Virtual Wedding Planning Website Wins Top Prize in Entrepreneurial Competition

The entrepreneurial spirit of a Connecticut-based business was the big winner as Voncierge, a virtual wedding planning start-up seeking financial resources to expand its innovative services nationwide, earned the top prize in a “Shark-Tank”-like competition at the Western Mass Business Expo in Springfield, MA. 

Founder and CEO Mee-Jung Jang impressed a panel of expert judges and an enthusiastic audience of business professionals in her spirited “pitch” highlighting the fledgling company’s business plan and growth-to-date.

In winning the First Annual Pitch Competition – besting nine other entrepreneurial companies – Voncierge won $1,500 to assist the company and one year’s worth of free space at the Business Growth Center at Springfield Technology Park.  

The company is striving to change the way brides plan their wedding. Jang, a Harvard undergrad and Yale Law School graduate, was working as an intellectual property attorney in Manhattan when she got engaged, and her wedding-planning experience proved to be a challenge – and thus, Voncierge was born. 

On the Voncierge website, brides can search for vendors — bridal salons, florists, stationers, bakeries, officiants, photographers, venues and planners — in their city and schedule appointments with them.  They can also view a list of all confirmed, requested and past appointments – and also keep track of favorite vendors and wedding dresses. To aid their search, they can submit their wedding date, budget and dress size. Voncierge has a unique search and tag feature where every image is tagged with the relevant vendor.

“In this modern day and time, brides still need to sit by the phone all day to book their bridal appointments. How annoying! We decided someone had to do something about it. So we built Voncierge,” the company’s website explains. The start-up was initially named Little Dress Book, but has since been renamed as Voncierge (for “virtual concierge”). It was launched in New York City last year, and Jang has since relocated to Hartford as she continues to grow the business from Connecticut.

The company is expanding its site and services city-by-city, with a smattering of listings in distant locations from Las Vegas to Dallas to New York – and more in-between.  Even at this early stage, more than 100 wedding vendors are already listed. 

“The plan is to make Voncierge available to people all over the country,” Jang explains. “We are talking with salons, venues and vendors across the country, and are continuing to add to the site.  It is tremendously well-received wherever we go, and we’re confident that the site will scale effectively and bring brides and businesses together in mutually beneficial ways.”

To participate on the site, vendors pay a fee for every appointment booked. The service is free for brides. Each vendor has a profile on the site displaying relevant information and photographs that brides can review before booking.

“When I started planning my wedding, I was still working as an attorney at a corporate law firm, which meant I barely had time to sleep or eat—so sitting by the phone playing phone tag with vendors did not make me happy,” Jang said.  “I knew there had to be a better way, so I set out to create it.” 

In her formal pitch presentation, Jang said she was seeking to have the Voncierge site become “ubiquitous,” with a strong presence on social media.  Joining her in developing Voncierge is chief technology officer Morry Belkin, a Carnegie Mellon graduate with more than 15 years of business experience ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. 

If the successful pitch in Springfield is any indication, prospects for the start-up appear promising.  To build a sales and marketing team and advance product development, Jang is currently seeking investments in the company. She is also looking to hire a sales associate to join her team.

The Business Growth Center at Springfield Technology Park – where Voncierge now has a year’s worth of free business space – offers a range of business services, including access to the Small Business Development Center Network, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Business Growth Center Affiliates Program, all aimed at supporting and assisting start-up businesses.  Center Director Marla Michel was on-hand at the Business Expo November 6 to congratulate Jang and personally extend the free space offer. 

The entrepreneurial competition at the Business Expo was coordinated by Valley Venture Mentors, which provides a range of mentoring services for start-up businesses, including the ten companies that participated. They offer support to the entrepreneurial ecosystem by uniting carefully selected startups together with high quality business mentors at structured monthly pitch and planning sessions.

The other start-up businesses recognized by the judges and audience as the top presenters were Celia Grace, Kloudbook and PeopleHedge.  The Western Mass Business Expo was developed and coordinated by the publication Business West, the business journal of Western Massachusetts.  It was produced by Connecticut-based Rider Productions.

Nationwide Effort by Newman’s Own Foundation to Help Veterans; Local Initiative Lagging

When Westport-based Newman's Own Foundation launched a national fundraising competition aimed at supporting the work of veterans organizations across the country – coupled with plans to contribute an additional $180,000 to the most successful efforts - the inclusion of a Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN) job training initiative for veterans was encouraging.

With the deadline just hours away, however, the local CPBN effort is ranked 23rd among the 28 participating organizations, having raised a total of $691.

A select group of military service nonprofits – a total of 28 organizations across the nation - were invited to raise money and compete for additional funds.  The Honoring Those Who Serve Challenge is a fundraising initiative developed to help charities gain awareness, recognition, and most importantly, cash.  It is an element in the Newman’s Own Foundation’s commitment to military personnel, veterans, and their families, providing a public awareness platform and funding support to organizations that help those who serve.

As of November 10, a total of $388,922 has been raised by 28 participating nonprofit organizations.  The Challenge began on Monday, September 30, and closes on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, at noon.  Only charities pre-selected by Newman’s Own Foundation were eligible to compete and win – among them Connecticut Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Vocational Training Program.

The CPBN program is free to veterans to train for a career in media arts and video production at Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network’s Learning Lab in Hartford.  Veterans learn from award-winning professionals in television, radio and new media production.  Participants gain experience working on digital projects and productions, ranging from live broadcasts to studio operations to web services.  Completion of the program leads to industry-specific certifications in digital arts or video production and includes portfolio development and business connections.

The charity that raises the most money during the Challenge wins a $75,000 grant. Second place will receive $50,000, and third place will receive $25,000.  Another $30,000 is being given throughout the campaign, through weekly bonus challenges.  As of November 10, the leading organizations were the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Community Services and Easter Seals ($122,194), Operation Finally Home ($53,331) and Hero Dogs Inc. ($41,531).  All the participating organizations in the Competition – operated through a specially designed Crowdrise website - will keep the money they raise, regardless of whether they receive the additional prize money contributed by Newman’s Own Foundation.

To carry on Paul Newman’s philanthropic legacy, Newman’s Own Foundation turns all net profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products into charitable donations. To date, Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $380 million to thousands of charities around the world.

Among a range of programs supported by Newman’s Own Foundation – including the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT and an array of nutrition programs nationwide, the organization has been a consistent supporter of veterans initiatives and public broadcasting.  Earlier this year, the organization announced a series of grants totaling $2.4 million over two years to 13 public broadcasting stations and organizations. The grants represent an ongoing commitment to support open dialogue and promote civic engagement.

Funds were used by some stations to generate increased donor giving through challenge grants. In other cases, funds will be directed to programming or special projects, such as National Public Radio’s Military Voices Initiative, where the experiences of military personnel, veterans, and their families are recorded and broadcast.  Among the affiliates included were Connecticut Public Broadcasting and WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield. 

This fall, Newman’s Own Foundation committed $7 million in grants over three years to support United States military men, women, and families through its “Honoring Those Who Serve” program. The grants will be awarded to more than 50 nonprofit organizations that help military personnel, veterans, and their families successfully manage deployments and the transition from active duty to civilian life.  The current Challenge that concludes on Veterans Day, along with $300,000 in grants for nonprofit organizations that assist female veterans with career development, are segments of the overall commitment.

“There is no greater sacrifice than serving and defending our country,” said Robert Forrester, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “We have a responsibility to support our military men and women, since they protect the freedom and privileges we enjoy as Americans.”

The grants will help military service organizations across the country that deal with issues such as health, housing, education, career development, and family support. When veterans return home, they face vast and complex challenges. According to the Department of Defense, the military suicide rate hit a record high in 2012, increasing nearly 16 percent over the previous year. Over 60,000 veterans are homeless.  The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era veterans was 9.9 percent in 2012, compared to 8 percent for all Americans.

“Recalling Paul Newman’s service in the United States Naval Corps in World War II, we have been committed to supporting military nonprofits for over twenty years,” said Forrester. “Paul felt that we can all make a difference by helping others, and there is no better time to announce our military grant commitment.”   The actor and philanthropist who founded Newman’s Own passed away on September 26, 2008.

For more information on Newman’s Own Foundation, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org. Any questions regarding the Veterans Vocational Training Program can be answered by contacting Donna Sodipo, Director of Education Services at dsodipo@cpbn.org

UPDATE:  At the end of the challenge, a total of just over $670,000 was raised during the Honoring Those Who Served Competition, including $741 for the Veterans Vocational Training Program at CPBN.

Student Innovators in Computer Applications Converge at Yale's First-ever “Hackathon”

At the recent inauguration of Yale University’s first new President in two decades, the call for a greater emphasis on entrepreneurship did not go unnoticed.  This weekend, the first annual “Y-Hack” will put an estimated 1,200 innovative, primarily computer science and engineering, students and cutting edge industry minds together for an intense 24-hour effort to see what computer programs might develop – or, more literally, be developed.

Y-Hack is a “national hackathon” hosted by and at Yale University. A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers, collaborate intensively on software projects.

A key goal this weekend is to bring together students and entrepreneurs with experienced industrial innovators, to stimulate creativity and creation.  Anyone currently enrolled in a bachelor's program – at any college in the country – has been eligible for Y-Hack with confirmed registration.  Registration, according to the program’s website, is now full.

Developing Worldwide Impact

“With Y-Hack, thousands of students across the country have come to see Yale as an innovator in the technology, computer science, and engineering fields, and we're attempting to push us further onto the world stage,”  explained organizer Mike Wu, a Yale student. “We want to make sure that Yale students are actively contributing positive impact to the world by sharing their talents, creating value, and giving back to the community.”

Participants will be descending on Yale not only from throughout the New Haven campus, but from campuses all nationwide, from public and private schools, as well as from Canada and England.  Among the more than 70 colleges represented among the participants are students who attend Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, UMass, RPI and, more locally, Connecticut College.

The who’s who of technology companies taking part in one way or another – more than two dozen – includes locally-based Prometheus Research, as well as well-known names including Redhat, Intel, Google, Dropbox, and Bloomberg.  The top sponsors are Akamai, Amazon, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public agency that financially supports in-state start-ups, will also be on hand.

In looking ahead to the student innovation that may result, Wu said “We challenge them to push each other and make the best products they can. It's rare to have so many intelligent and motivated minds from both the industrial and educational worlds together in one place with no other goal than to make something cool. It's a pretty powerful atmosphere.”

Teams of four are encouraged; some formed during advance registration, others will be formed on the spot.  Expert judges will ultimately assess presentations by the top 15 teams, based on criteria that include innovation, technical talent, the pitch and popularity, providing the students with meaningful and instructive feedback.

24 Hour Intensity

It all beings mid-afternoon Friday (Nov. 8) with displays set up by the corporate sponsors alongside student registration. Strict credential reviews will take place, and necessary release forms signed.   Friday evening, the sponsor companies will provide technology briefings to the students.  Then the action begins in earnest.

For 24 hours, from 6 PM Friday to 6 PM Saturday, participating students will have a single focus – development of their computer applications.   There will be meals and snacks available, and some diversionary activities in need of a short break, but the intense activity will be exclusively on innovation and development. Little sleep is anticipated.  A closing dinner, keynote address, presentations, judging and awards ceremony will be held on the Yale campus beginning at 6 PM Saturday.

New Haven-based Prometheus Research, an integrated data management services provider, announced this week that co-founder Clark Evans will be one of six judges for the inaugural Yale Hackathon (Y-Hack). Evans will evaluate student projects based on the four criteria and also award a separate, "Best use of HTSQL," prize to one talented entrant. HTSQL is a Prometheus product.

"Our developers, analysts, and clients think HTSQL is transformative,” Evans said. “It empowers them to securely interact with relational data over the Web in ways they previously wouldn't even attempt. So, it will be really fun to see how the students adapt it to their own novel applications."

There will also be a good amount of free stuff for participants, courtesy of the corporate sponsors.  As Wu points out, in addition to the opportunity to innovate with like-minded, top-caliber student and professional application innovators, “swag is what makes Hackathon enticing.”    The top prizes include thousands of dollars in cash, along with all-expense paid trips to Microsoft and Amazon to present winning “hacks” to company engineers, and there will be raffles of tablets, phones, and other devices throughout the event.

CT’s Workforce in Leisure & Hospitality Industries Among Smallest in U.S.

The percentage of Connecticut’s workforce in the leisure and hospitality industries is among the smallest in the country.  New data indicates that the state ranks 45^th, with 9.6 percent of all workers employed in  the field.  The national average is 11.4 percent of workers.

The top-ranked state in leisure and hospitality workers is Nevada, with 28 percent, followed by Hawaii with 18 percent and Montana at 14 percent.  Just behind the top three states are Wyoming, Florida, Maine, Colorado, South Carolina, South Dakota, Rhode Island New Hampshire and Vermont, among the 17 states exceeding the national average.  Massachusetts ranks at #23, just under the national average.

Workforce in leisure and hospitality is defined as the percent of employees (on nonfarm payrolls) who are employed in leisure and hospitality, including arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food service.  Earlier this year, published reports indicated that employment in this sector – then at 10.5 percent of the U.S. workforce – was at a record high since the government began tracking such data in 1939.

Connecticut in recent years has dramatically stepped up efforts to promote the state to visitors, launching the “Still Revolutionary” marketing campaign slogan and increasing the state’s tourism budget which had been all but eliminated by the previous state administration.  Increased tourism is said to impact the leisure and hospitality industries.

The only states with a smaller percentage than Connecticut in the leisure and hospitality industry are Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, and North Dakota.

The data on workforce in leisure and hospitality were collected as part of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, a monthly survey of about 141,000 businesses and government agencies, in order to provide detailed industry data on employment, hours and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls. The workforce data are updated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The data used is updated through September 2013 and published by Bloomberg Visual Data.

Nationwide employment in the leisure and hospitality sector rose to 13.66 million jobs in August, based on seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Business Journals reported.

The BLS reports that the arts and entertainment sector generally includes (1) establishments that are involved in producing, promoting, or participating in live performances, events, or exhibits intended for public viewing; (2) establishments that preserve and exhibit objects and sites of historical, cultural, or educational interest; and (3) establishments that operate facilities or provide services that enable patrons to participate in recreational activities or pursue amusement, hobby, and leisure-time interests.

The Accommodation and Food Services sector, according to BLS, comprises establishments providing customers with lodging and/or preparing meals, snacks, and beverages for immediate consumption. The sector includes both accommodation and food services establishments because the two activities are often combined at the same establishment.

Note:  Concerns have been raised regarding the manner in which casino employees are categorized, which may impact the data.

Social Enterprises Honored at Statewide Event; New Entrepreneurs Lead the Way

Six outstanding new Connecticut-based social enterprises, led by entrepreneurs in a range of businesses and industries, earned public recognition – and cash prizes – at the Third Annual Social Enterprise Awards held by reSET, the Social Enterprise Trust.  Nearly 200 people were in attendance for the awards ceremony, held at The Society Room in Hartford.

There were 54 social entrepreneurs from across the state vying for recognition in the 2013 Social Enterprise Challenge; applicants were narrowed down to 10 finalists who were evaluated by a panel of business experts.

The top five social enterprises were honored at the Social Enterprise Awards celebration for having the best and most sustainable social enterprise business plans, and for effectively demonstrating that their businesses could improve the community and create jobs, and generate both purpose and profit.

reSET also honored the renowned social enterprise Honest Tea with the reSET Social Enterprise Innovator Award for its community impact and corporate conduct, which has inspired others.  Honest Tea values simplicity, fair dealings, partnerships, the environment, and sustainability.  Dr. Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor of Management at the Yale School of Management, and co-founder of the company, accepted the award on behalf of Honest Tea, and conducted a presentation outlining the company's early years and evolution.

The winners of the Social Enterprise Challenge were:

Ray Xiong, New Haven, Farmivore (The Boehringer Ingelheim More Health through Innovation Award) Farmivore offers community supported agriculture co-ops with affordable e-commerce and marketing platforms, and provides consumers with an easy way to search, pay for, and join a community supported agriculture program. Ray.xiong@aya.yale.edu

Lon Seidman, Ivoryton, Windsor, and West Hartford, Independent Media Network, LLC (The reSET Community Impact Award) Independent Media Network provides training sessions and informational meetings with community members while providing accurate and valuable information to the community, in order to preserve independent media. lon@imnct.com

Leslie Krumholz, Guilford, Good Streets. Good Streets is a social enterprise that brings Main Street businesses on line to help consumers find great local establishments. Neighborhood business owners and customers can use this trusted site and in so doing receive authentic reviews, which helps to create dialogue and collaboration between local businesses and their customers. leslie@imbya.com

Rodger LaChance, East Windsor, Yummy CT.  Yummy CT takes a farmers market and puts it on an old school bus to help distribute fresh, Connecticut- grown fruits, vegetables, and specialty foods to Connecticut communities that are considered food deserts. The objective is to provide fresh healthy foods to communities that otherwise would have limited access. reldistributors@gmail.com

Dr. David Shearer, Old Saybrook, Therapeutic Research Foundation. TRF’s mission is to develop innovative, affordable, and therapeutic medical solutions to address the unmet global health needs of all people, even the solutions considered less profitable by other mainstream medical research companies. dshearer@tr-f.org

For the first time this year, reSET added an award to reflect the community’s voice through a People’s Choice Award. The public was able to vote on their favorite among the 10 finalists by viewing videos created by finalists and posted on reSET’s website. The People’s Choice winner was:

David J. Rubin, Simsbury, ElectroSpin University. ElectroSpin University is promoting a healthier, more fit, and eco-friendly culture through a one-of-a-kind group indoor cycling class titled Rage and Recharge that uses electric dance music to make playlists scientifically designed to improve exercise efficiency. The team is also working on ways of recapturing energy expended through exercise and pumping it back into the community’s electrical grid. rubin@electroSpinu.com

“reSET was so pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of entrepreneurs across Connecticut who demonstrate a deep commitment to helping out communities become safer, happier, and healthier places for all of our citizens,” said Program Director Michelle Cote.  “Each awarded business reinforces the idea that it is possible to generate profit and serve a social purpose at the same time.”

In the spirit of growing social enterprise in Connecticut, “A Taste of Social Enterprise” also celebrated locally-grown food and featured local farms and businesses that served up a menu showcasing Connecticut-grown foods, from the Kitchen at Billings Forge and The G Stream.

reSET has supported the launch of 19 new social enterprises in Connecticut  and supported the success or growth of nine social enterprises. reSET has also established the Social Enterprise Investment Fund, which will begin to offer loans to investment-ready social entrepreneurs in January 2014.

Photo:  Dr. Barry Nalebuff accepts the reSET Social Enterprise Innovator Award from reSET CEO, Kate Emery.  [Editor's Note:  CT by the Numbers is a member of the Independent Media Network.]

Biking, Walking Gain Traction Around Connecticut; Training, Gala Upcoming

November is shaping up to be another busy month for Bike Walk CT, a member-supported non-profit organization making cycling and walking safe, feasible and attractive for a healthier, cleaner Connecticut. Bike Walk CT is once again offering the League of American Bicyclist-designed Traffic Skills 101 program, a day long course to give cyclists the skills, knowledge and confidence to handle on-road cycling in traffic. The program will be held on Sunday, November 10 at Bishops Corner in West Hartford.

Just days later, bicycling and walking enthusiasts will celebrate the progress made by Bike Walk CT at the organization’s Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, to be held on Tuesday, November 12 at Central Connecticut State University.

During the evening celebration, Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Kip Bergstrom will lead a discussion of the important and growing role of active transportation and bikeable, walkable communities in Connecticut's economy and tourism industry.

Bike Walk CT works locally to increase grassroots efforts to make communities better places to bike and walk; at the state legislature to advance laws that protect the rights of cyclists and walkers, and at the DOT to make sure that policies and engineering practices that will improve conditions for cyclists are implemented. The organization is also active at the federal level, working cooperatively with national organizations to ensure continued funding for biking and walking projects.

Bergstrom has 30 years of experience as a strategist, business executive, economic development professional and place-maker. His DECD portfolio includes the development of the innovation economy, statewide branding, as well as the arts and culture, historic preservation and tourism functions.

Bike Walk Connecticut was formed in 2005 as the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance (CCBA), with a mission to advocate for bike-friendly facilities and policies in central Connecticut to benefit all bicyclists, both recreational riders and commuters. CCBA received 501(C)(3) status in January 2006. In April 2010, CCBA broadened its mission to include walking issues, adopted a statewide focus, and changed its name to Bike Walk Connecticut.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 618 cyclists were killed in the United States in automobile accidents in 2010 (the last year for which statistics are available). That same year, 32,885 bikers were injured in traffic crashes. Although the numbers have declined since 2005 — when 43,510 bikers were injured, 786 of them fatally — these rates of injuries and deaths highlight cyclists' continued exposure to serious risks.

Stamford is #1 in USA in Workers with College Degree; Geography Key to Job Prospects

Stamford ranks first in the nation in the percentage of workers with a college degree, according to a  book that features an analysis of  the influences of geography on jobs, highlighting tremendous disparities that exist in cities across the country and citing innovation as a key jobs driver.

 “The sheer size of the differences between American communities is staggering," the book stated. " Stamford, Connecticut, the city with the largest percentage of college-educated workers in the United States, has five times the number of college graduates per capita as the city at the bottom, Merced, California.”

The New Geography of Jobs, written by Enrico Moretti, a professor of Economics and the University of California, ranked 306 of the nation’s metropolitan areas.  In the ranking, Waterbury was among the metropolitan areas with the smallest share of workers with a college degree, at 15 percent.

Stamford, with 56 percent, led the list, topping Washington, DC (49%), Boston (47%), Madison (47%) and San Jose (47%), which rounded out the top five metropolitan areas in the country.  Completing the top 10 metropolitan areas with the largest share of workers with a college degree is Ann Arbor (46%), Raleigh-Durham(44%), San Francisco-Oakland (44%), Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado (44%), and Seattle-Everett, Washington (42%).  Yuma, AZ and Merced, CA, both at 11 percent, ranked last.

Moretti’s research and analysis reveals that the “new geography of jobs is benefitting centers of innovation,” and “among the beneficiaries are the workers who support the idea creators.”  He indicates that “for every new innovation job in a city, five additional non-innovation jobs are created, and those workers earn higher salaries than their counterparts in other urban areas.”

According to the book, the average salary of college graduates in Stamford is $133,479 and the average salary of high school graduates is $107,301.  Moretti points out that “the more college graduates there are (in a metropolitan area) the higher the salaries for high school graduates are.”  Overall, “the earnings of a worker with a high school education rise by about 7 percent as the share of college graduates in his city increases by 10 percent,” a statistical analysis indicates.

Morelli also notes that the education level of the workforce not only impact salaries, but also the level of charitable contributions.  “Among large U.S. metropolitan areas, charities in five brain hubs – Stamford, Boston, Raleigh-Durham, Washington, D.C., and New York – receive the highest contributions relative to their population.”

The book also ranks Stamford as the metropolitan area with the second highest cost of living in the nation, behind only San Jose, CA, and just ahead of San Francisco-Oakland-Vallejo, California.  Also in the top 20 cities with the heist cost of living is Bridgeport, at number 17.

The New Geography of Jobs was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2012. Moretti is Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley where he holds the Michael Peevey and Donald Vial Career Development Chair in Labor Economics. He is the Director of the Infrastructure and Urbanization Program at the International Growth Centre (London School of Economics and Oxford University).

Subway Reaches 40,000 Locations; Growth Continues for World’s #1 Fast Food Chain

The Connecticut-headquartered SUBWAY® restaurant chain, which has been providing franchising opportunities to entrepreneurs since 1965 and is approaching its 48th year in business, has opened its 40,000th location at an Apple Green petrol station in Ipswich, England.

The opening reflects the consistent growth of the Subway brand, which has opened nearly 2,000 new locations around the world since the start of the year. In 1965, Subway was founded by 17 year-old Connecticut high school graduate Fred DeLuca, along with family friend Dr. Peter Buck. The first restaurant opened in Bridgeport in 1965 and was called Pete’s Super Submarines. The first franchised Subway unit opened in 1974 in Wallingford.

“This is certainly a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Subway team, who I often refer to as The Greatest Team in Franchising History,” said DeLuca. “I am proud to be part of a team that provides thousands of jobs for people at our restaurants, field, offices, headquarters and partner offices around the world.  Our franchisees are a diverse group of small business owners who take a great deal of pride in serving their customers.”

CNN Money has reported that the “home of the $5 foot-long sub” is the most popular franchise (ahead of Quiznos, the UPS Store and Cold Stone Creamery) and biggest fast-food chain in the world, with an initial franchise fee startup is $15,000, a fairly low sum compared to other brands. With fewer than 8% of SBA-backed borrowers defaulting on their loans, Subway has a better track record than similar brands -- rival sub shop Blimpie has a 46% loan failure rate, and Quiznos is also well into the double digits, according to CNN Money.

This latest milestone puts the Subway brand far ahead of its competitors in the Quick Service Restaurant industry. Of the top restaurant chains, the next closest is more than 5,500 locations behind. Beyond that, the next three are between 21,000 and 33,000 behind, the company reported.

The combination of global branding, minimal upfront outlay of cash, and low loan default rates have made Subway the most popular brand in the last decade for entrepreneurs looking to open a franchise, the CNN website reported, based on the SBA's lending data.

The U.K. is the brand’s third largest market, behind the U.S. and Canada, with more than 1,500 locations.  In all, there are 14,000 International locations in 102 countries outside the U.S.  The Eastern European nation of Estonia recently witnessed the opening its first Subway franchise.

The company headquarters remains in Milford, with additional regional and country offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, employing about 1,000 people in total. Worldwide, its franchisees provide more than 300,000 jobs in the communities where they are located. With a robust social community of over 25 million, Subway engages daily with consumers from around the world.

In 2012, Subway became the first quick service restaurant to meet the American Heart Association's Heart Check Meal Certification Program nutritional criteria.  Earlier this year, the Connecticut Post reported that DeLuca plans to reach 50,000 sandwich shops in four years. The chain, which has attracted customers with lower-calorie and reduced-sodium sandwiches, is competing with Yum! Brands in India, China and Japan, as it proceeds with plans to open 300 stores in each nation in the next three years, DeLuca told the Post.

CT Should Look to New York, Aging Workforce, Urban Centers to Rebuild Economy

Connecticut would be foolish not to take greater advantage of the fact that nearly one-third of the state is within the financial orbit of New York City as it looks to rebuild its economic strength – while not overlooking the potential for entrepreneurial activity across the state.

Those were among the lead suggestions of a panel of economists and entrepreneurs at the University of Hartford looking at job prospects for today’s 20-somethings, in a program sponsored by CT Mirror.

Daniel Kennedy, Senior Economist in the Office of Research at the state Department of Labor emphasized that the strongest economic growth in the state in the years to come will be in Fairfield County, and evidence of that trend is already present in the current economic recovery.

Wayne Vaughn, president of Hartford-based Fuscient, which he launched in 1997, said the state should “play to its strengths,” in looking to Fairfield County.  He said that New York City's immense economy "bleeds over into one-third of our state."  He also called on the state’s colleges and universities to step up efforts to match students with mentors in the business community, to improve their workforce readiness.

The state’s college graduates should not sell the state short, offered Katelyn Anton, Community Manager of New Haven-based Independent Software, and a key contributor to Whiteboard, a popular blog for the technology and entrepreneurial community in the state.  “Connecticut is one of the ripest locations in the world,” for start-up ventures, she said, noting the growth of co-working spaces in New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, Manchester and other communities, and the numerous incubator opportunities that individuals “can tap into.”

Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) economist and vice president Peter Gioia predicted that the state’s economy is “on the cusp of turning the corner,” noting that between 15 and 20 percent of today’s workforce will be retired within five years – creating job vacancies and opportunities for young people.  He predicted that as the workforce ages out of the market, the state’s workforce will need electrical line workers, plumbers, electricians, commercial loan officers, actuaries and financial planners, and some of that need is already apparent.

Gioia praised the state’s recent efforts to bolster the University of Connecticut and the state’s community colleges, underscoring the correlation between “where students go to school and where they get their first job.”  If students stay in the state for college, Connecticut businesses will ultimately benefit.

Kennedy said the state’s prolonged economic recovery is characterized by continued “demand deficient unemployment,” which is more structural than merely a reaction to the national downturn that began in 2008.  He indicated that even as some sectors are improving, many millennials remain underemployed -college graduates working in service, rather than professional, industries.

“More people are working, but they’re not making as much,” said Orlando Rodriguez, a senior policy fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children.  “For every job we lose in the financial industry, it takes eight and a half jobs in the restaurant industry.”

Rodriguez also raised a cautionary note, stating that Connecticut should be particularly concerned about young people in the state’s urban centers who do not attend college, and often are unable to obtain a first job. While statewide unemployment hovers around 8 percent, it can run as high as 40 percent among 18-24 year olds in Bridgeport and other urban communities. “Connecticut’s future,” Rodriguez said, “is in urban areas.”

Gioia was strongly critical of Congressional inaction on immigration reform, stating that the nation’s economy would be strengthened by a comprehensive policy.  “Immigrants are much more likely to start a business, and become net employers of Americans.”  He said the policy of educating foreign students, but not permitting them to then remain in the U.S., as “ridiculous.”  He also cited Canada as an example of a nation that has been more welcoming of immigrants, to the benefit of the nation’s economy.

Vaughn said that while his biggest challenge in doing business in Connecticut is retaining talent, the growth of technology in business transactions offers businesses here significant opportunities.  “Where your business is located doesn’t dictate who your customers are,” he said.

The discussion was the second of nine panels on a range of topics sponsored by The Connecticut Mirror to be held around the state in coming months.  It was moderated by Brett Ozrechowski, CEO-Publisher of the CT News Project, which operates CT Mirror.  Next month, discussions will be held  Nov. 7 at Fairfield University focused on measuring good teaching and Nov. 18 at the University of New Haven on the topic of the clean energy economy.

Connecticut “Ideas Worth Spreading” Resonate in Massachusetts in TED Talks

TED came to Springfield, Massachusetts this month with a decidedly Connecticut flavor, as a quarter of the featured speakers offering “ideas worth spreading,” hailed from the “still revolutionary” state.

Of the 16 “TED talks” on the agenda during a day-long program sponsored by and held at the headquarters of Mass Mutual, four of the speakers were from Connecticut, and left the specially selected audience intrigued, impressed and inspired.

Well known worldwide, TED is a nonprofit which began decades ago with a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become considerably broader, and “TED Talks” – widely available on the web – have become a global phenomenon, watched by tens of millions.

TED conferences “bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives.”  That’s precisely what occurred at TEDx in Springfield, where in addition to speakers touting the possibilities for that post-industrial urban center, a wide array of innovative subjects were featured under the theme “Driving innovation through diversity and inclusion.”

The Connecticut quartet at TEDx Springfield:

• Keisha Ashe is co-founder and CEO of ManyMentors, a nonprofit science, technology, engineering and math STEM) mentoring organization that connects minority and female middle and high school students with encouraging and supporting near-age mentors in the STEM fields.  “If they never know, they’ll never go,” is the guiding phrase of the initiative, reflecting the fact that many women and minority students are not encouraged to pursue the STEM fields, and are often unaware of the career potential or their own aptitude for the STEM careers.  Ashe is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at UConn.
• Maureen Connolly is an event planning professional with extensive national and international experience across diverse markets, and a visionary and passionate leader skilled at creating high impact programs with measurable results.  She is the foremost advocate for utilizing public celebrations as a means of extending social capital by having the community, rather than the event, at the core of planning.  She has written on the enduring transformational potential of public celebrations, and offers that “now is the time to harness that collective energy and accumulated social capital as a catalyst for social change” that will develop collaborations with the potential to breathe new life into hard-pressed cities.
• David Ryan Polgar is a Connecticut-based writer/attorney/educator and highly regarded tech ethicist who speaks on the topics of information overload, digital diets, and creativity.  He is an award-winning columnist for Seasons magazine, and has been featured in national media. Polgar speaks and writes about the ethical, legal, sociological, and emotional issues surrounding our relationship to technology.  He has created a “Mental Food Plate” as an approach to achieving deeper levels of thinking, and explores the imperative for an industry to develop that will serve as a counterbalance to the burgeoning technologies that “we can’t stop consuming.”
• Jon Thomas is the founder of Tap Cancer Out, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu nonprofit and host of the most philanthropic martial arts events in the world.  Jon Thomas and his wife Becky run the Stratford-based nonprofit “in the slivers of spare time between their jobs in advertising.”  The nonprofit was founded out of a desire to respond to the devastation of cancer through a sport that Thomas was deeply involved with.  The organization raises funds – all donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - through hosting fundraising tournaments, direct donations, merchandise sales and sponsorships.

The TED website points out that “TED is best thought of as a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.”  TEDx Springfield was organized by Jae Junkunc of Hartford, from Mass Mutual's Enterprise Risk Management Group, with support of a 15-member team that developed the program over six months.

TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize. The TEDx program gives communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently.

A TEDx session in Hartford in June included talks by David Fink of Partnership for Strong Communities, Steven Mitchell of East Coast Greenway, Donna Berman of Charter Oak Cultural Center, and Rich Hollant of CO:LAB, among sixteen local speakers.