Chamber Prez Wowed by Tourism Campaign

We are all so fortunate to live and work in Middlesex County and the state of Connecticut. Residents of other states and other countries should come pay us a visit to see firsthand what a rare jewel Connecticut is. 

Tourism is a major economic driver in our state and I am thrilled that the Malloy administration has made it a priority. I was proud to attend a press conference last Monday morning in Hartford where Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled Connecticut's new state branding campaign, .

This two-year, $27 million initiative will incorporate TV, radio, print and digital advertising in an effort to attract tourists to Connecticut. This investment is critical and will get Connecticut's message out across this country. 

Last Thursday, Brian O'Connor from the chamber office attended the Connecticut Conference on Tourism at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. This daylong conference focused on the governor’s vision for Connecticut tourism and touched on topics such as attracting international travelers and effectively using online marketing strategies. 

I want to thank Gov. Malloy, DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith and Deputy DECD Commissioner Kip Bergstrom for their leadership on this very important issue. Our chamber will continue to be a strong supporter of tourism in Middlesex County and in the state of Connecticut.

One issue that I know we can all agree is of critical importance in this state is the issue of education. I was proud to attend the press conference held in Hartford last Tuesday at which Malloy signed the new education reform bill into law. Our Chamber was in strong support of this bill and I want to thank the governor and top lawmakers for their hard work. 

It was not an easy process, but a compromise was reached and this critical bill is now the law of the land. The education system in our state shapes our future workforce and there is nothing more important to the business community.

Last Tuesday was a day to head down county for meetings with a few great Chamber members. I was happy to visit the beautiful Saybrook Point Inn and Spa in Old Saybrook and I want to thank Steve Tagliatela, principal, and Lori Woll, director of sales, for hosting me. 

Later in the day, Brian O'Connor and I, along with Dick Smith, the outstanding First Selectman in Deep River, visited PCI Medical in Deep River, which was started in 1995 by Philip and Clio Coles. The company is a leader in the development of specialty systems called GUS Disinfection Soak Stations which are heavily relied on by hospitals and other medical facilities. 

PCI is a great company that develops a very important product and the grand opening of their new facility was terrific. Both of these businesses are strong corporate citizens in Middlesex County that are involved in a wide range of local charity events.

On Wednesday, Jeff Pugliese and Cathy Duncan from my staff attended The . The 2012 Preservation Awards were presented to Wesleyan University, O'Rourke's Diner, Eli Cannon's Trading Co., and the NoRA Cupcake Company. I want to thank Phil Ouellette of Eli Cannon’s and Eli Cannon’s Trading Company, and Carrie Carella, co-owner of NoRA, for hosting the group. I also want to thank Mayor Dan Drew for his great remarks. Congratulations to the winners, we appreciate your good work.  

Wednesday evening was the Chamber's Annual Rock Cats Business After Work at New Britain Stadium. It was a beautiful night, and close to 200 of our members were treated to some extra baseball after the Rock Cats were rained out the previous night, and played a doubleheader on Wednesday.

I want to publicly thank Rock Cats President John Willi and his staff for hosting our group in the special picnic area located down the right field line. This continues to be one of our most popular events and we look forward to continuing our great relationship with the Rock Cats. 

We are looking forward to our next member breakfast meeting Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. Our guest speaker will be Edison Liu, M.D., president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, an independent, nonprofit organization focusing on mammalian genetics research to advance human health. 

Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human disease, and to enable research for the global biomedical community. The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, a research center that will be housed in a 173,500-square-foot building to be erected on 17 acres of land provided by the state near the UCONN Health Center in Farmington, is the next phase of Malloy’s Bioscience Connecticut initiative. 

Bioscience Connecticut is a major economic development initiative designed to bolster the state’s biomedical industry and create jobs. JAX Genomic Medicine will focus on complex genetics of human disease through the intensive use of computational strategies and animal model systems. This is Dr. Liu’s first speech to a major business organization in Connecticut and our membership looks forward to his remarks. 

In closing, I would like to say that the economic activity is really picking up throughout Middlesex County in all areas of the business community, especially in manufacturing. Middlesex County is on the move and as always, we appreciate the great support of our members. 

For information, contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com.