Investor Opportunities in Mobile Technology, Consumer Products Focus of Back-to-Back Conferences

It is described as “the Biggest and Most Disruptive Platform in Human History,” by William Davidson, Senior Vice President of Qualcomm.  Davidson will be the keynote speaker Wednesday in New Haven at “Connecticut Mobile Summit – Exploring Mobile Venture Opportunities and Challenges.”  Connecticut’s top mobile industry executives will be meeting to discuss how to accelerate mobile adoption, engagement and monetization, according to conference organizers.

Conference officials note that “penetration of smart phones into the workplace has been persistent since the iPhone launch in June of 2007. More recently, tablets have supplanted PCs as productivity boosters.”  The Connecticut Mobile Summit is designed to help educate Connecticut’s investment and technology communities in mobile venture opportunities and challenges.

In addition to Davidson, expert panelists participating include Carissa Ganelli, Founder & CEO, LightningBuy; Drue Hontz, Founder & President, KAZARK, Inc.; John Nobile, Founder & President, Tangen Biosciences; and Nadav Ullman, Founder & CEO, Dashride.

“In three to five years any enterprise that has not implemented mobility solutions for its customers, employees, and suppliers will be leapfrogged, disintermediated, or go bankrupt. Connecticut cannot afford to be behind this curve,” observed event moderator, Brenda Lewis, Principal of Transactions Marketing, Inc.

Davidson is senior vice president of strategy and operations for Global Market Development in Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. In this role, he handles reporting and operations as well as executing on strategic global business initiatives. In addition, Davidson is senior vice president of investor relations where he serves as the primary liaison with the investment community and Qualcomm shareholders. Davidson has more than 25 years of experience in technical sales, marketing and general management roles in the telecommunications industry.

The half-day conference is being presented by the Connecticut Technology Council, Crossroads Venture Group and AT&T. The event is supported by Mea Mobile.

Opening remarks will come from Bruce Carlson, Acting CEO & President of the Connecticut Technology Council, Liddy Karter, Executive Director of Crossroads Venture Group, and Claire Leonardi, CEO of the recently re-branded Connecticut Innovations.  The event is $40 for members of the Connecticut Technology Council and Crossroads Venture Group, $50 for non-members.

The following day, the Northeast Consumer Product Conference will be held in Stamford, with the Connecticut Technology Council and Crossroads Venture Group joined by the Connecticut chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) as sponsors.  The conference is described as the Northeast’s largest ‘mergers and acquisitions’ conference focused on early state and middle market consumer-facing companies.  It brings together operators, buyers, investors, and transaction professionals to discuss the challenges and opportunities within consumer industries.

The Stamford conference will include expert-led panels reviewing the state of the capital markets and share strategies for consumer marketing in a digital world, for both early and late stage firms.

Keynote presentation will be from Mike McMahon, President, Spire, a Datalogix company.  Panelists for a session on “Raising Capital in Today's Environment,”  to be moderated by Ramsey Goodrich, Managing Director, Carter Morse & Mathias, include Richard Baum, Managing Partner, Consumer Growth, Partners; Christopher Bradley, Principal, Mistral Equity Partners; and Tom Hayes, Managing Partner & Principal, New England Consulting Group.

ACG CT President Karin (McKittrick) Kovacic said, “This conference brings together owners and managers with investors and transaction professionals to discuss the challenges and opportunities within the consumer products sectors.”

The Connecticut Chapter of ACG is one of the fastest growing ACG chapters in the country, with close to 300 local professionals focused on middle-market corporate growth (i.e.: mergers and acquisitions, financing opportunities, business development, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, etc.), including a diverse group of private equity funds, intermediaries, lenders, and service providers.

The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) is a statewide association of technology oriented companies and institutions, providing leadership in areas of policy advocacy, community building and assistance for growing companies.  With over 2,000 member companies that employ some 200,000 residents, the CTC works to position Connecticut as a leader in idea creation, workforce preparation, entrepreneurial aptitude, early stage risk capital availability and providing on-going support and mentoring to high potential firms.

Survey Says: Increase Consumer Protections, Limit Marketing of Alternative Electric Companies

Too much.  That’s the opinion of Connecticut residents age 50 plus when it comes to the steady barrage of marketing by alternative electricity companies, according to a new survey by AARP Connecticut.  The survey found that 82 percent of electricity customers age 50 and older had been solicited in the past 12 months by an electric supplier – and that a significant 25 percent of the customers had changed electric suppliers during the year.

There was also a clear mandate to reign in the marketing.   Nearly three out of four people would prefer that companies be limited to marketing to consumers only once a year.

A robust 88 percent expressed concern about the increasing costs of electricity.  However, most cite loyalty with their current supplier (35%), or not finding alternative suppliers with more competitive rates (21%) as reasons they chose not to switch carriers.  Sixteen percent cited negative perceptions or concerns about alternative suppliers, such as bad reputations (6%), being untrustworthy (4%), having variable rates (4%) or being bound by contracts (2%).

The marketing takes many forms.  The majority of customers said they have received offers from alternative suppliers through the mail (74%) and by phone (58%).  Additionally, a considerable number (13%) say representatives have knocked on their door at home.  The marketing tactics have generated strong support among those over 50 for limits:

• 84 percent support requiring sales staff to wear badges to identify themselves and their company
• 65 percent support requiring sales staff to tell consumers they have seven days in which they can terminate their contract
• 64 percent support requiring sales staff to provide written terms of sales agreements while on-site.

AARP Connecticut pointed out that a study by Connecticut’s Office of Consumer Counsel found that nine out of ten customers who switched to a third party supplier in CL&P’s territory and seven out of ten customers in UI’s territory were paying more than standard rages during the study period.  The overpayments, according to AARP, totaled about $13.7 million per month –“money that residents, especially older adults on fixed incomes, could be spending on basic necessities like groceries and medication,”  AARP noted.

Ninety percent of those surveyed supported proposals to protect consumers by requiring suppliers to disclose all costs associated with their prices, including early termination fees and minimum monthly charges, and 85 percent supported requiring suppliers who offer variable rate contracts to provide specific comparison information.

“It’s clear from these survey results, and from the stories our members have shared with us, that electric customers don’t feel like they’re getting a fair shake,” said AARP Connecticut Advocacy Director, John Erlingheuser.  “They’re fed up with high electric rates, with the constant marketing and questionable practices of third-party suppliers, and with the lack of oversight and enforcement by state regulators.  They want their elected officials to do more to help lower rates and ensure adequate consumer protections are in place in the alternative electric supply market.”

Among those surveyed, 77 percent were CL&P customers, and 16 percent were United Illuminating customers.  The survey pointed out to respondents that consumer electric bills are divided into two major sections: delivery and generation supply. CL&P and United Illuminating are the primary delivery companies in Connecticut. Since 2000, the supply portion of the bill has been deregulated, “meaning that independent companies, known as ‘electric suppliers,’ can compete to sell or supply you electricity.”  CL&P and UI continue to supply as well as deliver to consumers, but under deregulation, electric supply can be provided by other companies.  The deregulation plan was adopted by state government in an effort to reduce prices through a competitive marketplace.

Testifying at the state legislature last month, AARP Connecticut indicated that an array of unscrupulous marketing practices are luring consumers – especially those over age 50 - with seemingly attractive offers, only to have consumers receive bills charging rates often well in excess those that consumers had been paying previously.  They outlined a series of reforms that would better protect consumers.

In testimony before the Energy & Technology Committee, AARP Connecticut stated “What proponents of deregulation failed to recognize that markets require supervision, consumer protections, and proper enforcement. Some marketers have turned to means to capture customer interest and agreement that have resulted in complaints, misrepresentation of prices, the use of variable rates that are not predictable or even plainly stated, teaser rates, the renewal of fixed rate contracts into variable rate contracts without affirmative customer consent, and a host of telemarketing and door to door activities that confuse customers and take advantage of their lack of education and understanding of the terms being proposed to them in a hard sell marketing technique.”

Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) held a series of public hearings in February to solicit public comment in its ongoing investigation of the electric supplier market in Connecticut.  The agency provides a list of electric suppliers and aggregators on its website.  Earlier this month, Attorney General George Jepson and State Consumer Counsel Elin Katz called for enhanced consumer protections, CT Watchdog reported.

AARP Connecticut commissioned a telephone survey of 800 Connecticut residents age 50 and older to learn about their opinions on electric utility marketing and regulations.  The interviews took place between March 11 and March 16, and the data was weighted to reflect the Connecticut population age 50 and older.  The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

International Migration Growth Keeping Population Numbers Steady

The Hartford region ranked third in the nation among metropolitan areas showing significant international migration amidst near-stagnant overall population change during the past three years.  The New Haven-Milford and Norwich-New London regions also ranked in the top 20 nationally among metro regions with less than one percent overall population growth but strong international migration.

The overall population change for the three metro areas in Connecticut were two-tenths of a percent population growth in the Hartford region, and virtually no change at all for New Haven and Norwich-New London region, each having zero percent population growth over the past three years.

The migration into the Hartford region from outside the U.S. during the three years was 16,251 people, behind only to Chicago and Detroit among the 20 metro areas where overall population change was at or near zero.  The New Haven metro area ranked 7th, with an international migration total of 10,717 and Norwich – New London was 19th, with 4,008.

During the past three years, the Norwich-New London region total population change reflected a net loss of 95 people, New Haven had a net loss of 187 people and Hartford region saw a slight increase of 2, 827 people.

The analysis of U.S. Census data by Governing magazine indicates that in some American cities, international migration far outpaced population gains from natural change (births and deaths) and domestic migration.  The three Connecticut metropolitan areas were among those that experienced little to no change in total population, but welcomed sizable tallies of residents from abroad.

The analysis indicated 20 metro areas across the country where total population change between 2010 and 2013 was at or near zero, while international migration was substantial – and made up, or nearly made up, for population declines to due domestic migration or natural factors. Among the other metro regions were Providence, St. Louis, Cleveland, Springfield, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Buffalo and Trenton.

Across the U.S. between 2010 and 2013, metro areas welcomed a net total of 2.6 million residents from international migration. Over the same three-year period, net domestic migration increased by just 382,000 as those who did move mostly relocated to other metro areas, the magazine reported.

The Census Bureau’s international migration estimates include not only foreign immigrants, but natives moving back home and movement of members of the military.

The country’s largest immigration hubs welcomed significant numbers of residents from abroad. Since 2010, the New York City-Newark metro area gained nearly 400,000 residents from other countries, followed by the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla., area (+164,000) and the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (+156,000) area.

According to the data, Hartford lost 18,917 people to domestic migration while it picked up 16,251 people through international migration, nearly off-setting the departing over the past three years.

Intensive Workshops for Would-Be Journalists Return This Summer

Investigative journalism is alive and well, and in the midst of passing the baton to a new generation.  That’s the premise driving a one-week journalism workshop being run by leading professionals, to be held at three locations for Connecticut high school students this summer.  It is the most extensive program of its kind in the state, and one of just three in New England.

With expert practitioners providing the instruction, high school students interested in refining their research and writing skills, while learning about the evolving field of journalism from award-winning writers and editors, are perfect candidates. Now in their fourth year, the specialized workshops, offered by the Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT) will be held at:

•   University of Connecticut (Storrs), July 14-18
•   Quinnipiac University (Hamden), July 21-25
•   Yale University (New Haven), July 28-Aug. 1

The non-profit C-HIT is a web-based news service dedicated to producing original, responsible, in-depth journalism on issues of health and safety, in Connecticut and the surrounding region. Consisting of a team of award-winning journalists, based in Connecticut, who have come together to provide the public with informative stories about health, safety and medical issues, C-HIT stories regularly appear in newspapers, on websites, and in broadcast media statewide.

The student workshops provide select students with the opportunity to spend a week on a university campus, learning the tools of investigative journalism by participating in seminars led by current, active professional journalists.  High school students age 16 and older are eligible to apply, and sessions are limited to 20 students each.  Full and partial scholarships are available.

Students will work on developing stories for publication, gaining first-hand experience in what it takes to assemble the research and do the homework essential to effective journalism.  In addition, as part of the program, the students will spend a day visiting local newsrooms.

The team of instructors include:  

• Kate Farrish, formerly an award-winning reporter for the Hartford Courant and now a UConn adjunct professor of journalism;
• Lisa Chedekel, C-HIT senior writer and co-founder, and formerly an investigative reporter for the Courant, where she won several national awards
• Lynne DeLucia, C-HIT Editor and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former Courant editor.

C-HIT's workshop graduates have gone on to study at major universities, have been awarded scholarships through the Dow Jones News Fund, and have secured internships at major newspapers, including the Courant.  For information, go to www.c-hit.org or contact Lynne DeLucia at delucia@c-hit.org.

The only other intensive journalism program for high school students in Connecticut is offered by the Yale Daily News, the university’s student-run newspaper.  The publication’s Summer Journalism Program runs for one week in mid-August, and is geared toward those with writing or journalism experience, although any Connecticut high-school student with an interest in journalism, writing or photography can apply.  Details are available at sjp@yaledailynews.com.

University of New Haven Named a “Best for Vets” College

The University of New Haven (UNH) has been ranked among the nation’s best colleges for veterans.  The 2014 “Best for Vets Colleges” list, developed by Military Times, places New Haven among the top 80 institutions in the nation, ranking at number 59.  UNH is the only higher education institution from Connecticut to earn a place on the list.

In addition to evaluating schools’ veteran-focused operations, the publication considered more than a dozen different measures of academic success, quality and rigor, as reported by schools and the Education Department, to develop the rankings.

Representatives of about 600 schools responded to the Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 survey, comprising of 150 questions that delved into school operations in unprecedented detail, according to the publication.

The results indicated that many more schools are tracking the academic success of their military and veteran students — but the majority still do not.  Last year, fewer than 11 percent of school representatives responding to the survey said they track completion rates for current and former service members. This year, more than a third said they track similar academic success measures for such students, the publication’s website pointed out.

Military veterans of UNH (MVUNH) is a Student Group formed to both support current UNH Veteran student and encourage a UNH "Veteran friendly" campus to attract new Veteran students.  The university’s purpose is to create a community of veterans who will use their knowledge and experiences to educate the university community and advocate on behalf of student veterans.  Members meet once a month to discuss current events and provide new information.

The newly renovated and furnished Veterans Success Center on the UNH campus serves as common place for students to study, gather for MVUNH club meetings and relax.  The Center has four computers with access to printing, a microwave and refrigerator available to student veterans to use during breaks between classes.  The Veteran Success Center is heralded as a great place to meet fellow veterans and find out about veteran programming on campus and within the community.

In an effort to strengthen support for student veterans, Veteran Services and the University of New Haven have created a Student Veteran Emergency Fund.  Entirely dependent upon donations, the Student Veteran Emergency Fund has been established to assist student veterans who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency throughout the semester, including a delay in benefits, BAH and book stipends from the VA.

The University of New Haven is also a partner of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, located in West Haven.  VITAL is a VA initiative aimed to support student veterans on campus in their successful transition to academia and in completion of their educational goals.  The University also participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans.

Playground Remembering Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Opens April 4 at Hartford’s Elizabeth Park

Early next month, Hartford will become the eighth Connecticut community to welcome a playground commemorating one of the children and educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14, 2012. The Hartford playground, at Elizabeth Park, will commemorate Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, who was 6 years old. The official opening of the playground on Friday, April 4 will also commemorate her birthday.

New Jersey-based The Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play has been building the playground on the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park along the Hartford-West Hartford town line, with the help of volunteers from throughout the region.

The Sandy Ground Project was founded in the wake of the Newtown shootings and the devastation of Hurricane Sandy the month before. The idea was inspired by three playgrounds the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, the organization behind the project, had built in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. The New Jersey firefighters plan to build 26 playgrounds across the tri-state area, each one dedicated to the memory of a Sandy Hook student or educator lost on that day.

Ana Grace’s parents, Jimmy Greene and Nelba Marquez, both graduated from the University of Hartford, and at a brief ceremony marking the beginning of construction on a cold wintery day just a few weeks ago, they recalled good times at Elizabeth Park.

“I used to play with Ana and Isaiah right here, in this park, when they were little,” Marquez said. “We’re so incredibly grateful to this community, to embrace this here where it means so much to us.”  Ana Grace’s brother, Isaiah, played piano at the ceremony, and was joined by a chorus of children, in tribute to his sister. (watch video)

Friends and family from Hartford, Newtown, New York, New Jersey and Winnipeg, Canada, where the Marquez-Greene family lived prior to moving to Newtown, were on hand to lend a hand at the start of construction, at the corner of Elizabeth Ave. and Whitney St. in the Park.  The opening ceremony on April 4 begins at 6 PM.

The playground at Elizabeth Park is the 18th constructed to date in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as part of the Where Angels Play project.  Among the playgrounds located in Connecticut are those in memory of James Mattioli in Milford, Josephine Gay in Bridgeport, Dylan Hockley in Westport, Allison Wyatt in Norwalk, Emilie Parker in New London, Jessica Rekos in Fairfield, and Victoria Soto in Stratford.

The Marquez-Greene family selected Elizabeth Park as the site for the playground honoring their daughter’s memory, and it’s playscapes feature the vibrant purple color that was her favorite.

In December, the family held “Love Wins: A Conference on Promoting Love, Connection and Community for Every Child & Family” at the University of Hartford.  It was the inaugural event of the Center for Community and Connection, a transformative initiative of the Ana Grace Project of the Klingberg Family Centers, attended by more than 500 people.  Participants in the December 2 symposium represented the fields of medicine, nursing, education, mentoring, early childhood, mental health, foster care, and the faith community, as well as state and local government.

Prison System As De facto Mental Health Service Center Brings Personal, Fiscal Costs

The UConn Health Center, on the pages of its Correctional Managed Health Care website, points out that “the public health burden that jails and prisons bear is enormous. A disproportionate number of incarcerated individuals are medically and/or psychiatrically compromised.” Connecticut is one of only six states with an integrated jail and prison system.

Statewide, each of the 24,936 annual jail and prison “admissions” requires a medical and mental health intake health screening. Generally, the website notes, “one out of five requires prompt medical or mental health intervention.” Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, severe personality disorders, traumatic brain injury and addictive disorders are “overrepresented in this population,” the website indicates.

Mental health services are available at all prisons and jails in the state, with comprehensive mental health programs at Osborn, Northern, York, Manson Youth, and Garner correctional institutions. Mental health services are comprehensive from admission to discharge, the website explains, and “focus on access to care and outreach, screening and assessment, identification, treatment planning, classification, provision of distinct levels of service and continuity of care upon discharge to the community.”

The mental health department includes approximately 14 psychiatrists, 17 psychologists, 10 mental health nurse practitioners, 19 psychiatric nurse clinicians, 69 social workers, and 15 professional counselors to serve the needs of approximately 19 percent of the inmate population, about 3,400 individuals.  The website indicates that as of June 2013, the prison population was 17,998 individuals (16,985 incarcerated and 1,013 in halfway houses).

A  recent The New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof posited that people suffering from mental illness often commit a crime in order to obtain treatment.  Because of the acute shortage of treatment facilities outside of prison, decades after the wholesale closing of mental health care facilities nationwide, prisons have become the nation’s de facto treatment centers.  Among the stark facts outlined:

• More than half of prisoners in the United States have a mental health problem, according to a 2006 U.S. Justice Department Study.
• Among female inmates, almost three-quarters have a mental disorder.
•  Nationwide, more than three times as many mentally ill people are housed in prisons and jails as in hospitals, according to a 2010 study by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center.
• Forty percent of people with serious mental illnesses have been arrested at some point in their lives
•  Taxpayers spend as much as $300 or $400 a day supporting patients with psychiatric disorders while they are in jail, partly because the mentally ill require mediation and extra supervision and care.
• In 1955, there was one bed in a psychiatric ward for every 300 Americans; now there is one for every 3,000 Americans, according to a 2010 study.

Writing in the Connecticut Law Review, Christina Canales pointed out in 2012 that “Although a good plan in theory, deinstitutionalization quickly became one of the main reasons for the substantial increase in mentally ill individuals in prisons.  Many of the originally considered community mental health centers were never developed, leaving such individuals with nowhere to turn for treatment.”

The 2013 Legislation Report of the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicated that “Disproportionate numbers of people with mental illness are involved in the criminal justice system often as a result of untreated or undertreated mental illness. Thoughtful release planning and progressive probation or parole procedures increase the likelihood of successful re-entry for prisoners living with mental illness.”

In FY 2013, the UConn Health Center website details, there were 191,202 visits to social workers, psychologists and psychiatric nurse clinicians, including suicide risk assessments within DOC facilities. In addition, there were 20,056 visits to psychiatrists and 16,826 visits to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

The Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT) has reported that in 2003, "an estimated 13 percent were considered mentally ill."  In 2003, Connecticut’s prison population was 19, 605, according to the Office of Policy and Management’s Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division.  That would have been approximately 2,549 individuals.

France Replaces Canada As #1 Nation for Connecticut Exports in 2013

France replaced Canada as Connecticut’s top export partner in 2013.  Exports to France jumped from 1.9 billion to 2.4 billion, compared with the previous year, while exports from Connecticut to Canada remained steady at 1.9 billion.  During 2013, France received 14.8 percent of the state’s exports, while Canada received 11.6 percent, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Germany (1.4 billion), United Arab Emirates (1.2 billion) and Mexico ($1.2 billion) round out Connecticut’s top five for 2013.  Germany also ranked third in 2012.   In 2013, UAE edged Mexico for fourth place among Connecticut’s leading export recipients, the reverse of their standing the previous year.    

Overall, shipments of merchandise from Connecticut in 2013 totaled $16.5 billion, according to data from the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration – an increase of 3.2 percent from the previous year.  Connecticut was one of 16 states setting annual export records.  Exports were 15.9 billion a year ago, which was a drop from 16.2 billion in 2011 and 16.0 billion in 2010.

Overall, the European Union was Connecticut’s largest export market, with average exports (2011-2013) totaling $6 billion annually, the agency’s report noted.

The state's largest merchandise export category is Transportation Equipment, which accounted for $8.0 billion of Connecticut's total merchandise exports in 2013, a category dominated by civilian aircraft, engines and parts, according to Commerce Department data. Other top merchandise exports are Machinery, Except Electrical ($1.9billion), Computer & Electronic Products ($1.3billion), Chemicals ($998 million), and Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components ($760 million).

After the top five, Connecticut’s export recipients, in order, are China, United Kingdom, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Netherlands, Brazil, Malaysia, Qatar and Turkey, rounding out the top 15.

In a year-to-year comparison of 2013 to 2012, exports to France increased by a substantial 27 percent, to Singapore by 13.6 percent and to the UAE by 12.3 percent.  Exports to Columbia jumped 232 percent, from $66 million to $219 million.  Exports dropped slightly to Japan, China, Malaysia and the Netherlands.

The United States currently has free trade agreements in force with 20 countries, which account for $5.0 billion (30 percent) of Connecticut’s exports. During the past 10 years, exports from Connecticut to these markets grew by 69 percent, with NAFTA, Korea, Singapore, Colombia, and Israel showing the largest dollar growth during this period, the agency reported.

Connecticut’s goods exports to all Trans-Pacific Partnership markets increased by 9 percent from 2011 to 2013. During this period, 29 percent of Connecticut’s total goods exports went to the TPP nations, which include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.  In 2013, 44 percent of total U.S. exports went to TPP nations, where the U.S. has focused on “creating a high standard, regional agreement that opens new markets and knits together existing U.S. trade agreements,” according to the agency’s update report.

The U.S. set an all-time record 2.3 trillion in exports in 2013.  Joining Connecticut in reaching state export records (see interactive map) were Texas, California, Washington, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Maryland, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Over one-quarter (27.4 percent) of all manufacturing workers in Connecticut depended on exports for their jobs, according to 2011, the most recent available in that category.  A total of 6,020 companies exported from Connecticut locations in 2011. Of those, 5,357(89.0percent) were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees. Small and medium-sized firms generated over one quarter (26.6percent) of Connecticut's total exports of merchandise in 2011.

CT Ranks #30 in Motorcycles Per Capita; Helmets Not Required

Which states have the most motorcycles per capita?  The top three are South Dakota, New Hampshire (Live Free or Die!) and Iowa. Connecticut – the Land of Steady Habits – rides in at number 30 among the states.

South Dakota comes in first with 12 people for every motorcycle, besting the national average by 66 percent, according to data compiled by the website The Motley Fool.  The state had 69,284 motorcycles registered, representing 0.82 percent of all motorcycles in America. South Dakota is home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted 467,338 riders in 2013.  

According to the most recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 8,410,255 motorcycles registered nationwide by private citizens and commercial organizations, according to the most recent annual data, from 2011. That represents one motorcycle owner out of every 36 people.

Connecticut ranked #30 on the list of states, with 97,960 motorcycles, representing 36 people for every motorcycle.  Reaching the top fifteen states were New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin, Wyoming, North Dakota, Vermont, Montana, Minnesota, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, New Jersey Colorado and Delaware.

New Hampshire placed second with 17 people for every motorcycle beating the national average by 53 percent.  The state had 79,266 motorcycles registered, representing 0.94 percent of all motorcycles in America,.    The state is also home to Laconia Motorcycle Week, which dates back to the early 1900s and is one of the country’s oldest rallies.

New Hampshire also is one of 31 states without a mandatory helmet law. In Connecticut, motorcycle operators between 16 and 17 years old must wear a helmet. Drivers over 18 are required to wear a helmet if they only have a motorcycle permit, and not a motorcycle license. Drivers of all ages must wear protective eyewear, such as goggles or glasses, unless the cycle is equipped with a windshield.

States with the least motorcycles per capita are Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New York, Georgia, Maryland, Utah and California. 

The state with the most motorcycles is California with 801,803, followed by Florida, with 574,176, Texas with 438,551, Pennsylvania with 404,164, Ohio with 390,494,  New York with 345,816 and  New Jersey with 330,470.

Currently, about half the states require helmets for all motorcyclists, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration.  As outlined above, boost other states require helmets for certain riders, and a few have no helmet law.

• 47 states and the District of Columbia have a helmet law effecting at least some motorcyclists.
  • 19 states and the District of Columbia have a universal helmet law, requiring helmets for all riders.
  • 28 states require helmets for specific riders.
• 3 states (Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire) do not have a motorcycle helmet law.

In 1967, the federal government required states to enact universal motorcycle helmet laws to qualify for certain highway safety funds, the website noted.. By 1975, all but three had complied. In 1976, Congress revoked federal authority to assess penalties for noncompliance, and states began to weaken helmet laws to apply only to young or novice riders.

Connecticut Ranks #30 in Nation in Native Born Residents; Louisiana #1, Nevada Has Least

Just over half of Connecticut’s residents were born here, ranking the state 30^th in the nation for the percentage of population who are native born.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, as analyzed by AARP, indicate that 55.2 percent of Connecticut residents were born in the Constitution State.   That places Connecticut fourth in New England, behind Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.

The top 8 states with native born residents – all above 70 percent - are Louisiana, with 78.7 percent, followed by Michigan (76.7%), Ohio (75%), Pennsylvania (73.8%), Mississippi (72%), Iowa (71.6), Wisconsin (71.5%) and Alabama (70.2%).  The Rust Belt and Deep South generally had the highest percentages of resident born and raised in the states were they still live.

The lowest percentages of native born residents were in the states of Nevada (25%), Florida (35.7%), the District of Columbia (37%), Alaska (40.4%), New Hampshire (42%)  and Colorado (42%) .  The only Western state above 60 percent was Utah, at 61.8 percent.

In the tri-state region, native New Yorkers came in at 63.6 percent (ranked #18) and New Jersey at 52.6 percent, slightly lower than Connecticut.  Just one-tenth of a percent ahead of Connecticut was Georgia, with 55.3 percent.

Just behind Connecticut in the rankings at #31 was California, with 54.5 percent of residents born in the state, and Hawaii, at 54.2 percent.

In thirteen states and Washington, D.C. – mostly in the West but also including Delaware (44.9%) and New Hampshire (42%) - less than half of residents are native sons and daughters.

1.       Louisiana78.7%

2.       Michigan 76.7%

3.       Ohio 75.0% 4.       Pennsylvania 73.8%

5.       Mississippi 72%

6.       Iowa 71.6%

7.       Wisconsin 71.5%

8.       Alabama 70.2%

9.       West Virginia 69.6%

10.   Kentucky 69.8%

11.   Indiana 68.4%

12.   Illinois 66.9%

13.   North Dakota 66.9%

14.   Missouri 66.6%

15.   Maine 65.2%

16.   Nebraska 65.1%

17.   South Dakota 64.4%

18.   New York 63.6%

19.   Massachusetts 63%

20.   Utah 61.8%

21.   Arkansas 61.5%

22.   Tennessee 61.4%

23.   Oklahoma 60.9%

24.   Texas 60.6%

25.   Kansas 59.4%

26.   Rhode Island 58.1%

27.   North Carolina 58%

28.   South Carolina 58.25

29.   Georgia 55.3%

30.   Connecticut 55.2%

31.   California 54.4%

32.   Hawaii 54.2%