CBIA BizCast

The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer. Spring is officially here, and that means the return of baseball to Hartford April 9 as the Yard Goats take on the Bowie Baysox at Dunkin’ Park. Looking over Dunkin’ Park in Hartford, general manager Mike Abramson tells the CBIA BizCast that he’s ready for the first pitch to be thrown. “It’s always an exciting time of year,” he said. “You know, in March and April, hope springs eternal, and we are on the cusp of what I hope will be our best year ever.” On this episode of the BizCast, Abramson shares the keys to the Yard Goats success in Hartford both on the field and in the community and discusses how Dunkin’ Park became an important piece of the city’s redevelopment. https://www.milb.com/hartford

This episode of the CBIA BizCast is part one of a two-part discussion on a key issue in Connecticut and across the country— whole genome sequencing. In this episode Paul Pescatello, CBIA senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council speaks with Dr. Tom Defay. Defay is a computational biologist and Deputy Head Diagnostics Strategy & Development at New Haven-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He details how the technology is valuable to patients for early diagnosis and treatment, and a cost saver for our healthcare system. This legislative session a bill to promote expansion of whole genome sequencing, HB 5367, An Act Concerning Medicaid Coverage of Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing for Critically Ill Patients, is before the Connecticut General Assembly. This is important legislation and it is strongly supported by the CBIA Bioscience Growth Council.

When Jill Mayer joined Bead Industries, the average age of an employee was 60 and there were little to no women in senior management. Today the average age of an employee is mid 30s and more than half of the management positions are filled by women. “Changing a culture at an organization takes a lot of patience and time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Mayer told the CBIA BizCast. “You don’t want to throw out the good parts of the culture that you have. You’re not scrapping the culture. You are just improving what is there.” Mayer, the fifth generation leader of the company, will share more about her experiences and leadership advice at CBIA’s When Women Lead conference March 20. Event details can be found here: https://www.cbia.com/events/when-women-lead-2024 Bead Industries: https://beadindustries.com/

With approximately 16,000 students, 20 school sites, two aerotech sites, and 18 trade school sites, the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is a leader in technical education in Connecticut. “We have almost 2000 employees working very hard to make us the premier workforce provider in the state of Connecticut,” CTECS executive director Dr. Ellen Solek told the CBIA BizCast. CTECS offers a Work Based Learning program, offering students an opportunity to get paid work experience while still getting high school credit. “Industry has been coming around in a big way to access our students in ways that have never happened before,” said CTECS educational consultant Brent McCartney. This spring, CTECS is launching its new Career Center. The center will have both a physical location in Middletown and an online platform. “It’s really going to be a game changer,” said McCartney. CTECS Career Center: https://www.cttech.org/about/getinvolved/

CBIA released its 2024 Transform Connecticut Policy Solutions, a 12-point package of recommendations designed to unlock Connecticut’s economic potential, on Feb. 1. CBIA vice president of public policy Chris Davis joined senior public policy associate Ashley Zane on the CBIA BizCast to discuss the process behind the development of the policy priorities. “We looked to identify some solutions that help leverage the state's strengths and really foster new opportunities focusing on a vibrant, robust, and equitable economy,” said Zane. The 2024 solutions focus on expanding career pathways and making the state a more attractive and affordable place to live and work. “We're going to be spending a lot of time at the state legislature over the next three months, as you can imagine, right up until the deadline, as things get negotiated right up to the end," Davis said.

Since 1970, Waterford’s Millstone Power Station has been a key part of Connecticut’s energy supply. Millstone, which was acquired by Virginia-based Dominion Energy in 2001, currently supplies about 50% of Connecticut’s energy needs, and more than 90% of the state’s clean power, according to Millstone vice president Michael O’Connor. “Our mission is to reliably produce nuclear power for our customers,” O’Connor told the CBIA BizCast. “It's got to also be affordable, and it's got to be increasingly green.” O’Connor highlighted Dominion’s core values of safety, ethics, excellence, embracing change, and being one company. He said those values have remained consistent throughout years, with embracing change added most recently. “We want people to think differently,” O’Connor said, adding that to improve safety and efficiency, the business demands innovation.

Over the course of the last year, business leaders from across the state joined the CBIA BizCast to share stories of how their businesses innovated, overcame challenges and found new levels of success. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare, real estate, public service, law, or banking—all of our guests have had something in common—they have learned invaluable lessons along the way that have gotten them to where they are today. As 2024 begins, we are taking a look back at some of those lessons, experiences, and advice.

Just on the outskirts of the UConn campus in Storrs sits the UConn Tech Park, a center for cutting-edge research, collaboration, and innovation. “The Tech Park is a really amazing initiative that the state and university funded to act as a kind of front door for industry into the services that are available at the university,” said Michael DiDonato, business development manager for the Innovation Partnership Building. The Innovation Partnership Building is the first and flagship building of the Tech Park. The facility features 19 centers focused on four pillars: sustainability, defense materials, cybersecurity, and systems manufacturing. The goal of the Tech Park is to connect businesses with their research facilities and technology services.

“We need to be looking through the windshield, and not the rearview mirror, because that's where the opportunities lie,” says Fuss & O’Neill CEO and newly elected CBIA board chair Kevin Grigg. Grigg sat down with CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima for a special episode of the CBIA BizCast. He said for the state to achieve its economic goals, it’s important to focus on issues like housing, education and training, workforce development. “This is kind of like the threshold of opportunity,” he said. “I think we have all the elements in place to really accelerate the growth and prosperity of the state, and I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to help.”

RSM partner Dan Wheadon joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the results of the 2023 Connecticut Manufacturing Report. Among the findings: 86% of manufacturers report difficulty finding/and or retaining employees, with 48% calling the issue the greatest growth challenge. “The manufacturing industry is really going through a pretty significant change in recent years with industry 4.0, and a number of new technologies out there, and now the emergence of AI and machine learning,” Wheadon said.

With hundreds of locations worldwide, COBS Bread's Karen Frost-Spokes talks to the CBIA BizCast about plans to expand in Connecticut and the U.S. “It's a pretty simple concept,” she said. “It's really just about focusing on great bread, great customer service, and then connecting with the community and giving back.” “The intent is to replicate that here in the Northeast." COBS already has franchises in Stamford and Greenwich. Their third location, in Westport, is set to open by the end of November with more locations in Connecticut and the Northeast planned for the next 12 months. “It's risky, but I think we've got a great product out there," she said.

For Chris O’Connor, becoming president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health was something of a homecoming. “I was born at Yale New Haven Hospital,” O’Connor told the CBIA BizCast. “I was a little premature, so I needed their special care unit and grew up here in New Haven.” He joins the CBIA BizCast to share his story and what is ahead for the health system.

Nearly 600 middle and high school students from two dozen schools spent part of their school day recently learning what Connecticut's manufacturing industry has to offer. They took part in EXPLORE MANUFACTURING: A Stop on CT Manufacturing Roadshow '23 Sept. 28 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. It was a chance for more than two dozen manufacturers and training and support organizations in attendance to meet young people, and expose them to the industry. “We're really excited to really plant seeds early of manufacturing in young people's minds,” said Chris Jewell, president of Collins & Jewell Company

TD Bank's Mike LaBella joins the CBIA BizCast to discuss ways the bank is supporting manufacturers' growth and success. “The bank’s been a tremendous supporter of all industries, but especially manufacturing, because it's so key to our economy,” LaBella said. TD Bank is sponsoring CBIA’s Made in Connecticut 2023 Manufacturing Summit Oct. 11 at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. With interest rates rising, liquidity winding down, and ongoing challenges from the workforce shortage, LaBella said “it’s more important than ever to really have a strong bank relationship.” “I think manufacturers really need to take that long-term view now of what's going to make them more productive, reduce their cost of operations, and bring them into a better position technologically for their future growth.”

Marcum LLP's Hartford office managing partner Michael Brooder joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the 2023 Survey of Connecticut Businesses. The survey highlights some of the top concerns for businesses, including workforce and the costs of living and doing business in the state. “These days? It’s labor, labor, labor, and costs,” said Brooder. “If you look at the open jobs and the availability of people that are there to fill them, it's just that they're not there. “Let's figure out how to grow, and let's figure out how to be competitive, and let's figure out how to make Connecticut a place where people want to do business.”

As students across Connecticut begin the new school year, some are returning to class after a summer filled with learning. More than 70 students recently completed ReadyCT’s G.R.I.T. (Get Ready! Immersive Traineeship) summer program. The CBIA BizCast team traveled to Pathways Academy of Technology and Design Aug. 9 for the annual G.R.I.T. showcase. “It really just allows them a way to learn more skills while still practicing a real business project," said Rachel Bader, Travelers assistant vice president, multi-national and chair of the Insurance and Finance Pathway at Weaver. "G.R.I.T. and Travelers have taught me how to communicate and work with others and step outside my comfort zone,” said Darren Burdette, a rising junior at Weaver.

After 40 years in business, Seymour-based Microboard has become known for two things: producing high-quality, high-tech circuit board assemblies and humanitarian missions helping people around the world. “There's not enough hours in my day to run this and listen to all that good news,” said Microboard CEO and president Nicole Russo. “You know, I just try to fit it all in.”

The Hartford Athletic started playing in the United Soccer League in 2019. Chairman Bruce Mandell started the club with his partners as a way to create something for the community and help the city economically. “I've always been involved in the community, and I wanted to do something really big for Hartford and wanted to bring people together and have a spot in Hartford to do that,” Mandell said. “Whether it's, you know, parents with their kids, or whether it's soccer fans, or whether it's people coming out to have a great time, we got to get our niche, and our fans have been unbelievable.” In 2020, the Athletic established the Green and Blue Foundation, raising money to give back to the community in different ways. “You know, that feels good to kind of utilize the Hartford athletic brand to support these community elements that really need help,” Mandell said.

Starting a business and launching a new product can be a daunting prospect. From creating a prototype to connecting with manufacturers and suppliers, there is a lot for entrepreneurs and startups to navigate. That’s where FORGE Connecticut comes in. FORGE helps connect innovators with product development assistance, regional manufacturers, and supply chain resources. “There’s a lot of great innovation coming out of Connecticut,” said vice president Adam Rodrigues. “There’s over 4000 manufacturers in Connecticut. So if we can facilitate these connections that’s really the work we’re trying to do here.”

Brian Zelman took what he calls a “circuitous” path in real estate. “I’ve always been interested in real estate from a young age,” said Zelman, principal of Zelman Real Estate on the CBIA BizCast. The Bloomfield native, who now lives in West Hartford, began his career as a residential broker, before migrating to commercial real estate and land development. Those developments started in the retail and healthcare spaces, but migrated to multifamily housing.