Small Business Administration to Honor CT’s Leading Small Business Owners

April M. Lukasik, President & CEO of Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2018 Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year, SBA’s top award, Anne Hunt, SBA’s District Director, has announced. “We are extremely excited to honor a truly amazing line up of small business owners and champions this year, said Anne Hunt, SBA’s Connecticut District Director.  It is important to recognize these outstanding small businesses in the state as they are the job creators, innovators and the fabric of our local communities!” 

The slate of leading small business owners in Connecticut will be honored at the Annual Small Business Week Awards Luncheon at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven on May 3.  National Small Business Week is obsered April 29-May 5.

Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers have four locations in Connecticut.  The business was founded in Middletown 2012 by Lukasik.  The mission statement describes the Center as “a child care and early education solution in a nurturing and scholastic environment where dedicated teachers are awakening young minds when it matters most.”  Old Saybrook, Branford locations followed, with West Hartford soon to open.

“We hope the small business community will join the SBA and our host, SCORE for an inspiring awards luncheon on May 3rd in New Haven,” Hunt added.

The 2018 Connecticut SBA Honorees are:

• Region 1 & Connecticut Manufacturer of the Year  Brian Weinstein, CHAPCO, Chester
• Region 1 & Connecticut Family-Owned Small Business   Charles Buck Jr., Buck’s Spumoni Company, Inc., Milford
• Exporter of the Year  Dennis Nash, Control Station Inc., Manchester
• Woman-Owned Small Business  Erin Emmons, Lucky Taco Cantina and Tap Room, Manchester
• Minority-Owned Small Business  Marilyn Ortiz, Borinquen Bakery, New Britain
• Veteran Owned Business of the Year Nicholas W. Wright, Unlimited Fun LLC., Prospect
• Home-Based Business of the Year Linda Longboardi, ReGift the Wrap, LLC., Glastonbury
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year  Alyssa DeMatteo, Wildflour Confections, Seymour
• CT Microenterprise Award  Stefanie Toise, At Once LLC., Vernon
• Financial Services Champion  Aaron M. Bohigan- Webster Bank, Hartford

Lukasik, founder of Bright & Early Children's Learning Centers, finds her roots in a family of entrepreneurs. Her grandmother owned and operated a nursing home that her parents later grew into a successful entity. She started off working in the family business, gathering experience and cultivating her passion of caring for others. After obtaining her Bachelors Degree in Marketing, she jumpstarted her entrepreneurial career, creating and operating multiple companies while gaining experience and insight into what it takes to build and grow a successful organization.

When her children were toddlers, she found herself searching for child care options that suited her needs and standards as a discerning parent… a safe, secure, nurturing, warm, home-like, educational, organized, and clean child care center. Not finding what she was looking for, she tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit to start her own child care center that met all of these standards.

The Young Entreprenuer of the Year, Alyssa DeMatteo, is a 26 year old Seymour resident who quickly gained popularity in southern Connecticut's cake and cupcake scene when she launched Wildflour Cupcakes & Sweets as a Facebook page in 2013.

Control Station was founded in 1988 and headquartered near the University of Connecticut. Control Station harnesses the creative energies of its surrounding, solving difficult plant monitoring and controller challenges facing process manufacturers with a broad portfolio of software-based solutions. Exporter of the Year Dennis Nash is President and Chief Executive Officer of Control Station, Inc.

Cantor Colburn Ranked #4 in U.S. for Utility Patents in 2017

Hartford-based Cantor Colburn LLP is the nation’s fourth largest patent firm, as ranked by issued patents, according to IP Watchdog, a leading intellectual property blog.  IP Watchdog compiled the list of about 800 U.S. patent firms based on the total U.S. utility patents that issued in 2017.  The ranking places Cantor Colburn in better than the top 1% of all U.S. law firms for productivity. Cantor Colburn has been a staple in the top ten rankings for utility patents, design patents, and trademarks for many years. The firm is one of the largest full-service intellectual property law firms in the country, with more than 100 attorneys and agents and offices in Hartford, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, and Detroit.

In 2016, Juristat reviewed law firm growth over the last decade and found that Cantor Colburn was the fastest growing U.S. patent law firm “by a significant margin.” In addition to being a patent powerhouse, Cantor Colburn assists clients with litigation, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, post grant review, including inter partesreview, and agreements of all kinds. Cantor Colburn’s strategic expansion has successfully seen it grow from a ten-lawyer firm in the 1990s.

“Cantor Colburn is able to sustain a high level of productivity and quality work because of the talent, experience, and dedication of many professionals at all levels,” said Philmore H. Colburn II, Co-Managing Partner of Cantor Colburn.  “Our clients depend on us to acquire quality patent rights quickly, and we are focused on getting those results.”

“Over the last 25 years at Cantor Colburn, we have focused on three things: high quality work, responsiveness, and value,” said Co-Managing Partner Michael A. Cantor. “It seems as though while much of the world is changing, these things remain constant.”

Cantor Colburn’s clients are among the leading companies in the country and around the world, including Fortune 100 companies, privately-held companies, select high tech start-ups, and universities.

Co-Managing Partner Michael Cantor also serves as Board Chair of Connecticut Innovations, the state’s strategic venture capital arm and the leading source of financing and ongoing support for innovative, growing companies.

The firm recently played a role, along with other key CEO’s in the region, in attracting InfoSys to Hartford.  The state Bond Commission last Friday approved $14 million in funding to bring the information technology and consulting firm to Hartford. Infosys has committed to hire 1,000 employees over the next four years in Hartford and establish a $21 million center to develop digital and other technologies for the insurance and health care industries and manufacturing.

Cantor Colburn has a thriving international practice, working closely with companies in Israel, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Michael Cantor has been teaching Patent Law and Procedure at University of Connecticut School of Law as an Adjunct Professor for more than 20 years.

Museums Have Significant Impact on State, National Economy, Report Concludes

Museums in Connecticut had a one-year total financial impact on Connecticut’s economy of $834 million, providing $556 million in income via wages and other income to state residents, generating $223.5 million in taxes (including $77.5 million in state and local taxes), and supporting just over 10,200 jobs – including 5,400 direct jobs, 1,877 indirect jobs and nearly 3,000 induced jobs. The data was compiled as part of a national report, Museums as Economic Engines, compiled the Alliance of American Museums. The report indicates that nationwide, museums support 726,000 jobs in the United States, and directly employ 372,100 people, more than double that of the professional sports industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Alliance points out.

The study, conducted by Oxford Economics with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, shows that for every $100 of economic activity created by museums, an additional $220 is created in other sectors of the US economy as a result of supply chain and employee expenditure impacts, according to the report.  The data analyzed was from calendar year 2016, the most recent full year of data available.

These impacts mean that museums contribute approximately $50 billion to the US economy each year, a number that’s more than twice previous estimates, according to the Alliance.  The report is also the first to show that US museums generate more than $12 billion per year in tax revenue to federal, state, and local governments.

The report estimated that there are 372,100 museum workers employed in the US along with 3 million volunteers.  It also indicated that 89 percent of Americans believe that museums provide important economic impacts back to their communities, according to a public opinion survey conducted in 2017.

Nationally, the museum field’s largest economic impact is on the leisure and hospitality industry (approximately $17 billion), but it also generates approximately $12 billion in the financial activities sector and approximately $3 billion each in the education/health services and manufacturing sectors.

The top 10 states driving this impact are geographically diverse and account for 57 percent of the gross value added to the national economy. States with the highest economic impact from the museum sector included California ($6.6 billion), New York ($5.4 billion), and Texas ($3.9 billion). However, those that rely most heavily on museums due to their relatively higher concentration, the report indicated, include the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Wyoming, and Alaska.

In breaking down the jobs impact of museums, direct impact refers to direct employment and spending by the industry’s business operations; indirect impact includes supply-chain effects, stemming from industry’s operations (e.g. legal services, utilities, etc.) and induced impact describes the impact resulting from employees spending their incomes in the economy.

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), founded in 1906, now represents more than 35,000 professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners in the sector.

Connecticut Export Week, Which Starts Today, is One-of-a-Kind in U.S.

There is only one state in the nation that has an “export week,” designed to encourage more in-state businesses to take the first steps toward building international business connections.  “Connecticut Export Week,” now in its third year, takes place March 19-23, 2018. The week-long focus on the business potential of exports features a dozen events and webinars with expertise offered in a range of broad and very specific aspects of international business. It is a joint initiative of the U.S. Export Center and the affiliated District Export Council.  Connecticut is the only state where the local office of the federal agency functions as the State Trade Office.

The initiative has been very successful in exporting awareness and training for companies, according to officials.  The information shared by experts at programs and events during the week helps companies become “Export Ready” so that when they use agency services to meet new customers and get into new markets, they are better prepared to close the deal.

According to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association's 2017 international trade survey, there are nearly 6,000 companies exporting from within the state.   Connecticut achieved export levels in goods and services reaching $14.4 billion, contributing to the more than $1.45 trillion in U.S. commodity exports in 2016.

Topics during the week will include Market Research, Global Intellectual Property, Digital Strategy, Doing Business with NATO, export Finance and Insurance for U.S. Exporters, Understanding Foreign Exchange and Letters of Credit and Export Documentation Basics.  There will also be a CEO’s and Managers Export Forum, a session focused on Opportunities for Advanced Manufacturing in Germany, and another on Infrastructure in Peru.

According to U.S. Census Bureau 2017 data, nations topping the list of exports from Connecticut are France (14.3%), Canada (12.8%), Germany (12.4%), United Kingdom (8.8%), Mexico (7.0%), China (5.4%), Netherlands (4.2%), Japan (3.7%), South Korea (3.6%) and Singapore (2.7%).

CBIA noted that the vast majority (89%) of Connecticut businesses engaged in international trade are small and midsize enterprises employing fewer than 500 workers.  The top three areas where Connecticut companies are looking for assistance, the survey found, are market research (52%), making connections with customers (32%), and finding foreign representatives (19%). Connecticut's top three export categories, the CBIA survey pointed out, are transportation equipment, machinery, and computer and electronic products, sold primarily to France, Germany, and Canada.

Between 2007 and 2017, there has been a steady increase in the number of Connecticut companies engaging in international trade, the CBIA survey found —from 53% to 77% over the 10-year period.

Firm Inspecting New London's Gold Star Bridge Project Also Designed Collapsed Florida Pedestrian Bridge

Project inspection and oversite for the rehabilitation of the southbound Gold Star Bridge structure on I-95 in New London and Groton, due to be completed later this year, is being conducted by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and FIGG Bridge Inspection.  FIGG, whose logo appears prominently on the website devoted to providing the public with project information, is the firm that designed the pedestrian bridge that collapsed at Florida International University on Thursday. The Gold Star Memorial Bridge, described as “Connecticut’s most iconic structure,” is the largest bridge in the State of Connecticut. It is 6,000 feet long and over 150 feet tall at the center span. The bridge is actually a pair of steel truss bridges that span over the Thames River, between New London and Groton, according to the project website.

The project was awarded to Mohawk Northeast in December 2016 and onsite activities began a year ago, in April 2017. Project inspection and oversight, conducted by the state Department of Transportation and FIGG Bridge Inspection, is anticipated to be completed by late Fall this year.

UPDATE:  The Miami Herald is reporting that an engineer from FIGG working on the Florida project notified the state two days before the collapse of cracking on the bridge.  

FIGG has its headquarters in Tallahassee with offices in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas and Colorado, the Miami Herald reported. The company specializes in all types of bridge design and focuses solely on bridge design and engineering both in the U.S. and abroad, according to the company's website. The FIU-Sweetwater UniversityCity Bridge is the largest pedestrian bridge moved via Self-Propelled Modular Transportation in U.S. history, the University's website noted prior to the collapse.

The newspaper also reported that FIGG, which provides design, engineering and construction services, was cited by the Virginia Department of Labor for four violations in 2012 after a 90-ton piece of concrete fell from a bridge under construction near Norfolk, Virginia.

At the Gold Star Bridge, plans call for the structure’s expansion joints to be replaced, as well as overhead sign structures, according to the project website. In total, the bridge has more than 1,000,000 square feet of deck surface area spread over 11 vehicle traffic lanes and a pedestrian sidewalk. The average daily traffic count is 117,000 vehicles.

“Repairs and maintenance of the bridge’s structural steel includes steel girder end repairs, bolt replacements, and bearing replacement and maintenance.  Repairs to the substructure include concrete repairs and crack sealing,” the website explains.

The site notes that “During off peak hours the number of lanes may be reduced to accommodate repairs and improvements,” and there will be periodic closures of the sidewalk.

The company’s website touts “FIGG's exclusive focus on bridge design and construction engineering inspection enables us to provide state of the art technology, innovative aesthetics and materials, and a unique capacity to partner for research.”

After the 2007 collapse of the Highway 35 West bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, FIGG built a $233.8 million 10-lane replacement bridge, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.  It was heralded for its state-of-the-art safety systems, including sensors designed to monitor bridge stress and corrosion.

FIGG focuses solely on bridge design and engineering both in the U.S. and abroad. Since 1978, the company has built, studied and designed $10 billion in bridges in 39 states and six countries, according to its website.

The Northbound Gold Star Bridge was built 30 years prior to its sister Southbound Gold Star Bridge.  Repairs on the Northbound bridge are due to begin later this year, the project website indicated. “In the end,” the website predicts, “the service life of the iconic Gold Star Bridges will be extended for decades.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLrBQv3t4o

Nominations Open for Annual Connecticut Book Awards

Read a good book lately?  Written by a Connecticut author or featuring a local illustrator?  You may want to urge that their work be submitted for a 2018 Connecticut Book Award.  The annual awards returned last year after a multi-year hiatus, to solid reviews.  The Connecticut Center for the Book (CCB) at Connecticut Humanities, which sponsors the awards, is now looking to build on that momentum. The awards are designed to recognize and honor those authors and illustrators who have created the best books in or about the State of Connecticut, and celebrate the state’s rich history of authors and illustrators. “There was such a wonderful selection of books submitted last year in each category that it was very hard to choose” said Lisa Comstock, director of the Connecticut Center for the Book. “We are confident that submissions this year will be exceptional as well.” Eligibility requirements for the 2018 Awards include: Authors and illustrators must currently reside in Connecticut and must have lived in the state at least three consecutive years or have been born in the state. Alternatively, the work may be substantially set in Connecticut. Titles must have been published for the first time between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, or have a copyright within 2017. All submitted books must have a valid ISBN. Anthologies are acceptable. Author(s) must currently reside in Connecticut and must have lived in the state at least three consecutive years or have been born in the state. Alternatively, the works must be substantially set in Connecticut. Books by deceased authors will be accepted only if the author was still living at the beginning of the eligibility year (January 1, 2017). The deadline for submission for the 2018 Connecticut Book Awards is April 20, 2018. Finalists will be announced in September and winners announced in October. For more information, visit: http://ctcenterforthebook.org/submission-guidelines/. Last year’s winners in each category include: Poetry: Fugitives by Danielle Pieratti; Lifetime Achievement for Literary Excellence to Gray Jacobik represented by The Banquet: New and Selected Poems; Young Readers: The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati; Nonfiction: Never Look an American in the Eye by Okey Ndibe; and in Fiction: Cajun Waltz by Robert H. Patton.  They followed in the footsteps of literary legends like Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Wallace Stevens – and more recently, Connecticut-connected authors such as Annie Proulx, Suzanne Collins, Elizabeth Gilbert, Maurice Sendak and Luanne Rice. Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and administers the Connecticut Center for the Book.  Established by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. Not eligible for the 2018 Connecticut Awards are reprints of books published in another year, eBooks, and books written by staff or families of Connecticut Center for the Book, Connecticut Humanities, or members or families of the CT Book Award review committee and/or its judges.

Public Access to State Government Data Would be Strengthened by Proposed Law

“If we want better government, we need better data.”  That succinct observation by Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, summed up the push for legislation that would codify in state law an “expectation of increased access to state government public data.” The proposal, House Bill 5172, supports the ongoing work of the State’s Open Data Initiative, which is currently maintained by the state Office of Policy and Management.  Riordan-Nold, in supportive testimony last week, said passage of the bill would be “an important step in institutionalizing the state’s commitment to public open data sharing.”  She noted that Connecticut has been a national leader in its commitment to open data, adding that passage of the bill was necessary to “continue the momentum.”

The Connecticut Data Collaborative works with state agency staff, nonprofit staff and community organizations.  Riordan-Nold said that “data users from all sectors across the state are hungry for unbiased, high quality public data,” pointing out that “the increased availability of public data from state agencies will not only aid many individuals, organizations and researchers in their daily work, it will also drive programming decisions, support funding opportunities and illuminate the health and well-being of our residents and municipalities.”

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo told the Government Administration Committee that “Making raw data regarding state agency performance and operations available to the public increases accountability. Access to data allows third parties in the public, including journalists and academics, to review and critique government performance, resulting in a more efficient and responsive government.”

Lembo added that passage of the bill would “affirm Connecticut’s commitment to open government. It allows existing transparency efforts to evolve and grow, providing easy access to public data while increasing government accountability and responsiveness.”  The Comptroller’s Office has a number of initiatives on its website that provide easy public access to data, and Lembo said passage of the bill would ensure that the data necessary for the sites would continue to be available to the public.

State Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz added that the bill “provides the confidence and volume of data that users require through the open access to the quality and unbiased public data that H.B. 5172 ensures.”  She said the bill “will allow for increased agency accountability and responsiveness in order to improve public knowledge of the state government and its operations, by safely providing timely data that the state makes easily accessible to the public.”

In his testimony before the committee, David Wilkinson, Commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, said “by advancing better data systems, customer feedback mechanisms, and outcomes-driven contracting, we will get smarter and spend smarter, becoming more cost-effective as we achieve better results.”  A recent report by Connecticut Voices for Children pointed out that “integrated data would improve reporting and decision making within agencies, but public access to data is also vital.”  The report also noted that “the state needs more holistic and actionable data on health and social determinants of health in order to work towards health equity.”

The bill would codify Governor Malloy’s Executive Order 39, signed in 2014, which requires executive branch agencies to regularly publish data that is of high value to the public.

On behalf of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving,  Research and Community Indicators Director Scott Gaul testified in support of the provisions in HB 5517  that would establish the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board and encouraged the state to involve philanthropy and nonprofits on the Board. In recent testimony before the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, the Foundation asked the Commission to prioritize the development and coordinate use of high-quality research and data to ensure that limited public and private resources support best practices and policies.

Marijuana, Cellphones May Increase Pedestrian Fatalities, Federal Report Suggests; Fewer Deaths in CT as 23 States See Increase

Connecticut is one of 20 states that saw a decline in the number of pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2017, as compared with the first half of the previous year.  The trend nationally, however, is in the opposite direction, as 23 states saw pedestrian deaths increase.  Seven states were virtually unchanged.  And the trend in recent years has also been a rising death toll. The number of pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent from 2007 to 2016, while at the same time, all other traffic deaths decreased by 14 percent. A new national study raises the possibility of a number of factors for the increase – an increase in the number of cars on the road, the increasing use of cell phones, and the use of marijuana, which has been legalized for recreational use in some states, including neighboring Massachusetts. The report suggests that it "provides an early look at potential traffic safety implications of increased access to recreational marijuana for drivers and pedestrians."

The Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) released a 38-page study this week estimating that just under 6,000 pedestrians lost their lives last year, essentially the same death toll as 2016. The projected total in both years represent the highest levels seen since 1990, Governing magazine reported.  The number of states with pedestrian fatality rates at or above 2.0 per 100,000 population has more than doubled, from seven in 2014 to 15 in 2016. From 2015 to 2016, pedestrian fatalities in the nation’s ten largest cities increased 28 percent (153 additional fatalities), according to the GHSA report.

The number of miles traveled by vehicles increased nationally by 2.8 percent between 2015 and 2016 then rose another 1.2 percent the first half of last year, according to Federal Highway Administration data  The GHSA report noted that nearly 6,000 pedestrians died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 and 2017, coming after a spike in the number of pedestrian deaths in 2015. "It has been more than 25 years since the U.S. experienced this level of pedestrian fatalities. Because both 2015 and 2016 saw large increases in pedestrian fatalities, the continuation of pedestrian fatalities at virtually the same pace in 2017 raises continued concerns about the nation’s alarming pedestrian death toll," the report stated.

“We’ve plateaued at a very bad place,” Richard Retting, who authored the report, told Governing. “This should not be a new normal.”

While pedestrian deaths have increased over the past decade, other types of traffic fatalities declined. Pedestrians accounted for 16 percent of all motor-vehicle related deaths in 2016, up from 11 percent in 2007. Federal data suggests nighttime collisions are a major problem -- three quarters of fatal crashes occurred after dark.

In Connecticut, there were 31 pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2016; 20 in the first half of 2017, a decrease of 35 percent. Connecticut was one of 11 states, 2014-2016, where 20 percent or more of the pedestrian deaths were among people age 70 or older.  Connecticut's pedestrian fatality rate in 2016 was 1.73 per 100,000 population, which ranked 20th in the U.S.  In the first half of 2017, the state ranked 31st.

Retting told Governing that he suspects cellphone use by drivers and pedestrians could also be a culprit. The GHSA report stated that "Without stating a direct correlation or claiming a definitive link, more recent factors contributing to the increase in pedestrian fatalities might include the growing number of state and local governments that have decriminalized recreational use of marijuana (which can impair judgment and reaction time for all road users), and the increasing use of smart phones (which can be a significant source of distraction for both drivers and pedestrians).

The total number of multimedia messages sent has more than tripled since 2010.  The report also suggests a possible link with marijuana use.  According to the report, the seven states (Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) and  DC that legalized recreational use of marijuana between 2012 and 2016 reported a collective 16.4 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities for the first six months of 2017 versus the first six months of 2016, whereas all other states reported a collective 5.8 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities.

One example cited is Washington state, where marijuana was legalized in late 2012 and the first dispensaries opened in mid-2014.  According to data from the Traffic Safety Commission, Governing reported, Washington state saw an increase in 2015 and 2016 in fatal crashes where THC, the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana, was present in blood tests of either the pedestrian or driver.

It was noted, however, that the totals, while higher, still remain relatively small. THC levels can be detected days or even weeks after marijuana use, and Washington state’s data also indicates that between 70 and 80 percent of drivers found to have THC also tested positive for alcohol or other drugs, according to that report.

The federal report also indicates that Connecticut DOT recently completed a statewide overhaul to replace old signage, including signs for pedestrian safety. "These are new, bright signs that are up to code," the report explained.  "The Highway Safety Office also launched an outreach and advertising campaign titled 'Watch for Me CT' which focuses primarily on pedestrian safety but also includes bicyclists."  Law enforcement training for this issue is currently being developed, the report said.

Nationally, there were 4,457 pedestrian fatalities in 2011 and 5,987 in 2016.  The data for the first half of 2017 is considered preliminary, and may rise higher as some state records are updated with additional data, the report indicated.

Hartford Region Coalition Embarks on Development of Economic Strategy

A coalition of prominent business, transportation and community development organizations in the Hartford Metropolitan Region has begun the process of taking a fresh look at its position in the global economy, with an eye toward taking advantage of economic opportunity. In announcing the initiative, the organizations noted that the region and the state have struggled to recover from the 2008 recession and that global, national, and local trends are reshaping the region’s economy. The state and many of the region’s 38 municipalities face increasingly difficult fiscal situations that hamper their ability to pursue projects that will lead to growth, officials said.

Recognizing that these trends, if left unaddressed, can dramatically impact the region, the organizations – the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG) and MetroHartford Alliance - will be working as an advisory committee to develop a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Hartford Metropolitan Region. The most recent strategy was developed in 2012, and a previous effort took place in 2006.

“This strategy will take a hard look at the region and identify and prioritize the most promising opportunities for creating lasting economic growth. This region is a leader in insurance, finance, and advanced manufacturing; we need to build on these strengths to encourage the kind of growth that will lead to lasting fiscal stability,” said Jim Scannell, Senior Vice President, Administrative Services, at Travelers and co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.

The effort gets underway with new leadership at the helm at a number of the organizations, which may impact the perspective along the way, if not the final results.  Led by the CRCOG, and longtime Executive Director Lyle Wray, the initiative is in partnership with the Hartford Foundation, where President Jay Williams, a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and mayor of Youngstown, OH relocated to the region last year, and the MetroHartford Alliance, which hired David Griggs, mostly recently leading economic development efforts in Minneapolis-St.Paul as its new President and CEO.  Williams joins Scannell as co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.

The consulting firm of Fourth Economy Consulting has been hired to help the region complete a situational assessment and develop “game changer” initiatives to serve as the core of a new economic development strategy. Fourth Economy, based in Pittsburgh, recently worked with the 100 Resilient Cities initiative to help cities around the world become more resilient to economic changes.

The process will be led by an advisory committee comprised of representatives of businesses, governments, educational institutions and non-profits throughout the region. A smaller working group, comprised of partner organizations like the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, will work closely with the consulting team and the advisory committee to develop a regional vision and turn it into an actionable plan.

Four primary tasks have been identified for the initiative:

• Goal-Setting: Build consensus around the need for accelerating inclusive/equitable economic growth; that is raising incomes across the income distribution with particular attention to opportunities for engaging those who have often been left behind.
• Situational Analysis: Do a clear-eyed assessment of our situation: who, what, where to identify opportunities that we should be pursuing as a metropolitan region (i.e., SWOT with an emphasis on context and opportunities).
• Strategic Planning: Formulate a limited number of “game changer” strategies that will move the trajectory of inclusive economic growth in the right direction.
• Capacity-Building: Identify organizational forms and collaborations that we will need to implement and sustain the strategies over time.

During this process the Advisory Committee will also identify potential partner organizations and set up an organizational structure to implement the initiatives.  A final strategy report is due next winter.  CRCOG has set up a website that already includes key resources, and will be updated as the work proceeds during the year.

“There is only one way our region will achieve equitable and sustainable economic growth.  We must eschew the past squabbles and divisions that have kept us mired in anemic progress,” said Jay Williams, president of the Hartford Foundation and co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.  “If we commit to a bold, collaborative, and pragmatic approach, we can develop a roadmap to capitalize on the enormous talent and multiple assets our region possesses.  I’ve seen the success of this approach in other parts of the country and there is absolutely no reason it can’t occur here, unless we lack the collective will to make it happen.”

Similar efforts occur throughout the state led by various economic development regions. The WestCOG Region’s first Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) was developed throughout 2017.  WestCOG includes 18 towns in the Stamford - Norwalk - Danbury region of the state.  Public comment on the draft plan was solicited last fall.

The state’s South Central Connecticut region, centered around New Haven, undertook a similar effort in 2013, which has been updated annually. The Strategic Planning Committee and sector subcommittees have been established for 2018, and are currently gathering data and input from community stakeholders, according to the website for that region’s economic strategy planning initiative. It is led by Economic Development Corporation of New Haven,  a private, non-profit organization, dedicated to business and economic development within the city of New Haven and REX Development, which was formed as the economic development entity for the fifteen towns served by the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG).

Of the Hartford region’s CEDS initiative, East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc, the Chair of the CRCOG Policy Board said “Our metropolitan region needs to competitively position itself for the future in relation to other regions in the country, as well as globally. To do that we need to take a hard look at our current situation and our opportunities.”

CT Saves Week Focuses on Individual Finances (Not State Finances)

When the Legislative Office Building hosts a Financial Education Expo on Wednesday as part of Connecticut Saves Week, there may be more than one passerby suggesting that legislators pay particular attention, given that the state budget has been perpetually out-of-balance in recent years. The Expo, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is open to the public.  Connecticut Saves Week, which runs through March 3, is part of America Saves Week, which began in 2007.

In addition to the expo at the State Capitol complex, there are three financial action workshops this week at American Job Centers around the state, with a focus on setting financial goals, reducing expenses and improving credit. They are being held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday in Hamden, 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Bridgeport and 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday in Hartford.

UConn Extension will also be holding a Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck workshop series at its New Haven County Extension Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 5 and March 12 (The first of three sessions was held on Feb. 26).

“These workshops are designed to help individuals and their families take charge of their educational and career goals by providing budgetary guidance that will lead to future success,” said state Labor Commissioner Scott D. Jackson. “Whether the plan is to purchase tuition and books, buy a car to get to work, or start a savings plan, the end goal is improving economic security and employment opportunities for our residents.”

According to a May 2016 report from the Federal Reserve, 46 percent of adults surveyed said they could not cover an emergency expense costing $400.  Results from the 2015 FINRA Investor Education Foundation US Financial Capability Study indicate that among Connecticut residents, 48 percent do not have emergency funds, 52 percent have not set aside money for children’s college education, and 18 percent are spending more than their income. Financial literacy is offered in some Connecticut schools, but it is not required by the state for high school graduation.

Chris Lee, president of Connecticut JumpStart, a local nonprofit that works to get financial literacy into schools, told WNPR in December 2017 that a part of the state’s budget problem might be because lawmakers aren't very financially literate, the news station reported.

"I've always said I think a lot of members of the House and Senate both need to take some financial literacy courses and get some background in it before they go in to do some budget talks just to understand how all this stuff works," Lee told WNPR. "They don't understand financial literacy and they don't understand why it's important."

A financial literacy survey of high school and college students in Fairfield and New Haven counties and surrounding areas conducted last year showed 29 percent of local young adults do not have checking accounts or regularly use only cash, highlighting the need for expanded financial literacy education.  The survey was conducted by Stamford-based Patriot Bank.

An online “pledge” is available for interested individuals that will trigger periodic information, advice, tips, and reminders sent by email or text message, designed “to help you reach your savings goal, ” according to the CT Saves website.

The Connecticut Saves campaign encourages residents to assess their savings and save automatically to achieve financial goals. It is coordinated by UConn Extension and partners that include the Connecticut Department of Banking; the Connecticut Department of Labor; Connecticut State Library; Hartford Job Corps Academy; People’s United Bank; Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc.; Connecticut Association for Human Services; the Better Business Bureau Servicing Connecticut; Chelsea Groton Bank; and Community Renewal Team.