Donovan named Red Barn Consulting president

NEW HARTFORD — Jennifer Donovan has been promoted to president of Red Barn Consulting LLC, acording to an announcement from CEO Cindy Donaldson.

“Jenn has always been part of my succession plan and I’m so incredibly honored to pass the day to day operations of the firm to her,” Donaldson said. “As CEO, I will be working side by side with Jenn to ensure a smooth transition and help grow Red Barn Consulting to new levels.”

“This is an exciting new role for me,” Donovan said. “Red Barn and Cindy have given me an opportunity to grow in my career and I’m ready to dig deep and take the company to new heights.”

Donovan, who resides in Torrington, joined Red Barn Consulting in 2015 as the Director of Operations and quickly became an invaluable part of the team. Prior to joining Red Barn, she worked as part of the HR Team at O&G Industries and in customer service at Dymax Corporation, both in Torrington. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a BS in Business Administration. She and her husband Charles are devoted pet advocates and enjoy traveling. She is the VP of the Board of Directors for Winsted Area Child Care Center and is a graduate of the Leadership Northwest Program.

Red Barn Consulting is a full service strategic business consulting firm offering operations, marketing and sales consulting and is home to the proprietary program, The Business Success Framework TM, a 12-week intensive program designed to help people leave their 9-5 jobs and launch successful careers as an entrepreneur. To learn more about Red Barn please visit www.redbarnconsultingllc.com.

Expo, wellness fair set in Waterbury

PLANTSVILLE — Business Expo and Health & Wellness Fair is set for April 30, 5-7:30 p.m. presented by the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Small Business and Health Care councils, at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry Street in Plantsville.

The chamber is one of Connecticut’s largest, and the annual Business Expo is its biggest networking event of each year. The 2018 Business Expo will feature more than 90 local business exhibitors, hors d’oeuvres, beverages, raffle and door prizes, a “Business Scavenger Hunt” for prizes, special drawings, and live WATR Radio 1320-AM broadcast.

Host sponsors are CDS Displays and I95Signs.com. Media sponsors are WATR-Radio 1320AM and the Republican American. Exhibitors will include health care service providers, audio/visual producers, beauty salons, educators, entertainment companies, florists, home remodelers, hospitality providers, area restaurants, social media specialists and more. The event is pen to the public; admission is $10 per person. To learn more, visit www.waterburychamber.com, or call 203-757-0701.

Route 63 Automotive opens in Watertown

WATERTOWN — Route 63 Automotive at 1029 Main Street in Watertown hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on March 26.

Owners Joe and Brenda Riolo created the new 10,000-squarefoot full-service family-owned service garage after closing their originally-founded Woodbury Automotive.

“We built this new service and repair center that is almost 20 times the size of our Woodbury business to provide highly-personalized attention that car and truck owners can trust,” said Joe Riolo.

In addition to offering everything

from factory-scheduled maintenance, general and electronic repairs, safety inspections, complete service and repairs, diagnostic scanning and suspension repairs to full fleet services and A/C repairs, to the purchase of all brands of tires, Route 63 Automotive specializes in sports and classic cars including sales, storage, and consignment. Others who attended the ribbon cutting were Lori Dossantos, Watertown/Oakville Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman; Lynn Ward, Waterbury Regional Chamber President & CEO; David Riolo; Raquel Riolo; Jonah Riolo; Joe and Brenda Riolo; and Route 63 Automotive Certified Technicians John Lupone and Ekrem Vait.

Route 63 Automotive can be reached at 203-217-0181, rte63auto@gmail.com, or www.Route63Automotive.com.

Berkshire Taconic awards $6.5 M in grants, scholarships

SHEFFIELD, MA — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

awarded $6.5 million in grants and scholarships in 2017, an increase of over $500,000 from 2016, according to a release.

The foundation distributed an additional $6.7 million to over 50 nonprofits with whom they partner in stewarding financial resources used to build healthy and vibrant communities.

Individuals, schools and nonprofits in Berkshire, northwest Litchfield, Columbia and northeast Dutchess counties received grants in a variety of interest areas, including $2.5 million for education; $1.6 million for health and human services; $1.1 million for arts and culture; and $1.1 million for civic, environmental and religious activities.

New and existing donors contributed a total of $15.7 million in gifts in 2017. Those gifts, combined with asset growth through sound investment performance, helped Berkshire Taconic surpass $150 million under management as the foundation marked its 30th anniversary.

Since its inception in 1987 with

an anonymous donation of $100,000, Berkshire Taconic has awarded more than 61,000 grants totaling over $153 million. The foundation now oversees 535 funds established by generous donors to help strengthen communities across the region.

Grant deadlines for 2018 vary throughout the year. Search and apply online at www.berkshiretaconic.org /SearchGrants.

Torrington Historical Society receives foundation grant

TORRINGTON --- The Torrington Historical Society is the recent recipient of a $3,250 grant from the Ruth and Robert Cron Endowment Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation. This grant will assist with the purchase of archival supplies, shelving, and dehumidifiers for the museum, members said.

The Torrington Historical Society, home to one of the largest and most diverse local history collections in Litchfield County, is committed to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Torrington community. These collections include extensive photographic, archival and artifact collections that document all aspects of the city’s rich history. The archival supplies, shelving and dehumidifiers funded through this grant are necessary for the proper care, preservation and storage of this large collection.

The Torrington Historical Society shares Torrington’s history through exhibits, lectures, school programs, tours, special events, publications and other educational programming.

The society, which includes the Torrington History Museum, the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, and the John H. Thompson Research Library, is located at the Hotchkiss-Fyler Estate, 192 Main Street. The society also owns the West Torrington birthplace of noted abolitionist, John Brown.

For more information about the Torrington Historical Society, please visit www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Contributed photo / Donovan