Business events will round out 2019

Workforce Alliance, Board of Directors, division meetings on tap this week

MIDDLETOWN — Middlesex County is rocking with the holiday spirit, and the chamber team continues to be on the move.

Before getting into some of the happenings of this week and the remainder of the month, I want to congratulate Vinal Technical High School on the recent opening of its new emergency operations center at its Daniels Street facility in Middletown.

An initiative of Vinal’s Criminal Justice and Protective Services program, the EOC provides students with handson, career development experience when disasters strike. With extensive Federal Emergency Management training, a stateoftheart operations center, and guidance from fieldexperienced teaching staff, students will provide critical support and updates to deployed federal agencies during rescue and recovery operations.

Chamber Vice President Jeff Pugliese attended the ribbon cutting for the EOC last Monday along with a number of state and local dignitaries. I appreciate the invitation that was extended to the chamber, and we certainly look forward to being a constructive partner as we work collectively to protect our region’s assets, and most importantly, its people.

I want to thank Comcast and Eversource for supporting this outstanding initiative at Vinal, and for all of the good work they do in the community. It is very much appreciated.

I also want to thank everyone who attended Friday’s member breakfast meeting with Gov. Lamont. A soldout crowd of chamber members and supporters joined us for the event, which featured keynote remarks from the governor and introductory remarks from Eversource CEO Jim Judge.

The event also featured a surprise appearance by Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, who was brought up to the podium by the governor. Both men closed the event together, in the spirit of bipartisanship, and received a standing ovation. I thank Gov. Lamont for sharing his outlook for 2020 in our state, and Eversource for sponsoring the final major chamber event of what has been a very busy year. We look forward to another productive year in 2020.

On to this week, which features the final two chamber division meetings of 2019. Our Westbrook Division will meet at the Westbrook Inn B&B Tuesday, and the East Haddam & Haddam Division will meet Thursday at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station. I want to once again thank all of our division chairs and other supporters for an outstanding 2019. Our divisions will continue to be a critical piece of the chamber infrastructure in the new year and beyond.

A Workforce Alliance Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning in New Haven. Workforce Alliance works to improve the delivery of workforce services in close collaboration with business, education and training providers, and local elected officials. They serve the public through the American Job Centers, one of which is located on South Main Street in Middletown.

The chamber continues to enjoy a very strong working relationship with Workforce Alliance, and we appreciate the support of President and CEO Bill Villano and his terrific team. I look forward to another productive meeting.

The main event of the week is the final 2019 meeting of the chamber’s Board of Directors from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Gelston House in East Haddam. The chamber’s board is a dynamic group of business people who represent every corner of our region and every industry sector in our economy.

This December Board of Directors’ meeting is sponsored by Anthony Assante and his firm Egidio Assante Wealth Management on an annual basis. Anthony is a past chairman, Executive Committee member, and longtime supporter of our chamber. I thank him personally and on behalf of the chamber for sponsoring this board luncheon once again.

We look forward to a great meeting which will be led by our Chairman Don DeVivo, who is doing a great job in this important leadership position for our chamber.

This week closes with a meeting of the Connecticut Valley Hospital Advisory Board Friday morning. I look forward to another productive meeting with my fellow board members and acting CEO Lakisha Hyatt and members of her team.

Looking ahead to January, I am happy to announce that the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will continue the very successful KeyBank Workshop Series in the new year. Our first session, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, is Jan. 14 at the chamber office.

The definition of sexual harassment, liability, and the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace will be discussed. Attorneys from the law firm Jackson Lewis will demonstrate how to limit your company’s exposure to charges of sexual harassment. This session meets the state of Connecticut’s requirement for two hours of sexual harassment prevention training for supervisors and managers.

Please contact the chamber for registration information. This important chamber Workshop Series is sponsored by KeyBank, and I want to again thank their entire team for its strong support of this important chamber initiative.

Finally, Jan. 8, the chamber’s first Business After Work networking reception of the new year will be held at Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort in Middlefield. In addition to the best networking around, this event will feature free beer, wine, nonalcoholic drinks, and a great spread of food courtesy of Sean Hayes and his team. I thank Sean not only for hosting this event for our chamber, but for his commitment to Middlefield, to Portland through Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, and to the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.

This exciting Business After Work event will also serve as the official kickoff of the fifth annual Taste of Middlesex County Restaurant Week, brought to you by Comcast Business, which is back by popular demand in 2020. Taste of Middlesex County is Jan. 13 to 19 at delicious dining locations throughout our region.

The goal of this initiative is to highlight the numerous and diverse dining experiences within the greater Middlesex region. From the beautiful shores of Westbrook to the home of the

Travelers Championship in Cromwell, there is something for everyone.

Restaurants offer a prefixed menu to give diners the opportunity to experience the area’s fine dining landscape without breaking the bank. This year, there will be two dining options both with a prix fixe threecourse meal, one for $20.20, and the other for $30.20 (does not include beverages, tax or gratuity).

I want to once again thank Comcast Business for its strong support of Taste of Middlesex County, an exciting week for our chamber and for our region. Please visit the Taste of Middlesex County tab on the chamber’s website and keep an eye out for a list of participating restaurants as we get closer to Restaurant Week. We will be sure to keep everyone updated in the chamber column and through other promotional means. Bon appetit!

In closing, I ask that everyone please consider using a local Middlesex County business for their shopping needs this holiday season. We are blessed with a wonderful business community here in our region, and I am proud that the many business people we work with on a daily basis are not only concerned with operating a successful business, but with the health and wellbeing of our community and all of our residents.

Please support them if you can, because we are all in this together.

The sun always shines in Middlesex County! Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.

LARRY MCHUGH