This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

2013 Middlesex Business Expo-TOMORROW

The 2013 Middlesex County Business to Business Expo will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29th, at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  We are very much looking forward to what is truly one of our Chamber’s signature events.  This year’s Expo will once again feature a full day of events and activities throughout the hotel. 

The 2013 Expo begins with an Economic Forecast Breakfast Meeting, sponsored by Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C., and Farmington Bank.  Registration is at 7:45 a.m., Meeting Program 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  Peter Gioia, Vice President and Economist, CBIA, and Donald Klepper-Smith, Chief Economist and Director of Research, DataCore Partners LLC and Economic Advisor to Farmington Bank, will lead an in depth discussion on current and future economic trends at the state and national levels.  Pete and Don always do a great job at this event and I appreciate their willingness to come back and address our members again. 

The Annual Expo Luncheon Meeting, featuring guest speaker Wayne Carini from F40 Motorsports and the Velocity TV Series, Chasing Classic Cars, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  This event, honoring the Chamber’s 2013 Small Business of the Year Awards recipients, is sponsored by Comcast Business.  I am proud to announce the winners of the Chamber’s 2013 Small Business of the Year Awards: Business of the Year (31+ Employees): Suburban Stationers, Middletown. Business of the Year (1-30 Employees): Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, Middletown.  Minority Led Business of the Year: Makiaris Media Services, Middletown.  Innovative Business of the Year: Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, Portland & Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort, Middlefield.  Growth & Expansion Award: Centerplan Companies, Middletown.  Manufacturer of the Year: Tower Laboratories Ltd, Essex. Tourism/Hospitality Business of the Year: Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam. Outstanding New Business-Under Five Years: EMPOWER Leadership Sports & Adventure Center, Middletown.  Retail Business of the Year: Tanger Outlets, Westbrook. 

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We are very lucky to have these terrific businesses in our region, and we look forward to honoring their success on Tuesday.  Registration information for the Breakfast Meeting and the Luncheon is available online at www.middlesexchamberevents.com

The Middlesex County Fall Career Fair, featuring over 50 employers that are currently hiring, will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  A workshop, Successful Job Search Campaign Messages, led by Ross Primack, Connecticut Department of Labor, will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and will last between 45 minutes to 60 minutes.  The Middlesex County Fall Career Fair is sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Labor, Workforce Alliance, and the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.  This event is a great opportunity for those who are unemployed or underemployed, to get in front of quality companies and organizations that have employment opportunities available. 

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The general public is invited to visit with over 110 exhibitors, representing a number of different industries, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to the great tour of exhibitor booths, the Annual Health and Wellness Fair, sponsored by Middlesex Hospital & Aetna Inc., will highlight best practices for promoting health and wellness in your company, and in your life. 

The Health and Wellness Fair will feature: a flu vaccination clinic, blood pressure screenings, cholesterol screenings, bone density testing, balance testing, and a sleep disorder clinic.  Information will also be available on: cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, diabetes, adult and pediatric asthma, weight management for children, chronic heart failure, smoking cessation, and wellness programs.  All services are free except for the flu vaccination clinic which is covered by most health insurance policies.   

Two FREE workshops will be offered at this year’s Expo.  The morning session, Emergency Preparedness & Safety - How You and Your Company Can Be Ready, led by Dean Desautels, Manager, CL&P Emergency Management, will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  An afternoon session, Strategic Selling for the Digital Age - Extraordinary Times Call for Extraordinary Sellers, led by Joseph Muro, Digital Services General Manager, CT1 Media, will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Real Estate Continuing Education Seminars are also part of this year’s event.  The morning session, Short Sales in Connecticut, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon.  The afternoon session, Connecticut Real Estate Law - Updated and Revisited, will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Both of these sessions will be led by Tracy McCleary.

The Chamber’s Middlesex Businesswomen’s Alliance will host a Speed Networking event, available to all Chamber members, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and our Human Resource Council will host a seminar, Immigration Law Compliance for Employers, led by Dana Bucin, Associate, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. 

The members only Executive Evening Business After Work Networking Event, to be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., will feature free food, beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, over 110 exhibitors, raffle prizes, and terrific networking.  Witch’s Brew, Lorraine C. McHugh Scholarship Benefit Room, sponsored by City Steam, will be held as part of Executive Evening

I would like to again thank all Expo sponsors for their strong support of this major event.  Presenting Sponsors: Comcast Business and Updike, Kelly, & Spellacy P.C.  Platinum Sponsors: ACT Group, Aetna Inc., Chamber Insurance Trust, Citizens Bank, Crowne Plaza Cromwell, Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas (The Northeast Utilities System), Tower Laboratories LTD.  Titanium Sponsors: Connecticut Lottery, People’s United Bank, United States Small Business Administration.  Gold Sponsors: Bank of America, Community Renewal Team, KGS Insurance Services LLC, Pratt & Whitney, The Mattabassett District, TD Bank. Silver Sponsors: A&A Office Systems, Best Cleaners, Community Health Center, DATTCO Inc., Merrill Lynch Wealth Management - The Johnson Group, New England Environmental, Inc.  Bronze Sponsors: A Second Chance CPR & First Aid Training, Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, Executive Offices, Lyman Orchards, Suburban Stationers, Inc., The Durham Manufacturing Company. 

For more information, or to register for Expo events, please visit www.middlesexchamberevents.com.

There are a number of Grand Openings and Anniversary Celebrations throughout Middlesex County this week.  This Wednesday, October 30th, the Inn at Middletown will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary with a nice event at the hotel.  I look forward to attending the event and celebrating the occasion with General Manager Gary Nagler and the entire Inn at Middletown team.  The Inn has been a great addition to downtown Middletown, and we are lucky to have it.

I also look forward to celebrating Grand Openings for two new Middletown businesses this Friday, November 1st.  Bottom 2 Top, an urban clothing retailer on Main Street, will host a small gathering at 3:00 PM and Hair Solutions Salon on South Main Street will host one at 4:00 PM. 

I would like to close this week’s column by wishing Rick Kearney the best of luck in his retirement from the City of Middletown.  Rick has worked as Economic Development Specialist, within the Department of Planning, Conservation and Development, for 15 years.  He has worked closely with the Chamber staff and the business community and has done a terrific job.  I look forward to spending some time with Rick, and a number of his colleagues and friends, at a small gathering in the Planning Office this morning.  Congratulations Rick, you will be missed. 

For more information on Chamber events and activities, please contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Middletown