Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce’s Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council, the Middlesex Consortium of Schools, and Wesleyan University’s Center for Community Partnerships, presents the eighth Annual Career Fair Expo for Middlesex County High School Students. The 2013 High School Career Fair Expo will be held on Thursday, April 25th, at the Spurrier-Snyder Ice Rink, Freeman Athletic Center, Wesleyan University, Middletown, between the hours of 7:30 A.M. and 12:00 Noon. Last year, the Expo hosted over 1200 students from Cromwell, Middletown, Durham, Middlefield, Portland, East Hampton, Haddam, Killingworth, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. This year, over 1300 students are expected to attend. Over 200 Business and Career Professionals will be on hand to share career experiences with the students. This event provides our high school students with an excellent opportunity to explore potential careers so that they may better plan their educational goals. The expertise of business and community leaders is invaluable in connecting academics with the skills required in the workplace. Students are assigned to visit with at least three separate Presenter/Exhibitors and document the information that they were able to gather from their conversations with the Presenter/Exhibitors they chose to visit. This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to talk with various business people regarding professions, descriptions of responsibilities, training and education needed, average salaries, and advancement opportunities. The face-to-face time the students get with the business professionals, is such an invaluable experience, they will learn from, and take with them. Big thanks go to Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas, Pratt & Whitney, and Wesleyan University’s Center for Community Partnerships, for their sponsorship of the 2013 High School Career Fair Expo. Also, our grateful thanks to the American Eagle Federal Credit Union, Liberty Bank, Lyman Farms, Inc., Triple Springs Spring Water Company, The Connecticut Water Company, and De Kine Photo LLC, for their donations to the Career Fair Expo. We look forward to this year’s event, as well as future events. This is a great opportunity for us to build upon relationships between our students, their schools, and employers in Middlesex County. By business and education working together, it will guarantee that Middlesex County continues as the state leader in providing a better quality of life for all of its citizens. For all their hard work and dedication planning the 2013 High School Career Fair Expo, a very special thank you to: Donna Finkelstein of the Middlesex Consortium of Schools; Mike Faenza, Vinal Technical High School; Rosario Rizzo, Pratt & Whitney; Sonia Manjon and Patricia Stephenson Gordon, Wesleyan University; Chris Graham, Cromwell High School; Todd E, Corey, American Eagle Federal Credit Union; Ann Esposito, Primerica Financial Services; Mary Ann Lentz, Liberty Bank; Grady Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Realty; Ana Alfaro and John O’Toole, Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas; Joanne Barmasse, Coldwell Banker; Cynthia Sanders, Sanders Solution Business Advisor; Barbara Taylor-Hatje, Egidio Assante Wealth Management LLC; Julie Sapia-Bryant, Community Renewal Team; Lois Eldridge, LEARN; Anthony Brisson, SERC; and Mary Hambor, Valley Regional High School, and the Middlesex Consortium of Schools Planning Committee. Many thanks, of course, to the Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council Committee Members: Chairman, Thomas J. Serra, Middletown Hall of Fame; Donna Finkelstein, Middlesex Consortium of Schools; Joanne Barmasse, Coldwell Banker; Todd E. Corey and Dan Tynan, American Eagle Federal Credit Union; Ann Esposito, Primerica Financial Services; Michael Faenza, Vinal Technical High School; Grady Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Realty; Patricia Charles, Superintendent of Schools; Lori Gagne Pendleton, Charter Oak State College; Christopher Graham, Cromwell High School; Mary Hambor, Valley Regional High School; Mary Ann Lentz, Liberty Bank; Anthony Brisson, State Education Resource Center; Rosario Rizzo, Pratt & Whitney; Barbara Taylor-Hatje, Egidio Assante Wealth Management LLC; Ana Alfaro and John O’Toole, Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas; Cynthia Sanders, Sanders Solution Business Advisor; Donna Leonowich, Patricia Raymond and Trenton Wright, Middlesex Community College; Lorenzo Marshall, Middlesex Chamber; John Ferrara, Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore CT, Inc. For more information on 2013 High School Career Fair Expo, and how to participate in future events, email: jennifer@middlesexchamber.com at the Middlesex County Chamber of commerce. Last Thursday, April 18th, the Chamber had a terrific Board of Directors meeting at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. I want to thank Crowne Plaza General Manager Steve Gardiner and his team for hosting our Board and for providing an outstanding meal for the members. The meeting had a full agenda including a great presentation by Catherine Smith, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, which updated members on the progress of Connecticut’s Economic Development Strategy. The Chamber engages in a number of important collaborations with DECD and I would like to publicly thank Commissioner Smith and Deputy Commissioner Ron Angelo for their strong leadership and support of the business community. The meeting also featured remarks from Tony Cacace of GKN Aerospace Services Structures in Cromwell, Pete Finnigan of Pratt & Whitney, and Richard Oldfield of GKN Aerospace, based in Great Britain, which focused on some of the high level manufacturing partnerships which are underway, and have the potential to be major economic generators for years to come. Finally, Sean Hayes provided an update on Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park in Portland, and Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort in Middlefield, two terrific seasonal tourist destinations in our area that attract visitors from all over the state and beyond. Tomorrow morning, April 23rd, the Chamber will welcome Warde J. Manuel, Director of Athletics at UCONN, as guest speaker at our April Member Breakfast Meeting. The Breakfast will be held at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell, with Networking beginning at 7:00 A.M., Breakfast Buffet opens at 7:45 A.M. and the Breakfast Meeting Program 8:00 to 9:00 A.M. The event is sponsored by TD Bank. Warde is bringing the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship trophy to the event, recently captured for the eighth time by the Lady Huskies, and we will honor the three high school State Champions from our area, the Cromwell High School Girls Basketball team, the Mercy High School Basketball team, and the Valley Regional High School Boys Basketball team. We are looking forward to a great Member Breakfast Meeting tomorrow in Cromwell. I look forward to attending a testimonial dinner in honor of former State Senator Eileen Daily on Thursday evening at the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook. Eileen was an outstanding member of the State Senate and gave many years to public service. I want to thank her publicly for her strong support of the Chamber over the years and for her commitment to Westbrook and to Middlesex County. Eileen has retired from public office but has joined the Chamber and remains active in many community initiatives. This Friday, April 26th, the Chamber’s Legislative Committee will host a Special Legislative Event with Senator Don Williams, President Pro Tem of the Connecticut State Senate, at the Courtyard By Marriott in Cromwell. This important event is sponsored by Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas, Northeast Utilities Companies, and is the third of our Legislative Committee’s three annual events. Earlier in the legislative session, our group hosted a very successful meeting with the Middlesex County Legislative Delegation, and another with Brendan Sharkey, Speaker of the House. Our next Member Business After Work will be held at Billy Tee’s in Cromwell next Tuesday, April 30th from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM. This event will feature free beer, wine and soft drinks, delicious Billy Tee’s pizza and other options from their menu, and of course, the best networking around. I would like to thank Bill Torza of Torza's Golf and Billy Tee's Sports Bar & Restaurant, for hosting this event on an annual basis and for his strong support of our Chamber. I would like to close this week’s column by offering my condolences to Joseph “JJ” Cardillo on the loss of his father Rocco. Rocco V. Cardillo passed away recently after a long life which included exemplary service in the United States Army during World War II where he participated in the D-Day Invasion to liberate Europe, and a thirty-nine year career at Pratt & Whitney. We appreciate Rocco’s service and our thoughts are with the Cardillo family at this time. For more information on Chamber events and activities, please contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com.