States Under Pressure to Raise Gas Tax to Support Infrastructure Repair

In nearly two-thirds of states, state-imposed fuel taxes have not kept up with inflation for two decades, according to a Governing analysis of state gas tax data reported to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is forcing legislators around the country to consider raising gas taxes or exploring other ways to increase transportation spending, as Congressional action on adjusting the federal portion of the gas tax to meet infrastructure needs remains stalled. As Connecticut – with among the nation’s highest gas taxes - contemplates embarking on a decades-long comprehensive transportation infrastructure upgrade, how to fund the likely record-setting fiscal requirements has been assigned to a task force to consider and propose recommendations.  Earlier this month, Michigan voters resoundingly defeated a measure -- 80 percent voted “no” -- to hike gas taxes and make many other changes to boost state transportation spending, Governing reported. Last fall, Massachusetts voters recinded (with 53% of the vote) a law that would have automatically tied gas tax rates to inflation.  The law had been passed by the state legislature in 2013. 

Connecticut’s gas tax, increased most recently by about 4 cents per gallon in July 2013, based on legislation approved previously – a step not taken by many other states in recent years. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reported earlier this year that 22 states hadn’t raised their gas taxes in more than a decade, according to Governing.  Connecticut is not among them.

At the federal level, the gas tax was last increased in 1993. Since then, inflation, fuel-efficient vehicles and changing driving habits are all undermining the per-gallon charges that are the country’s main source for transportation funding to repair roads, bridges, and related infrastructure.  In most states, just as nationally, those problems grow because lawmakers rarely adjust fuel taxes, Governing noted. Connecticut, as other states, has also seen funds derived from the gas tax diverted from transportation-related purposes through the years, adversely impacting the status of transportation infrastructure.

In January, USA Today and 24/7 Wall Street reported that Connecticut’s state fuel tax of 43.2 cents per gallon was the fifth highest in the nation, and as a percentage of the gas price, the state was third highest.  At the time, Connecticut’s gas price was the sixth highest in the nation.  Gas prices nationwide and in Connecticut have risen since January, and Connecticut continues to rank near the top of most gas price surveys.

In Connecticut, the inflation-adjusted change is a reduction of in the value of the dollars provided by the tax of 32.6 percent since 2000 and 22.3 percent since 1994, according to the Governing analysis, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.  Earlier this year, Governor Malloy announced a two-part transportation plan consisting of a five-year ramp-up that utilizes $10 billion capital funding, and leads up to a 30-year vision utilizing $100 billion in funding.  The Transportation Finance Panel he appointed to  recommend options the state can utilize to finance the infrastructure transformation is due to report this summer (see members below).

The federal government’s 18.4-cent gasoline tax brought in a fifth less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, in 2013 than in 1993, Governing reported. The federal government’s buying power peaked in 1994, immediately following its gas tax hike. The purchasing power of states fuel taxes peaked five years later, in 1999. In 37 states, inflation-adjusted revenues from fuel taxes slipped since 2000.

At the federal level, fuel taxes have been flat for more than 20 years, starving the Highway Trust Fund of revenue used for rising infrastructure repair costs, according to Reuters.  According to Forbes, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that in 2024 alone the Highway Trust Fund will spend $18 billion more than it brings in, Forbes has reported. The CBO estimates the cumulative shortfall over the next decade will top $160 billion.

A year ago, when gas prices nationwide were at their lowest levels in years, Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut proposed raising federal gasoline and diesel taxes by 12 cents a gallon over two years– to bring the tax where it would have been had it kept up with inflation for the past two decades.  As in the past, the prospect of a federal tax increase in the gas tax – even to address needed transportation infrastructure repairs – did not gain significant support.

At the time, it was estimated that American drivers pay an average of $94 a year to access over 11,618 miles of highways, roads and bridges.  Based on data from the Government accountability Office, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association pointed out that “with a growing number of potholes, cracked roads and traffic jams plaguing America, we need a common-sense and responsible way to pay for improving our infrastructure.”

The Governor’s Transportation Finance Panel, appointed earlier this spring, includes:

• Cameron Staples (Chair): President and CEO, New England Association of Schools and Colleges; Former Co-Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, Connecticut General Assembly
• Beth Osborne: Senior Policy Advisor, Transportation for America; Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation
• William Bonvillian: Director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Washington, D.C. Office
• Joan Carty: President and CEO, Housing Development Fund
• Bert Hunter: Chief Investment Officer, Connecticut Green Bank
• Oz Griebel: President and CEO, MetroHartford Alliance
• Paul Timpanelli: President and CEO, Bridgeport Regional Business Council
• Stanley Mickus: Marketing and Public Affairs, Cross Sound Ferry Services
• Emil Frankel: Consultant on transportation policy; Former Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation (1991-1995); Former Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation (2002-2005)

CT Among Worst States For Business, Chief Executive Survey Says

Connecticut dropped one slot closer to the bottom of the list in this year’s Best & Worst States for Business, ranked by Chief Executive magazine’s survey of more than 500 CEOs nationwide.  The state was ranked 45^th this year, down from #44 a year ago. Connecticut’s Northeast neighbors were mostly in the same neighborhood on the rankings list, with New York (#49), New Jersey (#47), and Massachusetts (#46) also in the bottom ten, along with Vermont, ranked #41.  In the middle of the pack, Maine was ranked #30 and New Hampshire was #21.

According to Chief Executive, which is published in Greenwich, the results of the 11th annual survey show that CEOs favor states with progressive business development programs, low taxes and a quality living environment.  States are measured across three key categories to achieve their overall ranking: Taxes and regulations, quality of the workforce, and living environment, which includes such considerations as quality of education, cost of living, affordable housing, social amenities and crime rates.

The top ranked states were Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada and Arizona.  Texas and Florida were also ranked one-two last year.  Texas has topped the list for a decade.  Tennessee and North Carolina traded places from a year ago. 

Among the CEO comments highlighted by the publication:  “A difficult tax structure like the ones in New York or Connecticut makes incentive-giving easy, but penalizes existing businesses. The climate for coming is better than the climate for staying.”

Of a maximum five stars in the CEO ratings, Connecticut received 1.5 for Taxation and Regulations, 3.0 for Workforce Quality and 3.0 for Living Environment.  The data used in determining the states' rankings included state GDP for 2013 vs. 2012, the unemployment rate in December 2014, state debt per capita in 2013, and state-local tax burden.  Key companies in the state highlighted by the website reporting of the survey include General Electric Company, Xerox Company, Aetna Corporation, The Hartford, and Stanley Black & Decker.

Indiana ranked first in the Midwest and sixth nationwide as the best place to do business. It was the only Midwestern state ranked in the top 10.  Among neighboring states, Kentucky ranked 28th, Ohio ranked 22nd, Michigan ranked 43rd and Illinois ranked 49th.  Among the largest moves up the list were Idaho (from #28 to #18), Pennsylvania (from #42 to #35), Iowa (from #19 to #13) and Maine (#36 to #30).

Chief Executive magazine is a bi-monthly publication for top management executives published by the Chief Executive Group LLC., founded in 1977, and headquartered in Greenwich.  According to the publication, state governments use the survey results to help determine how to improve their regulatory environments to attract more businesses, while corporations use the data to decide where to build facilities and attract vibrant workforces.

Last fall, Connecticut economic development officials and leading companies were featured in videos touting the state's efforts to attract and retain businesses.

https://youtu.be/sqNs8aaWpd0

https://youtu.be/CmDCxvRIC3I

Aging Issues in CT Highlighted for White House Conference

When the White House Conference on Aging is held later this year, there will be no shortage of anecdotal stories accompanied by demographic information, comprehensive reports and recommendations, and a treasure-trove of data emanating from Connecticut, with the nation's 7th oldest population.  Officials received a preview this week at a public hearing that included these sit-up-and-take-notice items:

• Connecticut is undergoing a “permanent and historic transformation” in its demographics
• Between 2010 and 2040, Connecticut’s population of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by 57%, with less than 2% growth for people age 20 to 64 during the same period
• Residents born in Connecticut today can expect to live to be 80.8 years old—the third highest life expectancy in the nation.
• In Connecticut’s 65 to 69 year-old age group, 39% are in the labor force, as are 21% of Connecticut residents aged 70–74, and 7% of those 75 years and over. These rates are among the highest in the country

Those were among the facts highlighted by Julia Evans Starr, Executive Director of Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging, which also explained that Connecticut, with the nation’s 7^th oldest population, will see that population grow dramatically in the coming decade.  By 2025, virtually every town in Connecticut will have 20 percent or more of its residents over age 65 – the largest percentage in state history. 

The White House Conference on Aging is held every 10 years, and has served as a key platform for the development of aging policy for the past 50 years.  Organizers are now holding a series of regional public forums around the country.  New England’s session will be in Boston later this month, and the testimony presented at the Connecticut State Capitol, in a forum sponsored by the state Department of Aging and the Legislative Committee on Aging, will be passed on to officials there.

Among those speaking in Hartford were Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, State Aging Department Commissioner Betsy Ritter, and George Kuchel, Director of UConn’s Center on Aging.  AARP Connecticut Director Nora Duncan and Chris Fishbein of the Area Agencies on Aging also provided presentations.

Wyman, noting that life span is increasing, said "we have quantity of life, we want to make sure there is a quality of life."  In a theme that was repeated by others during the session, Wyman said that "we can change the way people are viewing people who are aging."

Nora Duncan, state director of AARP-CT, said the organization's focus will be on short-term actions that can have a more immediate impact, such as preventing exploitation, fraud and scams and providing information on financial products and improving retirement security.  Rose Biaggi of the state Department of Public Health pointed to the health disparities among the aging population, noting that 60% of older adults with the highest incomes indicate that their health is very good or excellent, while only one-quarter of those with lowest income feel that their health is very good or excellent.

Kuchel, who suggested that the nation may be at a “tipping point” regarding a national policy on aging, said the future focus needs to be:

• Proactive: There must be a focus on prevention and improvements in health and function across the lifespan.
• Predictive: We need tools to predict individual risk, target therapies and monitor success of interventions.
• Personalized: We must address differences at the level of each individual and time point in life as regards personal aging trajectories.
• Gerontology: Health care must always be defined by patient needs first, driven by science and supported by evidence

Common themes that have begun to emerge nationwide as the hearings have progressed, according to officials, include: how to ensure we prepare for financial needs in retirement; how to remain healthy as we age; what types of services and supports can help older Americans remain independent in the community as we age; and how to support this care and the caregivers who provided it; and how to protect older Americans from financial exploitation, abuse and neglect.

The co-chairs of the legislature’s Committee on Aging, Sen. Mae Flexer and Rep. Joe Serra, were to lead the session, with Flexer noting that “Older individuals want to remain in Connecticut and be active, independent members of their community.  How we accomplish this, how we fund it, what services we need to have in place – these are some of the questions we are seeking input on today.”

In testimony provided to the committee, the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women indicated “women, who make up 58% of residents age 65 and over, are disproportionally impacted by economic insecurity as they age and are therefore much more likely to live in poverty than their male counterparts. In fact, 10.7% of women age 65 and over live in poverty compared with 6.2% of men.” PCSW also cited data that found Connecticut women are more likely to work in part-time jobs that don’t qualify for a retirement plan.

The legislative Commission on Aging also pointed out that “the comparatively low rate of older adults in poverty (8 percent) provides evidence that programs like Social Security and Medicare have been extremely effective at reducing poverty among this population and serves as a testament that these programs warrant continued support and modernization.”  Federal officials have noted that this year’s White House Conference on Aging takes place as the nation marks the 50^th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80^th anniversary of Social Security.

CT-N coverage of the Connecticut forum on May 5, 2015.

Bigelow Tea Takes On Flavor of Girl Scout Cookies

Fairfield-based Bigelow Tea, celebrating its 70^th year of operation as a family-owned company, has teamed with the Girls Scouts of the USA in a licensing agreement that has put the popular Thin Mints and Caramel & Coconut cookie flavors in teas on shelves across the country. The teas are marketed as gluten free, sugar free and Kosher-certified and will be available for a limited time only, according to company officials. Bigelow produces 1.7 billion tea bags annually in 130 flavors, the company reported. Bigelow, which is privately held, employs 350 people in Fairfield; Boise, Idaho; and Louisville, Kentucky; as well as its Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina.

Bigelow President and CEO Cindi Bigelow is a former Girl Scout. “Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout,” she said in a statement. “As a proud Girl Scout alumna, our two new tea temptations reflect the Bigelow Tea blenders’ never-ending quest to delight consumers with up-to-the-minute flavor innovations in a way that’s very special to me.”

Only about 5 percent of companies nationwide have female CEOs, including Cindy Bigelow, who has been involved with the family business in one way or another since she was a teenager.  Bigelow, who represents the third generation in her family to run the business, said it's the personal touch that keeps the company successful.  The company was founded in 1945 by Cindi Bigelow's grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow.

“These delicious teas are made possible by a licensing arrangement with Girl Scouts of the USA and combine the renowned flavor blending expertise of the Bigelow Tea Co. with the time-honored exciting Girl Scout Cookie flavors we all know and love,” the company said. The company-suggested price is $3.99 per 20-bag box.

The Thin Mint tea “delivers the perfectly balanced mint and chocolate flavor of the Girl Scouts’ famous Thin Mints cookies” and the Caramel & Coconut tea is described as a “black tea blend offering a delectable taste combination of luscious caramel and coconut,” the company explained.

Tea has been increasing in popularity, and now ranks as the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A.  The wholesale value of tea sold in the U.S. grew from less than $2 billion in 1990 to more than $10 billion today.  Bigelow has about $150 million in annual sales, according to a company news release, but it claims 24 percent market share in the specialty teas category, making it the industry leader.

As CEO, Cindy Bigelow initiated the Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge that has donated over $1 million to local charities and participates in volunteer projects that include Habitat for Humanity’s Adopt-a-Home program. Under her leadership, the company was one of the first in Connecticut to install solar panels to offset energy usage, and she has implemented other innovations that have earned Bigelow Tea the distinction of being a Zero Waste to Landfill company.  Over the past several years, the company reports it has reduced our energy consumption by over 2.5 million kWh in the Fairfield plant through energy efficiency measures, resulting in a savings of over 2.7 million pounds of carbon, or the equivalent of planting 41 million trees.

As a family owned company for three generations, Bigelow Tea’s company culture includes a commitment to sustainability and fair business practices, "not only here at home but around the world.  That’s why we’re proud to be part of the Ethical Tea Partnership, an organization that works with tea growers to establish methods for responsible conservation of the world’s tea fields and improve the lives of the beautiful people who work the," the company website points out.

https://youtu.be/6xQVEtve_d4

Portions of this story originally appeared in the Fairfield County Business Journal

State Tourism Front and Center in Connecticut with Conference, Television Ads

Connecticut may be facing tough budgetary decisions, but unlike a handful of years ago when tourism promotional efforts were virtually eliminated in the midst of a recession, the state’s tourism initiatives are gaining renewed attention. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Office of Tourism will host a 2015 statewide tourism conference for industry professionals in the state’s leisure, hospitality and tourism sector on May 12.  The all-day Connecticut Governor’s Conference on Tourism will run from 8 am to 4 pm at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

The goal of the conference is to bring together professionals from every aspect of Connecticut’s tourism industry — including hotels, restaurants, casinos, tourist attractions, entertainment venues, historic sites, and cultural and arts institutions — to share best practices and learn from national tourism and travel experts.  The statewide conference is managed by the DECD Connecticut Office of Tourism in partnership with the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau.

This day-long industry conference will feature speakers presenting the latest research and best practices, sessions for industry professionals, an overview of the state’s higher education resources,  a focus on New York City meeting planners, experts on capturing a share of the international tourist market, ways to maximize use of social media, Tourism Awards for outstanding industry leaders, and an array of workshops on areas including mobile marketing and group bus tours, as well as an exhibition of the most innovative products and services in the tourism sector, according to state officials. Cost for the conference is $99, for industry professionals.

In addition, the conference will feature a special report on the results of the state’s still revolutionary campaign over the last three years. The keynote speaker will be Peter Yesawich of MMGY Global, a travel marketing expert who will share research-driven insights about the very latest trends in the travel industry and how they can affect Connecticut’s tourism efforts.

Traveler spending of $8.3 billion generated $14 billion in economic activity statewide in 2013, according to a study released recently by the office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.  The study shows funds generated directly, through traveler spending, or indirectly, as employees, businesses and other beneficiaries turned around and paid for goods and services. Travelers to Connecticut destinations spent 3.0% more in 2013 than in 2012.  Of all Connecticut travelers in 2013, nearly two-thirds were day travelers (66%). The tourism sector supported more than 118,500 jobs in 2013, according to a recent state report.

The state’s tourism efforts are also quite visible on television, with a series of promotional commercials highlighting various attractions in the state.  Standard Directors, a Greenwich-based live action production company, is producing a series of six on-air commercials for the Connecticut Office of Tourism, working in conjunction with Avon ad agency Adams & Knight.

The campaign features six spots across the state that highlight Connecticut’s small towns, parks, beaches, vineyards and sightseeing attractions. Standard Directors was founded in 2013 and creates commercials for local, state and national companies and agencies. Among the attractions featured in the commercials are Silverman’s Farm in Easton, Mystic Aquarium, Craig Castle in Meriden and Hartford Stage.

“This campaign is entirely location driven, pairing two locations in the state that can be visited in one day, without having to travel too far, by families, couples and friends,” said Brian Bennhoff, partner and executive producer, Standard Directors, and a New Canaan resident. “We spent a lot of time … selecting beautiful locations that represent the state.”  Philip McIntyre, a Greenwich resident and partner in Standard Directors, said the majority of the 20-plus person crew were local hires and all 19 actors were local talent. Editing, he said, was done both at Standard Directors’ office on West Putnam Avenue and at Palace Production Center in South Norwalk, according to the Fairfield Business Journal.

Lead sponsors for the Tourism Conference on May 12 include Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Waterford Hotel Group and the Connecticut Convention Center.

https://youtu.be/JHSPwk-Y4RM

https://youtu.be/jINU9kBKOrM

Connecticut Has Most Disengaged Employees; State Tied for Last Place in Gallup Survey

Actively disengaged employees are not just unhappy at work, these employees undermine the accomplishments of their engaged coworkers. They monopolize managers' time, account for more quality defects and quit at a higher rate than engaged employees. No state in the nation has more actively disengaged workers than Connecticut, according to a new two-year survey by the Gallup organization, for the period January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.

There is a four-way tie between Connecticut, New York, Michigan and Kentucky for the highest percentage of actively disengaged workers – 21 percent in each state, according to the Gallup survey. Residents of South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska and Vermont reported the lowest percentages of actively disengaged workers, each with less than 15 percent. The national average for 2013-2014 was 18 percent active disengagement.

On the other side of the ledger, workers in Montana (39%), followed closely by those in Mississippi (37%) and Louisiana (36%), had the highest levels of employee engagement in 2013 and 2014. With 22 percent of workers engaged, the District of Columbia had the lowest employee engagement, followed by New York, Minnesota and Connecticut. Nationally, 31 percent of workers were engaged during this time period.

Gallup identifies workers as engaged, not engaged or actively disengaged based on their responses to items that assess key workplace elements found to predict important business outcomes.

• Engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace. Day after day, they are passionate about their jobs and feel a profound connection to their company. They are more productive, drive innovation and promote organizational growth.
• Not engaged employees are essentially "checked out." They demonstrate less concern about customers, productivity and profitability. They do not own or feel passionately about their work.
• Actively disengaged employees are not just unhappy at work; these employees undermine the accomplishments of their engaged coworkers. They monopolize managers' time, account for more quality defects and quit at a higher rate than engaged employees.

In its analysis, Gallup points out that “Active disengagement tends to be more highly related to labor market trends such as unemployment, underemployment and letting people go.” Previous Gallup research has indicated that employees in very small companies (fewer than 10 employees) have higher rates of engagement and lower rates of active disengagement – which Gallup suggests may be related to the psychological ownership and autonomy that is often present in small companies.

Rates of unemployment and underemployment are also associated with variation in engagement, Gallup’s analysis points out. Recent employment statistics and overall U.S. workforce trends suggest that active disengagement has declined in line with decreases in unemployment and underemployment.  Connecticut’s economic recovery has lagged, although the number of jobs created has steadily climbed.

Clueless: Many College Students Don’t Understand How Much Debt They’re Accumulating

With much public attention focused on the increasing costs of college education and the ever-growing levels of student loan debt saddling graduates of higher education institutions, recent research into what students understand – or don’t understand - about their debt is raising some concern. A significant share of undergraduate college students, it turns out, do not realize how much they are paying for college or how much debt they are taking on to do so.  That is the conclusion of a study of college students’ awareness of their level of debt as they accumulate various loans to pay for their higher education.

The report, by Brookings Institution, found that “about half of all first-year students in the U.S. seriously underestimate how much student debt they have, and less than one-third provide an accurate estimate within a reasonable margin of error.”

Surprisingly, among students with federal loans, 28 percent reported having no federal debt and 14 percent said they didn’t have any student debt at all, the researchers found. “Enrolled college students,” the report says, “do not have a firm grasp on their financial positions, including both the price they are paying for matriculation and the debt they are accruing.”

Improving the college search process by making college costs more transparent to potential students and their families has been a primary focus of recent higher education policy efforts, the Brookings report points out. “But the importance of this information does not end at the university gates,” the report states.

In the analysis, study authors Elizabeth Akers and Matthew Chingos of the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings find that:

• Only a bare majority of respondents (52 percent) at a selective public university were able to correctly identify (within a $5,000 range) what they paid for their first year of college. The remaining students underestimate (25 percent), overestimate (17 percent), or say they don't know (seven percent).
• About half of all first-year students in the U.S. (based on nationally representative data) seriously underestimate how much student debt they have, and less than one-third provide an accurate estimate within a reasonable margin of error. The remaining quarter of students overestimate their level of federal debt.
• Among all first-year students with federal loans, 28 percent reported having no federal debt and 14 percent said they didn’t have any student debt at all.

The report suggests that without a solid understanding of the financial situation, “it’s unlikely that students will be able to make savvy decisions regarding enrollment, major selection, persistence, and employment. Without knowledge of their financial circumstances, a student with a large sum of debt might be unprepared to compete for the jobs that would pay generously enough to allow them to repay their debt without having to enter an income-based repayment program.”

The report also concludes by noting that “many students look back on their educational experiences with some regret about the financial circumstances. Some wish they had not gone to college in the first place, while others wish they had borrowed less or earned a different degree. The lack of literacy about the personal finances of college going is almost certainly leading some students into decisions that they later come to regret. The problem with the lack of financial savvy among enrolled college students is that the consequences of their decisions come as a surprise to them once it’s too late.”

The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions.  The mission of the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings is to bring rigorous empirical analysis to bear on education policy in the United States. The primary activities of the Brown Center are based on quantitative social science, and are responsive to the immediate interests and needs of those who participate in policymaking.

Ten Innovative Economic Development Plans Due This Month in Hartford’s Strong Cities Challenge

As one of three cities selected as part of a competitive process to participate in the Strong Cities Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative under the auspices of the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Hartford has 10 teams of economic development innovators coming down the home stretch in developing and outlining their inventive economic development proposals. The EDA-funded SC2 Hartford Challenge, launched 14 months ago, is in its final phase. Ten multidisciplinary teams of finalists are working on plans aimed at helping to establish Hartford as a “city for entrepreneurs.” The U.S. Economic Development Administration notes that the goal of the SC2 Hartford Challenge is to generate economic development plans that “both leverage local assets and compliment larger trends and opportunities.”

City and community leaders will judge the plans and choose six winners who will share $800,000 in prize money, with the top plan receiving $500,000. The City of Hartford and the EDA will jointly own the winning plans and be able to implement the ideas—both in Hartford and in other cities around the country. Plans are due this week, with six winners to be announced in May.  Funds for the winning plans are provided by EDA.

The two other cities selected — Greensboro, N.C. and Las Vegas — opted to focus on a single project or hire a consulting firm. Hartford officials preferred to provide area residents with an opportunity to create locally-driven proposals and created an open competition, which initially saw 58 teams developing plans, which were then winnowed down to a top 10 last fall.

The most recent descriptions highlighting the teams’ respective economic development plans include:

Hartford.Health.Works (HHW) is an industry-led collaboration with the mission to increase the number of good quality jobs in Hartford by fostering healthcare technology development and manufacturing. To attract existing med tech companies and foster new companies, HHW is creating a FDA-approved, ISO-certified medical device prototyping and manufacturing plant in Hartford and implementing targeted programs to improve access to: A) expertise; B) capital; and C) markets. HHW is also developing biomedical engineering and precision manufacturing education and job training programs at the K-12, college, and graduate school levels. HHW founding partners include: Rising-Tide Health Care, BEACON, and Movia Robotics.

Choose Hartford is a comprehensive initiative to scale up businesses that will create a sustainable regional economy with long-term growth prospects and jobs. The plan aims to increase access to innovative capital options along with an across-the-board effort to ensure collaboration of local, regional, state and federal partners to create the best entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.

It’s All Here is an asset based economic development model which will build wealth and raise incomes in all of Hartford’s neighborhoods. The team believes that self-employment and small business ownership is the best way to build a new future for all of the city’s residents. Lasting, sustainable economic development has to be built on the talents of city residents, giving access and visibility to new markets and service providers using an interactive website, a multi-lingual call center, physical market locations, and turnkey digital street signage.

Made in Hartford is an entrepreneurial ecosystem to empower Hartford’s community. With a culture of innovation, tradition of industrial adaptation, and healthy urban core, Hartford is ripe for attracting and retaining entrepreneurs. The plan recommends coordinated, strategic actions that will work in tandem with existing investments to provide a sustainable ecosystem for first-time and serial entrepreneurs. Central to this ecosystem is ‘Made-in-Hartford’, a seed accelerator that will cultivate industries and businesses through incubation, mentoring, equity-capital and partnerships. Made-in-Hartford targets Hartford’s established industry clusters and human capital to spark much-needed economic diversification, and at its maturity ancillary initiatives will incentivizing successful entrepreneurs to reinvest in this entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing about an economic renaissance.

Team Fotofiction: For those of us in the business of innovation, our mantra is: Think outside the box. Unconventional success isn’t born with conventional thinking. Game-changing, outside-the-box ideas often emerge from the most unexpected places. Re-purposing shipping containers is innovative and cutting edge, yet not unproven. From Los Angeles to New Zealand, these containers are being used for a variety of new purposes. The FRATE concept: to create an urban community, where people will live, work, dine and shop in a dynamic, trend-setting environment constructed entirely of modified shipping containers. FRATE thinks inside the box. FRATE is that game changer.

Solutionists focuses on remediating the economic environment that qualified Hartford for the SC2 Challenge, viewing the task as developing a strategy that will result in increased employment opportunities for Hartford residents -- now, and in the future. The plan embraces Social Enterprise and Collective Impact strategies by creating an ecosystem of spirit, policy and financial incentives that encourage and support Social Entrepreneurs in their efforts to start and grow the types of businesses that will produce desired results for Hartford and the Region.

#lovehartford will implement low cost interventions that promote economic development, foster social interactions, and support changing transportation dynamics founded on the growing demand for affordable urban environments that support the sharing economy and reduce reliance on the private automobile. Short-term projects include the demonstration of open streets with pop-up markets and food trucks. Longer-term projects include a bike share system and support for other evolving transportation technology, like the driverless car. #lovehartford will offer micro-loans to grow small business, and will look to provide locations that include creative placemaking through murals, public art, and other cultural programming.

Also among the ten competitors are Entrepreneur Foundation, community bootstrapping through entrepreneurship; Made at Swift, a food-driven innovation cluster to create jobs and improve population health; and CJM Innovations, fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem for students and young professionals.

Major New Academic, Residence Facilities Opening At State University Campuses

Years in the making, a number of major new facilities are in the midst of coming on  line at Connecticut's four state universities - Central, Eastern, Southern and Western - that are part of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system administered by the Board of Regents for Higher Education.  The facilities include a library, residence hall, classroom building, performing arts instructional centers, and a science and laboratory building, among other new and renovated facilities. At Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, students now have a first-rate, 21st century library in which to study, conduct research and meet with their friends and classmates, the university announced this week. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the “new” Buley Library was held April 20. The event marked the completion of the $31 million project that renovated the original wing of the building. A 12,000-square-foot area that will serve as an atrium has been added to the older 98,000-square-foot wing as part of the project. When combined with the 135,000-square-foot addition that was completed in 2008, the library now encompasses 245,000 square feet.

“This truly is an exciting and energizing time for Southern because we are gaining the physical resources to prepare our students for success in the 21st century knowledge-based economy,” said SCSU President Mary A. Papazian. “The students already have claimed this library as their own.”

Among the other amenities in the four-story complex is a “learning commons”-- an area on the first floor that includes a computer lab, lounge seating, email stations, a reference help desk and an IT help desk. The library houses space for media collections and special collections, on the ground floor. Three classrooms, two computer teaching labs, a seminar room and a conference room also are part of the new Buley.  In addition, a cyber café and a Student Success Center that includes tutoring rooms, a computer lab and conference space are scheduled to open in the fall.

At Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, there is a Fall 2015 target date for completion of a new on-campus residence hall and food services dining facility. That will follow by just two years the opening of a major new classroom building on the CCSU campus.  The four-story academic building houses classes and faculty offices for the sociology, history, anthropology, geography and political science departments, according to university officials.  It includes 17 classrooms, five seminar rooms, seven labs and 71 offices for faculty and administrators.  Now completing construction at the corner of Harold Lewis Drive and Ella Grasso Boulevard, the new $82.3 million, eight-story 220,000 square foot residence hall "will keep CCSU in the vanguard of higher education in operations and facilities," points out CCSU President Jack Miller, noting its ideal fit into the university's strategic plan for the recruitment and retention of new students.

Opening this fall on the campus of Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic is a Fine Arts Instructional Center - a 118,000 square foot building that will contain three main performance venues; an auditorium; a procenium theater and a black box theater.    In addition to the performance spaces there will be instructional labs and other spaces in support of the Performing Arts Department.   There will be design studios for the Visual Arts Department including Printmaking, Sculpture, Painting and Drawing. The building will also have three general purpose classrooms and a gallery.  Construction  has been underway for the past two years.

The new residence hall at CCSU will be the school’s tenth, and the largest on any of the four Connecticut state university campuses, according to CCSU officials. Features include over 600 beds, a 2,000 square foot fitness facility, a kitchenette on each floor, a large kitchen and living room on the main floor, and will house approximately 150 suite-style rooms, each with a living room and bathroom shared by four students. Each floor will also have a computer room, a game room and group study rooms and alcoves for one-on-one studying and socializing.  Construction is also scheduled to begin soon on a new food services dining facility located near the north end of campus near the existing residence halls.  The planned $10.3 million, 22,000 square ft. food services dining facility will include areas for food preparation, serving, and accommodate dining for approximately 1,200 residents.

Renovations are also underway at Willard and DiLoreto Halls at CCSU, among the oldest academic buildings on campus. The $61,085,000 project calls for both of the academic buildings to be completely renovated, including the development of a new main entrance with elevators, bathroom facilities, and additional offices and classroom space, along with new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, with the interiors of the buildings also receiving enhanced lighting, computer technology and classroom/office upgrades.

Last September, Western Connecticut State University opened its new Visual and Performing Arts Center. Students, faculty and staff were on hand to “put the building through its paces” in a multitude of spaces, including the Concert Hall, Studio Theatre, Art Gallery, Painting Studio, Recording Studio, Scene Shop, Dressing Rooms, Sculpture Studio, and M.F.A. Studios. Since the gala opening, the new facility has enhanced the artistic and academic experience for students, faculty, staff and patrons - and received positive notice in regional and national publications.

At 130,000 square feet, this uniquely designed facility is divided into three distinct wings: Theatre Arts, Music and Visual Arts, all connecting together. Students taking courses in the art wing benefit from light shining through double-height, northern-exposed windows in the spacious painting and sculpture studios. They work in photography and graphic design studios equipped with both the latest computer technology and the legacy technology of traditional film development.Two theater rehearsal studios, both equipped with audio/visual technology and sprung dance floors complement the university’s increasingly popular musical theater program. Dressing rooms, practice rooms and individual Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts studios are all incorporated into the spaces, designed for students so they may experience a professional-quality arts education.

The next major opening among the CSCU institutions will likely be a Science and Laboratory Building at Southern Connecticut, due later this year.  Southern's ongoing expansion of its science programs will be greatly enhanced with the construction of a 103,608-square-foot, four-level academic and laboratory science building. Situated adjacent to Jennings Hall, the current home for the sciences, the new building will enhance the ongoing expansion of Southern’s science programs and the university’s capacity to educate more students in the STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

According to Southern's website description, the building will be configured in the shape of an “L,” the new building will work in concert with two pre-existing science buildings — Jennings and Morrill halls — to enclose a new “science enclave.” Bedecked with scientific displays and instrumentation visible from within and outside the building, the new center will house teaching and research training laboratories for nanotechnology, physics and optics, the earth sciences, the environmental sciences, cancer research, astronomy, molecular biology and chemistry.  The building’s two wings will be connected at each of its four floors by an alluring connector windowed along its southern exposure and encircling the newly formed science enclave outside. It is along the glass-enclosed path that built-in displays of optical phenomena, the natural environment, nanotechnology, geological formations, biological specimens, and astronomical observations will be interspersed among sun-filled lounges, all to advance interaction among the different scientific disciplines housed within.

https://youtu.be/Gb-22XsNVGg

https://youtu.be/irCxZNZk9Rg

Nooyi, Miles, Bourke-White to be Inducted into CT Women's Hall of Fame

Three women who made their mark internationally in their respective fields of endeavor will be honored by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame at the 22nd Annual Induction Ceremony & Celebration this fall. The theme, “Connecticut Women - Global Impact” will be reflected in the noteworthy careers of:

• Carolyn Miles - President and CEO of Save the Children, international leader creating change for children around the world
• Indra Nooyi - Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo known for her global leadership, strategy, corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts
• Margaret Bourke-White - First female photographer for Life magazine and first female American war photojournalist

The induction ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

To be considered for induction to the Connecticut Women’s Hall of fame, a nominee must:

• be a Connecticut native and/or Connecticut resident
• be the first woman, historic or living, to achieve recognition in her field of endeavor; or have a lifetime of achievement in that field
• have made a significant statewide contribution to arts, athletics, business, government, philanthropy, humanities, science, education, etc.

Nooyi and her family live in Connecticut, and she previously earned a master’s degree at Yale University.  Miles works in Fairfield, where the headquarters of the internationally acclaimed Save the Children is located.  Bourke-White died in 1971 and lived in Connecticut in her later years, after an illustrious landmark career as a photo journalist, most notably for LIFE magazine.

The global Save the Children movement currently serves over 143 million children in the US and in more than 120 countries.  Miles joined the organization in 1998, was COO from 2004-2011, and became President and CEO in September 2011. Under her senior leadership, the organization has more than doubled the number of children it reaches with nutrition, health, education and other programs.  Miles was named this year as one of the 50 World's Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine.

Nooyi is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. In its global food and beverage portfolio, PepsiCo has 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo's main businesses include Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola, with more than $66 billion in annual net revenue.

The Induction Ceremony is the signature program of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, which brings the mission of the organization to life. From its inception in 1994, the Ceremony has been a forum for women to gather, share stories and celebrate the achievements of exceptional women who have paved the way for the current generation to enjoy freedoms and choices unheard of even a few decades ago.

While several living women are inducted into the Hall each year, the organization has traditionally placed heavy emphasis on uncovering the stories of extraordinary women and their accomplishments, “stories that heretofore have received little or no recognition.”

The Annual Induction Ceremony typically brings more than 800 of Connecticut’s civic, corporate and government leaders together. Each Inductee is honored with a short tribute film which chronicles her struggles and achievements. These films are currently produced by Karyl Evans, a five-time Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker in collaboration with CPTV’s film crew and are also used as educational tools throughout the year.

The Honorary Event Chair for the 2015 Induction Ceremony is Linda Koch Lorimer, Vice President for Global and Strategic Initiatives at Yale University.