Chamber Corner with Larry McHugh

Week Four of the 2013 Middletown Summer Youth Employment Program has come to an end.  It is hard to believe, but there are now only two more weeks of this terrific community youth program.  We continue to have 80 youngsters working throughout Greater Middletown at host sites from many different employment sectors.  As I do on a weekly basis, I want to offer a big thank you to our program sponsors who make this whole thing possible: Workforce Alliance, City of Middletown, Liberty Bank Foundation, Middlesex United Way, The Peach Pit Foundation, Middle Oak, The Community Foundation of Middlesex County, The New England Emporium Eatery and Marketplace, Jackson Chevrolet, Pegasus Manufacturing, Guilmartin, DiPiro and Sokolowski, and Seasons Federal Credit Union.

On Tuesday morning of last week, I visited APS Technology in Wallingford along with Governor Dannel P. Malloy, DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith, Anne Evans from the United States Department of Commerce office in Middletown, and 13 other business community representatives from throughout the state including former Chamber Chairwoman, and Cooper Atkins Corporation President & CEO, Carol Wallace.  The reason for our visit to APS was to participate in a roundtable with United States Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.  Secretary Pritzker, recently nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate, was on a multi-state listening tour that included Connecticut.  She was interested in visiting companies that have expanded or are expanding their export operations.  I would like to thank the Secretary for visiting Connecticut and for inviting me and the others to meet with her on the tour.  I also want to thank APS President William Turner for hosting the group and for his commitment to business and export development. 

Last Wednesday, I was honored to visit The White House in Washington DC with the 2013 National Champion UCONN Women’s Basketball Team.  It is always a thrill to visit with the President of the United States, and I would like to thank President Obama and his staff for being gracious hosts.  Congratulations again to the Huskies on a terrific season. 

The Chamber’s Central Business Bureau (CBB) met last Thursday, August 1st in the Chamber Conference Room.  Representatives from Yankee Gas and the Connecticut Department of Transportation briefed members on the upcoming Main Street (North End) Gas Reliability Project that will begin in early September.  The meeting also featured reports from Mayor Dan Drew and many other local officials on some of the important projects that are underway downtown and throughout the city of Middletown.  I would like to thank Liz Santillo and our friends at Comcast Spotlight for sponsoring this meeting. 

There was a terrific Grand Re-Opening for Pamela Roose Specialty Hand Knits last Thursday afternoon at its new business location on Court Street.  A graduate of the Chamber’s Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program, Pam Steele recently moved her operation over from Main Street Market to the Court Street site.  The business looks terrific, and I wish Pam nothing but success as we move forward.

A terrific Chamber Member Business After Work Networking Event will be held tonight at the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook. This is always a very popular event on the water, and I know our members are looking forward to a terrific evening which will feature complimentary beer, wine, a great spread of food, and the best networking around.  I want to thank the Dattilo family, General Manager Chris Barstein, Cindy Tedford, Anthony Amendola, Karen Robidoux, and the entire Water’s Edge team for hosting us at what is sure to be a fun event in the down county region.   

I am looking forward to the Grand Opening for Cherry Berry Self-Serve Yogurt Bar on Main Street tomorrow, August 6th, at 4:00 PM.  Peter Mendlinger and his team are excited about their new business, and I am happy that Mayor Drew and I can attend the event to help them celebrate its successful beginning.  I also want to thank Cherry Berry’s other owners, Johnny Moore and Mark Balaban, for their support of the Chamber and their commitment to Middletown. 

The Chamber’s Durham and Middlefield Divisions will hold a special meeting on Thursday, August 8, 2013.  The meeting will begin at 8:00 AM and will be held in the Medical Building on the Durham Fairgrounds.  This is a follow up to a special July meeting which will continue the discussion about the ongoing construction on Route 147 in Middlefield and the effect it is having on business and commerce in the Durham/Middlefield area.  Lyman Orchards, a major tourist attraction in the area, and The 94th Annual Durham Fair, which is scheduled for September 26 - 29, 2013, are the major points of concern for local officials.  Meeting attendees will include Durham First Selectwoman Laura Francis, Middlefield First Selectman Jon Brayshaw and representatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation including Project Manager James Ruitto.  Representatives from local print and electronic media outlets are also invited to attend. 

Get ready for some terrific baseball this week in Middletown as the Northeast Regional American Legion Tournament will be held at Palmer Field from Thursday to Sunday.  The Middletown Post 75 team will serve as the official host for the tournament.  The other seven teams in the competition will be the state champions from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island, and the State Champion and First Runner Up from Massachusetts.  The winner of the tournament will advance to the American Legion Baseball World Series which will be played in Shelby, North Carolina this year.  There will be a pre-tournament banquet held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell on Wednesday, August 7th.  Roger Bidwell, Head Coach, UCONN Avery Point, will serve as guest speaker at the banquet where he will address local officials, the players, coaches, and other key individuals.  The tournament will open on Thursday morning at 9:30 AM with Rhode Island and Massachusetts squaring off.  Middletown will play its first game on Thursday evening after the completion of the 4:30 PM game between the state champs from New Hampshire and Connecticut.  We will see you down at Palmer Field for what is sure to be a terrific tournament. 

The 8th Annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania, presented by the Hunter Family, is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 from 5:00-9:00 PM in downtown Middletown. This huge event attracts thousands of bikes and spectators to downtown.  Proceeds from this event help support the Middletown Mentor Program, the Chamber's Business and Education Partnership, and other Middletown Parks & Rec. Programs.  There is a suggested donation of $5.00 per bike and $10.00 for bikes entered for awards. I would like to again offer a special thank you to our major sponsors: Hunter Limousines Ltd, Hunter’s Ambulance, and the City of Middletown. Our supporting sponsors:  Liberty Bank, Charles Computer Services, Haymond Law,  Middletown Downtown Business District,  WTNH 8,  Bank of America,  Gengras Motorcycles, ModSpace, Eli Cannon’s Tap Room,  Home Team Supply, Minuteman Press, First and Last Tavern, Fabian Associates, Mezzo Grille, Walmart and Coca Cola. We are certainly looking forward to another great edition of this terrific event for downtown. The Rain Date for Middletown Motorcycle Mania is Wednesday, August 21st. 

The next Middlesex Chamber Member Breakfast Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 20th, at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell.  Our guest speaker will be UCONN Head Football Coach Paul Pasqualoni.  Our members are looking forward to hearing what Coach Pasqualoni has to say about the exciting upcoming football season.  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.  Cost is $20 for Chamber members and $30 for non-members.  The event is sponsored by People’s United Bank. 

Following the Breakfast Meeting, there will be a workshop titled The ABCs of the Affordable Care Act.  This event, sponsored by Aetna, will feature Phil Boyle, Business-to-Business Manager at Access Health CT, and Robert Noonan of Robert Noonan & Associates/EmpACTS of New England.  The workshop will focus on the employer and individual coverage mandates, exchanges, tax credits, and other important components of the law.  Cost to attend is $10.00 for the workshop only, and $30.00 for the breakfast and the workshop. 

I would like to close this week’s column with some more good economic news from our region.  Big Lots plans to open its new Washington Street location by the end of August.  Sal Nesci and the Middletown Health Department have signed off on all of the necessary documents and Big Lots is ready to go.  We look forward to working with the company as they engage in the hiring process and begin their community outreach. 

We have reached the month of August in Middlesex County, and the Chamber is on the move. 

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