iSend, all earned a spot on this year’s Top 40.

Matthew Nemerson, CTC’s President & CEO said, “Connecticut is proud of its remarkable heritage of innovation and invention. The 2013 list of Tech Top 40 companies reinforces the vital role the tech sector plays in job creation. These 40 firms are also successful models in their technology verticals and deserve the attention this event brings them.”

The Connecticut Technology Council is a statewide association of technology oriented companies and institutions, providing leadership in areas of policy advocacy, community building and assistance for growing companies. Speaking for over 2,000 companies that employ some 200,000 residents, the Connecticut Technology Council seeks to provide a strong and urgent voice in support of the creation of a culture of innovation.

“Every year, the program serves as a reminder never to underestimate the promise of a great idea, the role of passion, the importance of management talent, and the significance of having the right team. Marcum is extremely proud to partner with the Connecticut Technology Council in presenting this year’s outstanding class of top technology companies. We enthusiastically congratulate all the winners,” said Anthony P. Scillia, Partner-in-Charge, Marcum New England.

CTC and Marcum LLP will honor the Top 40 companies September 26, 2013 at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford. This year’s event sponsors include: title sponsor Marcum LLP, AT&T Connecticut, Comcast Business Class, Connecticut Innovations, MY HR Supplier, the law firm of Pullman & Comley, OneBeacon Insurance Group, Robert Half Technology, TriNet HR Corporation, UK Trade & Investment, Webster Bank, Xand, and Wellstone Insurance.  To register for the September 26 event, visit http://www.ct.org/Tech_Top_40.asp.

2013 Marcum Tech Top 40 Companies by Industry Category Advanced Manufacturing Amphenol Corp., Wallingford APS Technology, Inc., Wallingford ATMI Inc., Danbury Dymax Corporation, Torrington EDAC Technologies Corp., Farmington Foster Corporation, Putnam Harman International Industries, Stamford Rogers Corporation, Rogers RSL Fiber Systems, LLC, East Hartford

Energy/Environment/Green Technology FuelCell Energy, Inc., Danbury Proton OnSite, Wallingford

IT Services Amnet Systems LLC, Stamford Cervalis LLC, Shelton Cierant Corporation, Danbury Datto Inc., Norwalk Gartner Inc., Stamford Information Services Group Inc., Stamford VLink Inc., Hartford

Life Sciences Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cheshire Bio-Med Devices, Inc., Guilford Metrum Research Group, LLC, Tariffville New Media/Internet/Telecom EasySeat, LLC, Plainville iSend, LLC, Middlebury JobTarget, LLC, New London M2 Media Group, Stamford Mediabistro Inc., Norwalk Priceline.com, Inc., Norwalk TicketNetwork, South Windsor

Software Clarity Software Solutions, Inc., Guilford Core Informatics, LLC, Branford ePath Learning, Inc., New London eVariant, Inc., Farmington Evolution1, Inc., Avon Higher One, Inc., New Haven PASSUR Aerospace, Inc., Stamford Shoptech Corporation, Glastonbury Square 9 Softworks, Inc., New Haven SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc, Windsor Tangoe, Inc., Orange Triple Point Technology, Westport

Manufacturing, Higher Education Strengthen Alliance, Looking Toward Future Jobs

As the New Haven Manufacturers Association celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2013, the future is looking up for an industry that has long been seeing at its heyday in the rear-view mirror.  There has been greater recognition that high tech manufacturing brings opportunities to attract and maintain jobs in Connecticut, and heightened connections between higher education and the manufacturing industry is reflecting the new approach.

That was evident when a fledgling initiative between NHMA and Southern Connecticut State University quickly filled to capacity in its pilot year.  NHMA and SCSU teamed up to sponsor a three-day program acquainting area science teachers with modern manufacturing and materials engineering methods this summer that officials hope will become an annual program.

The Materials & Manufacturing Summer Teachers' Institute, a collaboration that also includes Platt Technical High School in Milford and CRISP (Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena at Yale University and Southern), attracted 30 science teachers from grades 7 to 9.

The program was designed to enable teachers to better educate middle school students about the relationship between STEM and manufacturing and what types of careers are available in the manufacturing field. Officials say that grade level was specifically targeted because students often decide as early as the middle school years whether or not to pursue math and science in high school, college and even in terms of career paths. More than 40 Connecticut teachers applied to attend the program, which could only accommodate 30 this summer.

Christine Broadbridge, chairwoman of the Physics Department at Southern and education director at CRISP, says area manufacturers and academics have been working for the past year to bring teachers, engineers and scientists together in more effective ways.

"We've learned from the teachers that they value relationships with industry," Broadbridge says. "At this institute, the teachers have found out about potential careers for their students as they learn about engineering and cutting-edge science. It has given them an opportunity to network with industry leaders and to gain hands-on knowledge about manufacturing. We hope they can bring that excitement back to their students."

Gregory W. Gray, the recently installed President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, which includes 17 institutions across Connecticut, told the Connecticut Post this week that he wants the community colleges to take on a more aggressive workforce-development mission by expanding a manufacturing technology program that exists now on a few campuses, including Housatonic Community College (Bridgeport), Naugatuck Valley Community College (Waterbury) and Quinebaug Valley Community College (Danielson).  The program expanded a year ago, based on a very successful program offered at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield.

There are almost 5,000 manufacturing companies in Connecticut, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and Connecticut manufacturing employees are 20 percent more productive than competing states, data from the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development indicates, as featured on the ConnSCU website.

The New Haven Independent recently reported on a New Haven company that is very much a part of the future of New Haven manufacturing. That future lies in specialization, in the rapid turnaround of high-tech niche parts, the Independent reported, according to Bill Neale, head of the New Haven Manufacturers Association and vice-president of operations at Radiall manufacturing on John Murphy Drive in the Fair Haven section of the city. The factory isn't trying to compete with massive operations in places like China and India, Neale said. It’s advantage lies not in productivity, but in speed and specificity.

Governor Malloy announced in June that state’s Advanced Manufacturing Centers at the three community colleges will receive $7,325,000 in funding for facility and equipment upgrades that will allow the centers to enhance and develop their educational opportunities. The funding was approved by the State Bond Commission.  According to ConnSCU, the funds would be allocated:

• $1.5 million for Housatonic Community College to add a welding lab to their manufacturing center. HCC continues its work with its Regional Advisory Board to confirm the need for skilled welders in the region, including the review of options for virtual equipment and the pursuit of appropriate faculty expertise for student learning.
• $825,000 for Naugatuck Valley Community College to add additional manufacturing equipment to the existing advanced manufacturing center, retrofitted to support local industry needs including the purchase of a deep draw press.
• $5 million for Quinebaug Valley Community College to build an advanced manufacturing center on their campus in Danielson. For the first year, QVCC has worked with nearby Ellis Technical High School to utilize existing space until the college could grow the program and obtain funds for construction on its own campus. The funding will be used for construction, as well as for the purchase of machinery and other manufacturing equipment.

NHMA was founded in 1913 as the Employer's Association of New Haven County. Today the organization serves businesses, especially manufacturers, in the entire Southern Connecticut region and beyond. They’ll be celebrating a century of operations - looking forward - with a gala on September 19 at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.

UConn the Latest to Proceed with Scoreboard Replacement; Controversy Erupts at Penn State

When the State Bond Commission voted last week to approve $2.8 million for repairs to Rentschler Field in East Hartford, home of the newly rebranded Connecticut Huskies, it was said that about $1.67 million of that money will be used to replace scoreboards at the stadium.

The Hartford Courant reported that Kim Hart, the venue director for the Capital Regional Development Authority, which overssees the state-owned facility, said that scoreboards like the main one at Rentschler are typically replaced every 7 to 8 years.  The main scoreboard at the Rent has been in place since the facility opened, a decade ago.

“It’s outlined its useful life and we’ve squeezed a few years out of it,” she was quoted as saying.

For sports fans accustomed to seeing stadium scoreboards in place for well over a decade at venues across the nation, the statement may have been jarring.  But apparently, new technology is driving new scoreboard purchases at colleges coast-to-coast – and at costs considerably higher than in Connecticut.

In 2012, Ohio State University announced plans to install a larger high-definition scoreboard screen and improved audio equipment as part of $7 million in upgrades at its football stadium.  The school said that the new 42-by-124-foot scoreboard at Ohio Stadium would  replace an 11-year-old board that measures 30 feet by 90 feet, the CBS affiliate in Cleveland reported.   When the new scoreboard debuted in August 2012, the school’s Lantern newspaper website reported that Don Patko, associate athletic director of Facilities Management, said the improvements were necessary and well worth the cost.  “It was time for the video board to be replaced,” Patko said. “The usual life for a scoreboard is 12 to 15 years, and the last one was 12 years old.”

When Brigham Young University announced plans for a new scoreboard in 2012, to be paid by corporate donations, it was noted that  “In 1996, a video wall was added to the south end zone and a matrix scoreboard to the north end zone. The north end zone scoreboard was updated in 2008 to include a small video board. The project will include state-of-art LED video walls in the north and south end zones, as well as LED ribbon boards across the top of both end zones.”

When North Carolina State University embarked on a fundraising drive for scoreboard replacement in 2011, Mark Steinkamp, a senior marketing director at Brookings, S.D.-based scoreboard provider Daktronics, told the StateFansNation that “large college football scoreboards can cost as much as several million dollars. Schools typically will replace them every seven to 10 years as new control and display technologies come along.”

Also in 2011, Penn State University launched a scoreboard replacement initiative.  In a letter to prospective design professionals, University Architect David Zenghut pointed out that “The existing main end zone scoreboards were installed prior to the 2001 football season and operational maintenance is becoming increasingly challenging and costly. In addition, there have been dramatic advances in the audio/video technology of these products. In order to address the operational issue and enhance the game day spectator experience, we intend to replace both scoreboards with state-of-the-art, HD video boards that will complement the character of the stadium.”

Penn State assumed a construction budget of $5.5 million, according to the document.  A year later, it was reported by StateCollege.com that the completion of the scoreboard replacement was pushed back from 2012 to 2014. And this week, with the projected cost now pegged at nearly $10 million, a local newspaper is calling for the project to be scaled back or scrapped.

The Centre Daily Times, in an editorial published on July 28, 2013, said “We question the decision to install a new scoreboard, approved at last week’s board of trustees meetings, … while costs tied to the Jerry Sandusky abuse scandal reached nearly $47 million. We wonder what the scoreboard decision says about the school’s priorities,” The newspaper continued “We’re surprised Penn State thought this was the right time to take an expensive step toward enhancing its athletics brand, the stated goal with the scoreboard, given criticism hurled at the university during the Sandusky scandal. Those same trustees meetings approved yet-another tuition hike — this one nearly 4 percent ...”

Just last month, progress in construction of a new scoreboard at the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium was reported by the local ABC affiliate, which explained that “The video board/sound upgrades will be up and running for Iowa’s home football schedule this fall. The financing package the board approved for that Kinnick project totals $8 million, but they expect the total cost of everything will be $9 million because of the increase in bids on a portion of the project.  The existing video walls, control room equipment and sound system at Kinnick are eight years old, UI officials told The Gazette.  The company handling the project is Daktronics, Inc. As per usual, the Iowa athletics department will foot this bill using no tax or tuition cash.”

And earlier this year, Virginia Tech issued an RFP for a new scoreboard, which would be among the largest in college sports.