The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Job fair to help those affected by hotel closure
MIDDLETOWN — February is upon us in Middlesex County, and the chamber continues to be on the move.
Another busy week kicks off Monday at the chamber office, as our Executive Committee gets together for its February meeting. The group will meet to discuss a number of important issues, including regional projects, the upcoming legislative session, workforce development and much more. I continue to appreciate the support of our Chairman Don DeVivo, and this outstanding group of business leaders and strong corporate citizens. We look forward to another productive meeting.
Our Portland and East Hampton Division will hold its February meeting at Disaster Restoration Services in Portland Wednesday morning, and our Environment and Infrastructure Committee will meet at the chamber office at 8 a.m. Thursday. The latter features the latest meeting of our Central Business Bureau, which brings together the downtown business community and key city figures on a monthly basis. We look forward to reports from Mayor Florsheim, city directors and other local stakeholders.
On the workforce development front, the chamber looks forward to partnering with Workforce Alliance, the Department of Labor and the Town of Cromwell on a pop-up job fair for displaced employees of the Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell, which recently closed. The event will be held Feb. 6 in the Arch Room of Cromwell Town Hall, 41 West St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The job fair will feature employers from many sectors, but most notably from the hospitality sector.
We were very disappointed in the closure of the Red Lion. We are happy to be working with Workforce Alliance, the state Department of Labor, state Sen. Matt Lesser, state Rep. Christie Carpino, and the town of Cromwell to assist the displaced employees as they seek new employment. We wish them nothing but the best, and look forward to being a resource for them during this difficult time.
The busy chamber week wraps up on Friday morning with our February member breakfast meeting at the Sheraton Hartford South in Rocky Hill. The event will feature keynote speaker, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaman Corporation, Neal J. Keating.
Neal provides leadership for the business, which serves the global defense, commercial aerospace and industrial markets. Kaman is a major global company which conducts business in over 50 countries throughout the world and has over 3,000 employees. They also have a presence in Middletown through Kaman Fuzing & Precision Products on Smith Street.
We have asked Neal to provide us with an overview of Kaman and its products, along with his thoughts on the state of manufacturing in Connecticut and beyond as we begin a new year. Immediately following the member breakfast will be a procurement workshop, “Doing Business with Kaman.”
This session will outline the global Kaman Corporation procurement opportunities for supply chain companies, and will provide you with the opportunity to network with Kaman leadership and learn more about how your company can work with Kaman in 2020 and beyond.
Kaman is also the sponsor of this important chamber event, and I would like to thank Neal and his team for their support of this, and of so many community initiatives. I would also like to thank U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Director Anne Evans and her team for their strong support of this event and of our chamber. Anne was instrumental in getting Neal to speak at the event and we appreciate it very much. Their team of three, based in Middletown, is a truly professional group, and we are fortunate to have them based in our community.
A quick note on next week: on Feb. 11, beginning at 8 a.m., the chamber will host a KeyBank-sponsored workshop on “The Fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization” at our Main Street office. Presented by Lauren Middleton of Forest City Marketing, the workshop will provide you and your business with the practice of refining aspects of a website — both on-page and off-page — so that it appears, or “ranks,” at the top of search engines for specific keywords.
When done right, SEO will give your business valuable online visibility. For information, visit middlesexchamber.com.
Looking ahead, members and other interested parties should save the dates for a number of upcoming, and important, meetings and events. Join chamber staff and fellow chamber members for our monthly Business After Work Networking Reception at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel in Rocky Hill Feb. 25. It will feature a terrific spread of food and drink, and, as we like to say, the best networking around.
We thank the entire staff at the Sheraton for having us at this great annual event.
The chamber’s Distinguished Citizen Committee will meet Feb. 26 at the chamber office to select the recipients of the 2020 Distinguished Citizen Award. Each year at the 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.
Candidates must live or work in Middlesex County, be at least 21, be recognized as having been an inspiration to others, and be generally recognized as having unselfishly given his or her time and talent to produce a lasting benefit to the area. 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.
If you wish to submit a nomination, please contact the chamber office.
Our 2020 Legislative Breakfast is Feb. 28 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The event, sponsored by Comcast, will feature legislators that represent the 15 Middlesex County towns in the state Senate and House of Representatives. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the legislators about the important 2020 legislative session and other issues facing the business community in Middlesex County.
We look forward to a very productive discussion, and thank Comcast, our legislative delegation, and our Legislative Committee for making this important event happen.
Finally, excitement continues to build for our March member breakfast meeting March 16 featuring UConn Head Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma. This event, which sells out every year, will be held at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel in Rocky Hill. By that time, Coach Auriemma and the Lady Huskies will be looking to finish the season strong as they gear up for another NCAA Tournament run.
I will have much more as we get closer, but be sure to register now for this great event in Rocky Hill.
While the calendar is packed, and optimism remains high, I must once again close this week’s column on a sad note after the recent passing of Donald Bidwell Sr. at the age of 89.
Don was a close friend and mentor to me, and to many others in this community and beyond. Words cannot express the appreciation and respect I have for him, and for all that he has done for our region. He was the CEO and owner of Bidwell Industrial Group Inc. in Middletown, and was always a strong supporter of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.
However, his support of community organizations did not end with us. Don served on the boards of the Environics Inc., Castle Bank, Liberty Bank, The Lyman Farm, Middlesex Hospital, Junior Achievement, The Middletown Foundation of the Arts, YMCA of Northern Middlesex County, and the Middlesex United Way.
He was honored by numerous organizations for his work and his citizenship. We were proud to present him with the chamber’s Distinguished Citizen Award in 1992, an honor very well-deserved. Don also served in the U.S. Army, service for which we are all grateful.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of 65 years, Helen, his children, Michael and Donnie, his grandchildren and all of his family and friends at this difficult time. Don led a distinguished career and life, and he will be missed by many.
Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.