Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

Welcome to Durham Fair week. 

The 94th Annual Durham Fair will be held this Thursday through Sunday, September 26th to September 29th.  Dan Miramant, Durham Agricultural Fair Association President, and his team of committed volunteers, are ready to put on another terrific event.  Up and coming country music artists Justin Moore and Josh Turner will perform live at this year’s event, and The Fair will host the Connecticut Wine Festival for the first time.  The Fair will once again feature an array of food options, a number of games, events and activities, and many exhibitors.  We are very lucky to have this large scale agricultural event in Middlesex County.  The Durham Fair is the largest fair in North America managed entirely by unpaid volunteers, it is truly a unique event.  We look forward to a great weekend on the fairgrounds in Durham. 

We are happy to welcome United States Congressman John B. Larson as guest speaker at this morning’s Member Breakfast Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  We are expecting a large crowd of over 500 for this event, and I would like to again thank Pratt & Whitney for sponsoring the event and for their continuing support of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. 

As I have noted in previous weeks, The Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award will be presented to Tom Serra at the Larson Breakfast Meeting.  The Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award, presented since 2002, is awarded to an individual who has performed outstanding public service for Middlesex County and the State of Connecticut. The award is named after Governor O’Neill, who dedicated himself to public service during his tenure as a State Representative, Lieutenant Governor and Governor.  Tom Serra has dedicated himself to public service throughout a long and distinguished career as an educator, a principal, a mayor, a member of the Middletown Common Council, and a supporter of countless community initiatives.  We are happy to honor Tom with this prestigious award. 

Last week was another busy one in Middletown and throughout Middlesex County.  The Grand Re-Opening celebration for Tuscany Grill, College Street in Middletown, was held on Monday evening.  I was happy to attend along with Mayor Dan Drew, Deputy Mayor Bob Santangelo, and other invited guests.  Owners Brenda Reilly and Lynne Reilly, along with General Managers Meghan Wrinn and Ruth Shea, have led a recent restoration of Tuscany Grill and the place looks terrific. 

The Chamber’s Micro Business Council held a networking reception on Tuesday evening hosted by Middlesex Wealth Management Group, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network.  A micro business is officially defined as a business that has fewer than ten employees. The Micro Business Council of the Chamber is designed to support these businesses by promoting the sharing of information through social and professional interaction.  We had over 25 members attend this event and I would like to thank Jim Venditti, Jamie Oliver, and Della Hicks of Middlesex Wealth Management Group for hosting. 

The Chamber’s Board of Directors held its September meeting on Thursday at the Middletown Elks #771 on Maynard Street in Middletown.  Chamber Chairwoman Darlene Briggs led her first meeting of the Chamber’s full Board and did a great job.  Sean Hayes, Owner and Operator of Brownstone Discovery and Exploration Park in Portland and Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort in Middlefield, gave a presentation on the progress of the Powder Ridge redevelopment project.  Sean and his team are doing an outstanding job with what is sure to be a tourist attraction, an economic generator, and fun destination for folks in and out of Middlesex County.  We look forward to getting up on the mountain this winter. 

The Middlesex Businesswomen’s Alliance held its September meeting last Thursday evening at the Captain Stannard House in Westbrook.  The MBA is a council of the Chamber that provides challenges and opportunities to educate, enrich, and explore issues for women in business.  The meeting featured a big crowd of over 20 businesswomen, great networking, and an interesting presentation from Ellen Feldman-Ornato on unconscious bias and the effect it has on business and personal interactions.  We appreciate the willingness of the Captain Stannard House to host this meeting and also meetings of the Chamber’s Westbrook Division. 

This coming week features meetings of the Chamber’s Westbrook, East Haddam, and Haddam Divisions.  Patricia Ciccone, Superintendent, Westbrook Public Schools, will speak to the Westbrook group while a representative from C-PACE will speak to the East Haddam and Haddam groups.  C-PACE, or Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, is a program that allows commercial and industrial building owners to finance qualifying energy efficiency and clean energy improvements through placing a voluntary assessment on their property tax bill.  The following towns in the Chamber’s service area have taken the necessary steps to opt into the C-PACE Program: Chester, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Middletown and Westbrook.  We look forward to both of these division meetings. 

Recently, a number of Chamber members and supporters were named 2013 recipients of the Top Workplace Award, presented by the Hartford Courant and FOX 61.  I would like to recognize the following businesses and organizations for their selection: Emergency Resource Management and its sister company CT Training & Consulting Institute, Liberty Bank, Clarus Marketing Group, Liberty Bank, Farmington Bank, Webster Bank, Gowrie Group / Maritime Program Group, William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance. 

The Chamber will once again offer complimentary tickets to two Yale football games this season.  Thanks to the Yale University Athletic Department, tickets are available for Bulldogs games on Saturday, October 19th vs. Fordham University, kickoff at 12 Noon, and Saturday, November 9th vs. Brown University, kickoff at 12 Noon.  These complimentary tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.  Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Middlesex Chamber, 393 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457, or come to the Chamber office to collect your tickets to see some exciting Ivy League football. 

The Chamber’s October Calendar will once again be full of events and activities.  October’s Member Breakfast Meeting will feature UCONN Men’s Basketball Coach Kevin Ollie, and will be held on Tuesday, October 8th at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  We are looking forward to hearing what Coach Ollie has to say about the upcoming season and are expecting a sell-out crowd for the breakfast event.  The month of October also features the Chamber’s Business to Business Expo.  This year’s event, scheduled for Tuesday, October 29th, at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, will once again be a full day of events including an Economic Forecast Breakfast Meeting, and a Small Business Awards Luncheon featuring guest speaker Wayne Carini from the television show Chasing Classic Cars which airs on Velocity TV.  This year’s Expo event will also once again feature a Middlesex County Career Fair with employers from throughout the state, a Health and Wellness Fair, sponsored by Middlesex Hospital, over 110 exhibitors, and much more. 

Its Durham Fair week, October is around the corner, and the Middlesex Chamber is on the move. 

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