Serra memorial golf tourney is Friday in Portland

Another busy summer week for the chamber kicks off this evening with a fiestathemed Business After Work networking reception at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell.

These gatherings are very popular with our members, and I know their professional team will put on a great event for us once again. Members are welcome to come and enjoy a taco and fajita station, nacho station with various toppings, dessert stations, and Mexican beers. We expect a large crowd for what is sure to be a fun night of networking and festivities.

I thank General Manager Anthony Covino, Director of Sales and Marketing Brendan Saunders, Donna Franklin, who handles sales and catering and is always a pleasure to work with; chef Gary Fyc, and banquet captain Josue Cotto. We look forward to a great event at this outstanding local facility.

I look forward to meeting in Hartford Tuesday afternoon with my fellow executives from Connecticut’s eight Metro Chambers of Commerce, which collectively represent thousands of businesses in our state. These meetings always feature productive discussions about collaboration, and joint advocacy for the business community.

Switching gears a bit to Workforce Development, I will attend a meeting of the Workforce Alliance Board of Directors Thursday morning, where we will continue our discussions on developing a prepared and productive workforce in our state. The chamber is proud of its relationship with Bill Villano and his entire team at Workforce Alliance, and we will continue to work to connect job seekers to employers in our region.

Thursday evening features the Community Foundation of Middlesex County’s 2019 grantee reception at the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat facility in Essex. I look forward to a nice evening with CFMC staff, funders, grantees, board members and friends. President and CEO Cynthia Clegg leads a great team at the foundation, and we thank them for their support of so many important community initiatives.

Friday, I look forward to stopping by and supporting the Thomas J. Serra Memorial Golf Tournament at Portland Golf Course. This event will honor Tom’s life and career, and will support scholarships at Middletown High School and Vinal Technical High School which now bears his name.

Readers of this column and friends of the chamber know how much Tom meant to me and to our organization. Tom dedicated himself to public service throughout a long and distinguished career as an educator, principal, mayor, member of the Middletown Common Council, and a supporter of countless community initiatives. He was a fixture at chamber events, and the volunteer efforts he put into reviewing scholarship applications and executing the chamber’s annual High School Career Fair Expo was nothing short of remarkable.

We were honored to present him with the Gov. William A. O’Neill Public Service Award in September 2013 — an honor very welldeserved. I congratulate his family on setting up this important scholarship, and the tournament that will support it.

Tom Serra is missed by many every day.

In next week’s column, I will share details about the chamber calendar for early August and beyond. However, I do want to take a moment to congratulate Patrick and Tina Gilbert, who will hold an open house and ribbon cutting for LCN USA and the new River Valley Esthetics Institute in Deep River July 29 from 4 to 7 p.m.

As a leading manufacturer of cosmetic nail products, the success and reputation of LCN is based on a long history of providing exciting, innovative breakthroughs to the world of cosmetic science. The event will provide a glimpse of LCN’s new corporate offices, the new LCN Beauty Lounge, and much more.

The River Valley Esthetics Institute will be offering postsecondary education in the fields of nail technology, esthetics and professional workshops in the fall. I congratulate Patrick and Tina, and their team, on the opening of this terrific new facility at 6 Winter Av, in Deep River.

This important project for our region was supported in part by a Job Creation Incentive Loan from the Middlesex County Revitalization Commission, our regional community lender, of which the chamber is a very active member.

Before closing this week’s column, I would like to offer some thoughts on UConn President Susan Herbst, who is retiring from her position in the coming days. In addition to my role as president of the chamber, I was honored to serve as chairman of the UConn Board of Trustees from 20092017. It was a real pleasure for me to offer some remarks at Susan’s retirement celebration on campus last Thursday evening.

Susan’s tenure as president of UConn has been an extremely successful one. She has led the university to a top 20 ranking for public universities in the United States, and under her leadership, the campus has transformed into a beautiful and modern institute of higher learning. Applications for UConn number around 36,000, with available openings being closer to 3,600.

All of this, combined with Next Generation Connecticut, Bioscience Connecticut, and other innovative economic development initiatives make for a very successful run. The University of Connecticut is a much better institution today than it was the day she arrived. I thank her for her efforts, and wish her well in all future endeavors.

Finally, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and honor the recent passing of two local veterans who were also great supporters of me and of the chamber.

Ray Klick passed away July 14 at 95. Ray was a lifelong Middletown resident, a naval veteran of WWII, and community servant in a variety of other ways. Ray was a sheriff and marshal for the state of Connecticut for many years, and also chaired the Middletown Parking Authority and Middletown Personnel Board of Appeals. He was a fixture at chamber events over the years, and was always a strong supporter and good friend.

Jesse J. Salafia, also of Middletown, recently passed away at the age of 105. Jesse was also a veteran of WWII, with service in the U.S Merchant Marines from 194245. After returning home, Jesse was involved in local politics with service on the Board of Education, Common Council, and as deputy mayor. He also supported a wide variety of community causes over the years, and the chamber was honored to present him with our Distinguished Citizen Award in 1993.

We are forever grateful for the service of these two great Americans. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this difficult time. Ray Klick and Jesse Salafia will be missed by many.