Chamber Looks Ahead to Middlesex Business to Business Expo

The events of Hurricane Irene have severely impacted our business community. As of now, a very high percentage of our businesses are without power and the necessary utilities that they need to operate.  They are, though, continuing to work through this situation and showing how resilient the business community in Middlesex County.

Big thanks goes out to UConn head football coach Paul Pasqualoni for speaking to 500 Husky fans at our Chamber breakfast last week. Paul talked about his program and the season outlook, and it is clear that he will be a great fit at UConn. 

The excitement he has for the game of football along with the thrill he has to be back in his home state was very clear based on the tone of his speech. Coach truly cannot wait to begin the season and there is no doubt that he will work tirelessly over its course.

In his talk, Coach remarked that, as his team’s training camp concluded last Thursday, football season is definitely here; his program begins its push toward another Big East championship on Sept. 2 at Rentschler Field for the first game of the season.

Another beginning that happens this week is the beginning of the academic year for youngsters and young adults. Our elementary, middle and high schools along with the colleges and universities in our region all will be bustling with activity over the course of the next nine months. Over this time, scores of teachers, administrators, school staff members, and youth sports coaches in our county will be hard at work.

These individuals educate the young people in the community and truly do all of us a great service by helping to enrich a new generation of Middlesex County residents. I wish all of these men and women well as they begin academic year 2011-12.

Similarly, the Chamber enters the beginning of a very busy season of events and activities. With nearly 50 committees and councils that resume monthly meeting schedules, the calendar for the month of September and beyond is absolutely jam-packed. 

My staff and I also begin the final planning stages of some terrific events during this month. On Sept. 19, we welcome U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney for a member breakfast meeting and the Chamber is set to host a Business After Work at Pro Physical Therapy/Orthopedic Associates of Middletown on Sept. 14.

Among others, the 2011 Holiday on Main Street committee will begin planning this year’s event and things are coming together nicely.  Also, the 2011 Middlesex Business to Business Expo will be held on Oct. 28 and is one of the largest expos of its kind in the state. There are over 110 participant businesses that will showcase products and services, making it the largest-ever expo.

Over the past week, many of us in our region lost two wonderful people: Mary Hamrah, the wife of Albert, who attended numerous Chamber activities over the past years, and John Cashmon, who was a remarkable prosecutor in our local court house; he was a fair, honest and a loyal friend to many. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Mary and John.

Last week, I also attended two press conferences with Gov. Dannel Malloy in which he made two terrific announcements. One announcement was at AT&T’s Connecticut headquarters in New Haven with AT&T Connecticut President Rodney Smith, where he announced 80 new high-tech jobs. The other was at UConn’s Storrs campus where he announced the release of $20 million of bonds to jumpstart a Tech Park. State Sen. Don Williams spearheaded the effort for this park and joined the governor for the announcement.

Both of these developments mark the governor’s continued support and implementation of job creation, which is vital for our state.

For information on Chamber events and activities, please contact Matt Fraulino at the Chamber at 860-347-6924 or email him at Matthew@middlesexchamber.com