Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

The 2012 Middlesex County Business to Business Expo is finally upon us.  With over 110 exhibitors, and featuring a full day of events and activities, the Expo will be held today at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  The event will be open to the general public from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., and will re-open at 4 p.m. for a Middlesex Chamber Members Only Executive Evening Event. 

The 2012 Middlesex County Career Fair is a critical part of this year’s Expo.  The event, sponsored by the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, the Connecticut Department of Labor, and Workforce Alliance, will run from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The Career Fair will feature over 50 companies with positions available, which is great economic news for our region and very important considering the high number of people out of work. 

Our Health Care Reform Breakfast Meeting, sponsored by Comcast Business Class, will begin at 7:45 a.m., and will end at 9:30 a.m. The program will focus on where we are headed now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act. A distinguished panel of experts will provide valuable information for businesses as they prepare for full implementation of the law. Our panel is comprised of: Kevin Counihan, Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, Arthur “Buddy” McDowell, Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Middlesex Hospital, Lynn Giroux, Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Essex Savings Bank, Matthew Wiggin, Head of Business Communications, Aetna, Dan Cave, President and CEO, Nurtur, and Margaret Flinter, Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, Community Health Center. This will be a sold out event. 

Our first ever Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon, also sponsored by Comcast Business Class, will begin at 11:30 A.M., and will feature guest speaker, Commissioner Catherine Smith, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. The Small Business of the Year Awards program is designed to recognize the dedication, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by Connecticut's small businesses. I would like to congratulate all of our winners on these well-deserved awards. 

The Make a Difference “Shoot for the Stars” Award goes to the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. The Crowne Plaza hosts many of our major events and their professional staff is a pleasure to work with throughout the year. The Business of the Year Award, 1-30 Employees, goes to gener8or communications and the Studios of Moving Pictures. Darlene Scirpo and Steve Lovelace are very active in the Middletown community, and have won three local Emmy Awards for their outstanding work. The Business of the Year Award, 31+ Employees, goes to Lorensen Auto Group which has three dealerships in the Town of Westbrook.  Lorensen is a strong corporate citizen and is a major economic generator on the shoreline and throughout the state. The Minority Business of the Year Award goes to Cindi Gondek and Advanced Copy Technologies, Inc. Advanced Copy, located in Cromwell, is a fast growing company that has become a leader in office equipment and document management services. The Business Growth & Expansion Award goes to Jarvis Products Corporation of Middletown. 

Jarvis, a manufacturer of highly specialized meat processing products, recently added a 30,000 square foot addition to its high level facility which is bringing significant jobs and economic development to the area. Finally, The Hometown Main Street Business of the Year Award goes to NoRA Cupcake Company which is located north of Rapallo Avenue, on Main Street in Middletown.  Carrie Carella is doing a wonderful job producing delicious cupcakes and helping to spark a revival in the North End of Middletown.

This year’s Expo will also include a Health and Wellness Fair which will run from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. for the general public, and 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. for members of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. The Health and Wellness Fair, sponsored by Middlesex Hospital and Aetna Inc., is a great way to promote better health in your life and in your company. The fair will feature a flu vaccination clinic, blood pressure screenings, cholesterol screenings, bone density testing, and much more. Important information will also be available on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, sleep disorders, rehabilitation, diabetes, adult and pediatric asthma, weight management for children, chronic heart failure and smoking cessation. 

Finally, we are expecting over 1000 Chamber members at the Business After Work portion of the Expo, our annual Members Only Executive Evening Event. With over 110 businesses displaying their products and services, and of course, free beer, wine, soft drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and the best networking around, it is sure to be a terrific night. This year’s Executive Evening Event at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell will also feature our annual Festival of Wreaths Silent Auction which benefits Holiday on Main Street and the Middletown Mentor Program.

The Expo is our Signature Event and I would like to once again thank all of our sponsors and exhibitors for their great support and for sticking with us through the postponement of the original event. This year’s sponsors are: Title Sponsor: Comcast Business Class, Platinum Sponsors: Advanced Copy Technologies, Inc., Aetna Inc., Chamber Insurance Trust, Crowne Plaza Cromwell, Northeast Utilities, People’s United Bank, Tower Laboratories Ltd., Gold Sponsors: Ameriben Alliance, LLC, Associated Medical, Inc, Bank of America, Beacon Retiree Benefits Group, Community Renewal Team, TD Bank, The Mattabassett District, U.S. Small Business Administration, Silver Sponsors: A&A Office Systems, DATTCO, Inc, Pratt & Whitney, Bronze Sponsors: A Second Chance CPR & First Aid Training, Arborview Dental Care, Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, Dutch Oil Company, Executive Offices, Harriet Amanda Chapman, Inc, Lyman Orchards, PrimePay LLC, Suburban Stationers, Inc., The Durham Manufacturing Company, and The Entrepreneur's Source. 

I want to send out a special thank you to our Expo Committee and especially to Co-Chairs Brian Armet and Pamela Luchka.  This committee works throughout the year on this event and we appreciate their efforts very much.  Also, I would be remiss if I did not thank the Chamber staff for their hard work and dedication, especially Johanna Bond and Danielle Aletta who have put in countless hours to make sure that this major event is a success.  We look forward to seeing everyone at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell for the 2012 Business to Business Expo!

Middletown’s 27th Annual Holiday on Main Street Celebration began last Friday, November 23rd.  There were four tree lightings downtown and it was another fun event that featured a huge crowd of over 1000 people on Main Street. 

The first tree-lighting, the Tree of Lights, was held on the South Green in the Veterans Memorial Gazebo.  Middlesex Hospital’s Hospice & Palliative Care Program was charged with lighting the tree throughout the Celebration, with each light shining in honor or remembrance of a friend or family member.

The second tree-lighting, the big tree on the South Green, was led by Middletown Mayor Dan Drew and Santa Claus.  Also on hand at the second lighting were the Middletown High School Marching Band and Chorus, along with the Woodrow Wilson Middle School Chorus.

After the tree lighting on the South Green, Santa Claus and the Middletown High School Marching Band led a parade up Main Street to the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce for the third tree lighting. 

The fourth and final tree lighting of the night was held in front of Eli Cannon’s Tap Room.  Santa and his elves were on hand to provide all the children with complimentary popcorn, cookies, hot chocolate, and other treats.

We are off to a great start, and I want to publicly thank all of our major sponsors for their outstanding support of Middletown’s 27th Annual Holiday on Main Street Celebration: The City of Middletown, Pratt & Whitney, Downtown Business District, Apple Rehab Middletown, Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, Greco Design, Liberty Bank, Malloves Jewelers, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex YMCA, Russell Library, St. Vincent DePaul Middletown, Webster Bank, Middlesex Hospital Community Council, and Rag & Bone. 

I also want to thank the Middletown Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, the Mayor’s Office, and Marco Gaylord and the Middletown High School Marching Band for their outstanding support. 

Middletown’s 27th Annual Holiday on Main Street continues on Saturday, December 1st, Saturday, December 8th, and Saturday, December 15th.  I look forward to seeing everyone downtown for Holiday on Main Street. 

The Holiday on Main event also kicked off the Chamber’s 2012 Food Drive.  We are collecting non-perishable food items, with the most important items being: tuna, peanut butter, beans (canned or dry), canned fruits, canned soups, and cereal.  We will have a box at the Chamber office and will be collecting until our December 11th Member Breakfast Meeting featuring Governor Dannel P. Malloy at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, including that morning, at the event. 

The Holiday Season is here, and the Chamber is on the move.   

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