Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

On Tuesday of last week, the Chamber’s Manufacturers’ Council visited Vinal Technical High School in Middletown. This meeting continued the council’s drive to connect the business community to some of the local manufacturing initiatives underway at the high school level. This was a terrific visit to Vinal which included tours of the school’s Electro-Mechanical Department, the Computer Aided Drafting and Design Area, the Manufacturing Technology Department, and a presentation by John Murphy, Education Consultant for the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) Manufacturing Cluster. John offered the group a strategy overview for the CTHSS Manufacturing Programs, including how the business community is collaborating with the educational system in our state to ensure that the manufacturing pipeline of talent continues to grow. The Council was also briefed on curriculum revisions, and the use of skill standard assessments for credentialing. This meeting at Vinal was a follow up to the council’s visit to Whelen Engineering in Chester in January, which was also designed to address the skills gap shortage that exists in the manufacturing trade cluster. The Manufacturers’ Council, and this Chamber as a whole, will continue to invest in this critically important issue. Last Wednesday, April 10th, the Chamber hosted a roundtable which discussed the progress of our very successful Ambassador Program. Chamber Ambassadors are highly visible, prestigious volunteers who serve as the organization’s primary liaison to new Chamber members. Considered the goodwill arm of the Chamber, the Ambassador Committee plays an essential role in member communication and retention, and each Ambassador is charged with conveying member needs, questions and concerns to Chamber staff. Upon their appointment, each Ambassador makes a commitment to build lasting relationships with the Chamber membership, particularly new members, in order to build a loyal committed membership base that will continue to support, participate in, and invest in the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. I would like to thank our Ambassador Committee, led by Chairman Jim Cama, along with Johanna Bond and Cathy Duncan from the Chamber staff for their hard work on this important project. This coming Thursday, April 18th, the Chamber will welcome Catherine Smith, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, as guest speaker at our April Board of Directors meeting at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. The Chamber engages in a number of important collaborations with DECD and our Board members are looking forward to hearing an update from Commissioner Smith on some of the important economic development initiatives happening around the state. The presentation will also feature an update from Tony Cacace and Steve Hayse of GKN Aerospace Services Structures on an exciting new initiative that is underway at their Cromwell facility. Looking ahead to our Member Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday, April 23rd, sponsored by TD Bank, at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, we will welcome guest speaker Warde J. Manuel, Director of Athletics, University of Connecticut. Our members are looking forward to hearing from Warde during this very busy time in college athletics, especially after the Lady Huskies recently captured their 8th National Championship in Women’s Basketball. Later that week, on Thursday, April 25th, the Chamber’s Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council, the Middlesex Consortium of Schools, and Wesleyan University will present the 2013 High School Career Fair Expo at Wesleyan University. Over 160 Business and Career Professionals will be in attendance at this annual event, to present, and share their career experiences with over 1300 Middlesex County High School Students. Human Resource Business Professionals will be on hand to conduct “Employment Interviews”, and offer some beneficial tips to a number of students, from each of the high schools, who have “set up appointments for interviews in advance.” This event provides our high school students with an invaluable opportunity to explore potential careers so that they may better plan their educational goals. The expertise of business and community leaders is vital in connecting academics with the skills required in the workplace. Career Presenter/Exhibitors, are asked to simply speak informally with small groups of students about their professions and related professions in that particular field. Discussions will cover topics such as: the education and training that is needed; the average salary range of the profession; an average day and work week; opportunities for advancement; the most important skills necessary to excel at the job; and other important topics. This is a major annual event and I would like to thank our Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council, led by Chairman Tom Serra, the Middlesex Consortium of Schools & Wesleyan University for their dedication to this initiative. I also want to acknowledge the hard work of Jennifer De Kine from the Chamber staff who puts in a lot of time to make sure this event is a success every year. Finally, this important High School Career Expo could not happen without the great support of Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas, and Pratt & Whitney, two terrific corporate citizens in our area, and around the state. On 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. Finally, our next Member Business After Work will be held at Billy Tee’s in Cromwell on 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. We have reached the middle of April, and the Middlesex Chamber is on the move. For more information on Chamber events and activities, please contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com.