Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

We look forward to welcoming Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, as guest speaker at our sold out December Member Breakfast Meeting tomorrow morning at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  This event is sponsored by Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas, Northeast Utilities Companies.  As I have noted in previous weeks, welcoming our state’s Governor in the month of December is a long standing Middlesex County tradition going back to Governor William O’Neill.  Governor Malloy is making his third appearance before our Chamber, and we appreciate his willingness to come back and address our members. The Governor has provided strong leadership for our state throughout his time in office.  His administration has faced challenges that none of us could have imagined at the start of the term.  He has traveled across the state meeting with citizens, and has spent a great deal of time in Middlesex County.  I would like to thank Governor Malloy for his consistent leadership, and for speaking to our Chamber once again.  We look forward to a terrific event. 

Following the Member Breakfast Meeting, the Chamber will host an information session on C-PACE.  C-PACE, or Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, is a program allowing commercial and industrial building owners to finance qualifying energy efficiency and clean energy improvements through placing a voluntary assessment on their property tax bill.  Six towns in the Chamber’s service area have taken the necessary steps to opt into the C-PACE Program.  Staff from CEFIA, The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, will give a short presentation on the C-PACE Program and will be available to visit with commercial property owners and answer questions

Chamber Chairwoman Darlene Briggs and I attended a grand opening celebration last Monday for Quality Care Drug, which opened at 33 Main Street in Essex.  Pharmacist/Owner Greg McKenna and his team have developed a very effective model, and have done a terrific job with this new business.  We welcome Greg and his team to Essex and we wish them the best. 

The Chamber’s county based divisions continue to be active through their outstanding monthly meetings.  Our Portland & East Hampton Division met on Wednesday of last week at Angelico’s Lake House in East Hampton.  Jim Jackson, the new Connecticut Small Business Development Center Counselor for Middlesex County, gave a presentation on the many services available to small businesses in Connecticut from this hugely popular national program.  Funded by a cooperative agreement between the US Small Business Administration and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the newly reorganized Center has deployed 13 seasoned business advisors to 10 locations around the state.  Jim will be visiting all of the Chamber’s divisions as we move forward.  Our Central Business Bureau met on Thursday morning at the Chamber office.  CBB meetings always feature a great discussion on important downtown issues, and always feature reports from city directors. 

The Middlesex County Real Estate Council Luncheon was held on Thursday afternoon at Baci Grill in Cromwell.  This event was again sponsored by Bill McCue and our friends at McCue Mortgage.  Over 55 Middlesex County realtors attended the event which celebrated the holidays and also served as a toy drive in support of the Riverview Hospital for Children.  I would like to thank Bill McCue and his team for sponsoring this event at Baci, and our Real Estate Council co-chairs Diane Sayers of William Raveis Real Estate,  and David Gallitto from Sterling Realtors, who have done a great job leading the group in the past year. 

The Middlesex Businesswomen’s Alliance held their annual Holiday Social and Networking event at the Inn at Middletown on Thursday evening.  This event, sponsored and hosted by the Inn at Middletown, featured over 50 Middlesex County businesswomen and terrific networking.  The Middlesex Businesswomen’s Alliance (MBA) is a council of the Chamber that provides challenges and opportunities to educate, enrich, and explore issues for women in business, led by our terrific co-chairs Jill Kovalich of Mahoney, Sabol & Company, LLP, and Tammy Strong of Disaster Recovery Services (DRS). 

The Chamber’s Down County Division, Chester, Deep River and Essex, met on Friday morning at Wells Fargo Advisors in Essex.  Middlesex Hospital’s Harry Evert, senior vice president, strategic planning & operations, and Laura Martino, vice president, marketing and development, gave a terrific presentation on the progress of the Shoreline Clinic project in Westbrook.  I want to thank Harry and Laura for attending the meeting, and Wells Fargo for hosting and sponsoring. 

Middletown’s 28th Annual Holiday on Main Street wraps up this Saturday, Dec. 14 with a number of events and activities.  This day kicks off at 10:30 a.m. with an Ornament Decorating Workshop courtesy of Middletown Recreation and Community Services Department at the Green Street Arts Center.  From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Exchange Club of Middletown will be staffing the popcorn and hot pretzels stand in front of the Chamber, and holiday music will again be played by Harvest Woods Audio.  The Holiday Bus, courtesy of Middletown Area Transit, will provide free rides around the downtown, and kids and families will again have the opportunity to greet Santa and take free hayrides along Main Street.  The Fun Train is back again as free rides will be available on the sidewalks of downtown.  The Human Rights Commission will again administer a food drive to benefit the Amazing Grace Food Pantry, as will Webster Bank through its 8th Annual Giving Tree.  Kids and families should stop by the Chamber office to pick up their passports for Santa’s Stamp Hunt Game.  Those who return the passport sheet with all ten stamps will win a Golden Ticket and be eligible to attend a special event at 2 p.m. with Santa.  The popular Mobile Petting Zoo will also return this Saturday, and kids will have the opportunity to interact and take pictures with a number of animals including a donkey, an alpaca, a sheep, pot belly pigs, baby goats, rabbits and chickens.  Another Ornament Decorating Workshop will be held from 1-3 p.m. at The Buttonwood Tree on Main Street, courtesy of Middletown Recreation and Community Services Department.  Holiday Story Time, featuring Police Chief Bill McKenna and Cookie Mouse, will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Broad Street Books.  From 1- 4 p.m., view the amazing Trains in Motion display at Amato’s Toy & Hobby on Main Street.  Finally, join Oddfellows Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. for the production of OLIVER!, the Charles Dickens classic.  For all of the up to date information on Middletown’s 28th Annual Holiday on Main Street, please visit www.HolidayOnMain.com.  I would like to again thank all of our sponsors for their unbelievable support of this huge event.  Led by Pratt & Whitney and the City of Middletown, Holiday on Main Street sponsors also include: Citizens Bank, Middletown Downtown Business District, Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, Liberty Bank, Malloves Jewelers, Webster Bank, Glitsy Girls Mobile Salon, Greco Design, Metro Movies 12, Middlesex YMCA, Wesleyan University Center for Community Partnerships, Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy, Ädelbrook Behavioral & Developmental Services, Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokolowski, Roadside Academy and St. Vincent de Paul Middletown.

Looking ahead to 2014, the Chamber’s Role Model of the Year Member Breakfast Meeting will be held on Friday, Jan. 3rd, as we welcome Sergeant First Class Joe Kapacziewski to Middlesex County.  Known as “Joe Kap” by his comrades and friends, Joe is the only amputee in the history of the United States Army Rangers to return to combat.  He is the author of “Back in the Fight”, a terrific book about his amazing story.  Copies of “Back in the Fight” will be available for sale, and a book signing will be a component of the Member Breakfast Meeting.  AT&T is the sponsor for this important Chamber event and we appreciate their support.  We will have more information on our Role Model of the Year Breakfast as we approach the event. 

I must end this week’s column on a sad note.  Arthur “Art” Bonnier passed away recently after a long and fulfilling life.  Art served our country bravely with the 5th regiment of the 1st Marine division during The Korean War.  He worked for Raymond Engineering for 33 years and was very active in the greater Middletown community.  Art was a good man and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jean, and their entire family at this difficult time.  Art will be missed. 

For more information on Chamber events and activities, please visit www.middlesexchamber.com