The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
City is restaurant’s destination
MIDDLETOWN — A busy February moves right along this week in Middletown and throughout Middlesex County.
However, before covering some of the major events and activities on horizon, I want to take some time to address some very important issues that deal with the business community and economic development in our region.
Middlesex County is known throughout the state and beyond as being home to some of the best restaurants anywhere. Middletown is packed with outstanding establishments that offer delicious food from around the world. They each provide a unique atmosphere and attract thousands of people and economic activity every week of the year.
A recent article in the Middletown Press noted that the city has 275 food service establishments, which include nursing homes, school cafeterias, hospitals, food trucks and restaurants. That same article stated that a small percentage of the restaurants were cited for infractions as a result of inspections conducted over the past few months.
The fact is that the vast majority of these infractions were unintentional and minor, and were corrected very quickly. It was also noted that a number of local restaurants received a perfect score of 100. These inspection reports are public information and were obtained through a freedom of information request.
However, their public disclosure can be disruptive to businesses and their dayto-day operations.
I am very proud to be a loyal customer of a great number of these restaurants in Middletown and those throughout Middlesex County. I am also very proud to call the vast majority of them members of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. Middletown is a restaurant destination, and it will continue to be as we move forward.
I encourage everyone to visit these establishments and enjoy everything they have to offer. Bon appétit!
Switching gears a bit, but staying within the economic development realm, I am very encouraged by the recent development activity and interest from investors and other parties in our region. We are experiencing very strong interest in key commercial corridors in the city of Middletown including downtown, Washington Street, Newfield Street and Middle Street.
There is also strong interest in the area off Interstate 91 and on 372 in Cromwell, and on Routes 17 and 66 in Portland. Developers, investors and others continue to reach out to the chamber team and our excellent municipal partners as we collectively pursue smart and strategic economic development for Middlesex County. We will continue these efforts and will ensure that the sun continues to shine down on our wonderful region.
On the downtown event front, planning continues for Middletown’s 22nd Annual Car Cruise on Main June 12, and discussions are also underway for a Middletown Pride Event to be coordinated through the city’s new LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. We are still working through the potential for additional events downtown for either later in the summer or in the early fall. More to come on this front.
This week includes a number of important meetings on additional topics of importance to the Middlesex business community. I look forward to attending Monday’s meeting of the Speaker’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Tourism at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven. Led by its Chairman, Don DeVivo, the panel is working to boost Connecticut’s tourism industry which is already worth billions of dollars to the state’s economy.
Recent meetings of the panel at the Legislative Office Building, Maritime Aquarium and Foxwoods Resort and Casino have been very productive, and I continue to appreciate Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz’s leadership on this critically important issue.
On Tuesday morning, the chamber’s very important KeyBank Workshop Series will host a session titled, Best HR Practices in Hiring, Disciplining and Firing Employees. It will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the chamber and will be presented by Joshua HawksLadds of Pullman & Comley.
The discussion will focus on helping small business owners and HR personnel managers understand the legal implications surrounding hiring and firing decisions in the modern era. It will also detail practical steps employers can take to minimize litigation risk.
Specific topics covered include: employment background checks and due diligence, drug testing and medical inquiries, application and interview process, fraudulent employment and/or educational references, when to discipline and when to fire, effective preparation for termination, properly conducting terminations, and the most common pitfalls that employers face.
More information and event registration is available at middlesexchamber.com. We look forward to another productive session Tuesday morning, and thank KeyBank for its continued support.
On the new business development front, I look forward to joining Mayor Drew and other cities dignitaries at the grand opening celebration for MySignsYourWords Art Studio on College Street in Middletown.
The studio offers open studio classes, private parties and welcomes local artisans. The studio is a wonderful venue that both children and adults will love. We look forward to working with Tara Sitilides and her team and wish them all the best as they move forward with this new local business.
Back at the chamber office, the chamber’s Distinguished Citizen Committee will meet Wednesday afternoon to select the recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Citizen Award. Each year at the chamber’s annual dinner, a special award is presented to one or more members of the business community who have demonstrated outstanding and unselfish service to the community.
Over 200 nominations have been submitted for consideration. The committee is comprised of previous recipients of this award. I look forward to seeing them all and thank them for their continued service to our community.
Also scheduled for this week, the chamber’s Cromwell Division meets Thursday morning at the Courtyard by Marriott while the Health Care Steering Committee meets at the chamber, and Friday features meetings of our Legislative Committee and Affordable Housing Committee at the chamber.
Looking ahead a bit, our next member breakfast meeting is Feb. 22 at the Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell. We look forward to welcoming U.S. state Rep. Joe Courtney as keynote speaker at this event which is sponsored by The Mohegan Tribe.
Immediately following, the chamber will host an “Informational Forum for Employers, Educators and Parents focusing on Developing the Manufacturing Pipeline in Middlesex County.” I will continue to share updates as this important forum comes together, and we look forward to a productive morning Cromwell.
Feb. 25 will feature our February Business After Work Networking Reception at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel in Rocky Hill from 5 to 7 p.m. As always, the event will feature a great spread of food and drink for our members and their guests along with outstanding networking opportunities.
I want to thank General Manager Derrick Pair, Director of Sales and Marketing Gina Molde, Senior Business Travel Sales Manager Ken Gribbon, Executive Chef Jim Oswald, Catering Sales Manager Katie Gonzalez and their entire team for once again hosting this event. We look forward to a great evening.
As you can see, the chamber team continues to be on the move as winter moves along in Middlesex County. Have a great week!