Wishes for safe, healthy 4th of July

MIDDLETOWN — This week, here in Middlesex County and around our great country, we celebrate Independence Day. The Fourth of July holiday is synonymous with patriotism, fireworks, and enjoying the summer weather with family and friends.

While we enjoy these celebrations and take pride in our national heritage, we should all take a moment to recognize the servicemen and servicewomen of the U.S. Armed Forces who protect this independence on a daily basis.

I know Memorial Day and Veterans Day are dedicated to those we lost and to those who have served, but we must also honor them on the day that we celebrate the birth of our nation.

The chamber is proud to have an active and engaged Support the Troops and Honor the Veterans Committee under the leadership of Ret. Army Col., Phil Cacciola. We are also privileged to work so closely with the many veterans organizations in Middlesex County and throughout the state. I hope that we all keep our servicemen and servicewomen in our thoughts and prayers, not only today, but every day.

It has been a very tough stretch on a number of fronts, but this community is strong and resilient, and we will continue to persevere. I wish everyone in Middlesex County a safe, happy and healthy Independence Day, because America is certainly worth celebrating.

Last week was a sprint from start to finish for the entire chamber team. On Tuesday morning, the chamber’s 2020 Travelers Championship Member Breakfast, featuring PGA Tour Pro Tony Finau, was held virtually for this first time in its history. The event was sponsored by Travelers Companies and I thank Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Schnitzer, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Andy Bessette, and their entire team for its continued support of our chamber and of this outstanding tournament.

I would also like to thank Tony for speaking to our chamber. He did a great job and proved himself to be a gentleman and somebody who truly cares about community causes. While the tournament had to be played without fans this year, it was a still great success and it continues to be a critical piece of our economic and community infrastructure.

In addition to Alan, Andy, and Tony, we also have to once again recognize the year-round effort put forth by Tournament Director Nathan Grube and his team. They are a team of true professionals, and we continue to appreciate their great work. We are already looking forward to the 2021 Travelers Championship. Let the countdown begin!

This week is another busy one for our chamber, as it features important meetings of our Arrigoni Bridge Committee, Portland and East Hampton Division, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Central Business Bureau, and Real Estate Council. The Arrigoni Bridge Committee meeting will feature updates from DOT and from the contractor, Mohawk Northeast, on not only the bridge project itself, but the associated work that is taking place in downtown Middletown.

The main goal of the committee is to make sure that access to the bridge is not compromised during the construction, and that emergency and other critical vehicles can access the construction zones at all times. The chamber is also monitoring the economic impact of the projects, especially on Main Street in Middletown and in Portland, and we will continue to be a constructive partner until their conclusion.

I thank Middletown Fire Chief Rob Kronenberger and Portland Public Works Director Bob Shea who are serving as co-chairs of this important chamber committee.

On the workforce development front, the chamber’s Middletown Summer Youth Employment Program is about to begin its work experience phase. Every year since 2006, the chamber has placed Middletown students into summer employment through this work program. We are fortunate to have the capacity, through our dynamic membership, to place these youngsters into subsidized employment in a wide variety of professional fields for six weeks in the summer months, working 20 hours per week.

Our host sites come from the public sector, the nonprofit sector, and most notably the private sector. This program teaches our young people not only the fundamentals of employment, such as getting to work on time and ready to contribute, but also the pride that comes with putting in a solid work week and receiving a paycheck that was earned through hard and honest work.

I thank Program Coordinator Lorenzo Marshall for his great work on this important community development initiative.

Looking ahead, the chamber has a number of important events and activities scheduled in July. First of all, the chamber’s countybased divisions will continue to meet throughout the summer months of July and August. This is a change from previous years, but we believe it is important for us to be able to share real time data and updates with our members as we continue to navigate this crisis.

On July 14, the chamber will continue the very successful KeyBank Workshop Series which has gone virtual for the time being. Our next session, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, will cover the definition of sexual harassment, liability, and the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace. Attorneys from the law firm Jackson Lewis, LLP will demonstrate how to limit your company’s exposure to charges of sexual harassment.

This session meets state of Connecticut requirements for employers. Please contact the chamber for registration information. This important chamber Workshop Series is sponsored by KeyBank, and I thank their entire team for its strong support of this important chamber initiative.

On the virtual event front, we look forward to welcoming back Dr. Edison Liu, president and CEO of The

Jackson Laboratory, for a virtual luncheon July 15. The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit organization focusing on mammalian genetics research to advance human health.

Also, keep an eye out for the possibility of a rescheduled Citizens Bank Summer Fun Run in August.

Cromwell announced last week that Amazon will occupy a state-of-art 400,000-square-foot fulfillment center in town. This project will create hundreds of new, full-time jobs, and will add to the town’s tax base. This is a huge win for Cromwell and for Middlesex County. I congratulate Mayor Enzo Faienza, Town Manager Tony Salvatore, Director of Planning and Development Stuart Popper, and everyone else who had a role in making this happen.

Thanks to the generosity of Ted Rossi and The Rossi Group, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce has free medical face masks (nonsterile) available for businesses and organizations in Middlesex County. Face coverings, combined with social distancing and other important measures, can reduce the risk of contracting and/or transmitting COVID-19. For information, contact Haley Stafford at 860-347-6924 or Haley@middlesexchamber.com.

Another great and community minded company, Tower Laboratories of Centerbrook, donated some important PPE for use by the chamber team over the past few months. Tower’s Owner/President, Norm Needleman, is a longtime chamber supporter who has gotten into politics in recent years and now serves as both State Senator from the 33rd District, and First Selectman of Essex. I thank him for not only his support of our organization, but for his commitment to Essex, to Middlesex County, and to our beloved state. It is all very much appreciated.

It is in this spirit of cooperation, partnership and mutual support, that we will get through this together, and will be stronger in the end. Happy Fourth!

Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.