Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

I would like to begin by wishing everyone in Middlesex County a very happy, healthy and safe Saint Patrick’s Day.

Today, we are honored to welcome UCONN Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma to our sold out March Member Breakfast Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. Geno is a Hall of Fame coach who has done amazing things for women’s basketball and the State of Connecticut. This event has quickly become one of our most popular of the year. I would like to again thank the coach for taking the time to visit with our members, especially during basketball season and right before the start of the NCAA Tournament. We all wish Geno and the Lady Huskies the best of luck as they begin what we hope is another championship run. MiddleOak is the sponsor for this great Chamber event and I would like to again thank CEO Gary Vallo and his entire team for supporting this Member Breakfast and our organization.

Last week was a busy one which started off on Monday with a trip to the Legislative Office Building in Hartford where I testified in support of House Bill 5465, An Act Concerning the Connecticut Aerospace Reinvestment Act. This bill will provide legislative approval for the recent agreement between Governor Dannel P. Malloy and United Technologies. As I noted last week in this column and again in Hartford on Monday, this agreement is not only important for Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, UTC Aerospace Systems, and UTC Building and Industrial Systems, but for the many local suppliers that support thousands of jobs. It is great news for Middlesex County and the State of Connecticut. Pratt & Whitney is a major employer in Middletown and in Middlesex County, and is a terrific corporate citizen and strong supporter of our Chamber. Tony Cacace, President of GKN Aerospace Services Structures in Cromwell, and Michael Polo, CEO & Founder of AdChem Manufacturing Technologies in Manchester, both testified in support of the bill and offered a valuable perspective from the manufacturing community. I am excited about this agreement and urge the General Assembly to approve it without delay.

Two Chamber divisions had the privilege of being joined by Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman last week for their March meetings. Tuesday’s All Middletown Division meeting was held at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, and Wednesday’s Durham & Middlefield Division meeting was held at A Second Chance CPR & First Aid Training in Durham. Nancy Wyman is a terrific public servant and an even better person. She is an outstanding leader and a real friend to our Chamber. We are all really proud of her. Nancy has been visiting with the Chamber’s divisions for many years now, since the early days of her tenure as State Comptroller. I want to again thank her for her support of our divisions and of our Chamber. We look forward to Nancy visiting with more of our groups in the next few months.

On Thursday afternoon, I attended a Grand Opening at the new Re/Max Edge office on Broad Street in Middletown along with Chamber Chairwoman Darlene Briggs and Middletown Mayor Dan Drew. We are thrilled to have Re/Max Edge in Middletown, and we look forward to working with Cheryl Kebalo, Kurt Potter and their entire team as we move forward.

This Wednesday afternoon, I look forward to attending the Ground Breaking Ceremony for Xavier High School’s planned upgrades to its fine-arts and outdoor athletics facilities. This ceremony represents the first step in an $8 million capital improvement campaign which is the largest in the history of the school. This is exciting news for Xavier and for Middletown, and it will allow the school to strategically look to the future and continue to attract top notch students and student athletes.

Looking ahead to later this week, the Chamber’s Board of Directors will hold its March meeting this Thursday at The Griswold Inn in Essex. Kevin Sullivan, Commissioner of the Department of Revenue Services, will visit with our group to discuss his department and other important issues. The Chamber Board will also hear reports from committee chairs and members of our staff.

Later on Thursday, I will attend a Grand Opening event in Cromwell for Next Door Consignment along with Darlene Briggs, Mayor Enzo Faienza, and Town Planner Stuart Popper. We look forward to welcoming this new business to Cromwell and to Middlesex County.

The Chamber’s 2014 Business After Work Auction and Taste of Downtown is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 25th, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Italian Society Hall of Middletown. As always, the event will feature delicious samplings from over 15 downtown restaurants, a live auction featuring over 100 items, a silent auction, complimentary beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks for Chamber members, and the best networking around. This year’s event will have a Great Gatsby theme and will be the 30th Anniversary of the Auction and Taste of Downtown. I would like to again thank our Auction Committee, led by Co Chairs Al Santostefano and Rich Greco, for their effort on this and many other Chamber initiatives.

The Chamber’s 2014 Legislative Leadership Series will continue on Friday, March 28th, when we welcome Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey to a special legislative meeting. This will be the third of our four legislative events for 2014, after a successful meeting with the Republican leaders from both the House and the Senate, and the 2014 Legislative Breakfast with the Middlesex County delegation. We will welcome Senate President Pro Tem Don Williams on Monday, April 21st.  The legislative session is moving right along in Hartford and the Chamber’s Legislative Committee continues to be engaged.

Finally, the Chamber’s 2014 Business & Education Partnership Member Breakfast Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 10th, at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell. This exciting event, sponsored by Liberty Bank, will feature UCONN President Susan Herbst as guest speaker. This should be another sold out Member Breakfast Meeting. Our Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council continues to serve as a link between member businesses and educational leaders from Middlesex County schools. The council’s mission is to facilitate and encourage the development of mutually supportive partnerships between schools and businesses. I appreciate the work of this Chamber committee, led by Chairman Tom Serra, and look forward to the Member Breakfast Meeting on April 10th.

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