The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Wesleyan to inaugurate Main Street building
Will house finance, alumni relations staff
The late summer rush is on in Middlesex County, and the chamber team continues to be on the move.
Another busy week kicks off with tonight’s Business After Work networking reception aboard the Lady Katharine Cruise Boat, Mystique. Chamber members can board the boat at Harbor Park in Middletown at 5 p.m. and network until 6. Then, the Mystique will take a trip down river and return at 7.
This event will feature a terrific spread of food and drink and the best networking around. The visit is for key employees of chamber member businesses and organizations. Members interested in attending must register at middlesexchamber.com or by contacting the chamber office.
I want thank Essex Steam Train and Riverboat President Kevin Dodd for hosting this popular event.
This week also features a number of important chamber meetings in Middletown and throughout our county. Tuesday morning, our Westbrook Division will hold its first meeting of the division year at Oxford Academy.
Our divisions are off to a strong start following a summer hiatus, and we look forward to another productive meeting with our shorelinebased members. Later Tuesday morning, I will travel to Durham to celebrating the groundbreaking of the waterline for the Durham Meadows Superfund Site in an area of groundwater contamination generally centered on Main Street.
It includes a number of industrial and residential properties. The installation of this alternative water supply, running from Middletown to the superfund area in Durham, is a big deal for Durham, for Middletown, and for our entire region. This is an example of regional cooperation between two neighboring municipalities, and excellent coordination between government officials at the local, state and federal levels. I look forward to attending, and thank Durham First Selectwoman Laura Francis for the invitation.
Wednesday afternoon features an exciting open house for Wesleyan University’s new 291 Main St. building. Formerly owned by Liberty Bank, it now serves as a headquarters for many of the university’s finance and alumni relations staff. I appreciate the invitation to attend, and look forward to celebrating Wesleyan’s expanded downtown presence with President Michael Roth and members of his team.
Looking ahead to Wednesday evening, the Middletown Entrepreneurs Work Space (MEWS+) will host a walking tour of available downtown Middletown office spaces best suited for startups, creatives, consultants and other small businesses. The event will also include a Q&A with brokers, city staff and chamber representatives, and a networking reception at Esca Restaurant and Wine Bar. For information, contact the office.
Thursday kicks off with a Workforce Alliance Executive Committee Meeting 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. 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.
Later in the day, the chamber’s Board of Directors will hold its September meeting at the Middletown Elks Lodge on Maynard Street. This meeting, hosted by Liberty Bank, will feature reports from chamber committee chairs and key staff members. I thank Liberty CEO David Glidden for hosting this important meeting of our Board of Directors, and look forward to a productive gathering
After the board meeting, I’ll join Mayor Dan Drew and other city dignitaries for the grand opening of Abyssinian Ethiopian Restaurant on Main Street. We are excited about this new downtown establishment, and wish Menasie Weldeyohannes and the entire team at Abyssinian Ethiopian Restaurant nothing but the best as we move forward.
On Thursday evening, I have the honor of attending the Middlesex County NAACP Branch’s 34th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Dinner at the Middletown Elks Lodge. I am very proud that the Middlesex County NAACP Branch gives an annual business award that bears my name, and I enjoy presenting the award every year at this important event. I am proud to announce that this year’s recipient is Webster Bank.
Webster Bank is an outstanding Connecticutbased financial institution, with a long record of strong corporate citizenship. Their team has done great work in the areas of financial literacy, food and shelter, health and human services, and much more. We look forward to honoring that work on Thursday evening.
Before closing, I want to acknowledge Hospital for Special Care and its Manes & Motion Therapeutic Riding Center which will host The Mane Event Friday at 6:30 p.m. This casual countrythemed event, to be held on Daniels Farm in Middletown, will benefit the Manes & Motion Therapeutic Riding Center, which does amazing work to help HSC patients with cognitive, physical, behavioral, psychological and sensory disabilities.
CEO Lynn Ricci and her team do a terrific job with the leadership of the Hospital for Special Care, such an important institution in our state.
We are also gearing up for our September Member Breakfast Meeting, sponsored by Pratt & Whitney, Sept. 24 at the Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell. Our keynote speaker will be Thomas C. Katsouleas, the new president of the University of Connecticut. After previously serving as executive vice president and provost of the University of Virginia, Tom began his new role Aug. 1. I thank Pratt & Whitney for sponsoring what is sure to be a great event.
In closing, I ask readers to save the date for Middlesex County’s Premier Business Expo, Connecticut Connections 2019, Oct. 23 at the Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell. This full day of events and activities will include the main expo hall, with over 105 exhibitors from a wide variety of industry sectors, a career fair with over 50 employers who are hiring.
It also features the annual Small Business Awards celebration, which will honor a number of Middlesex County’s small business champions, the state of Connecticut Tourism Conference featuring Trip Advisor and two outstanding breakout sessions, a Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Workshop, a Women’s Conference/Luncheon, an allday Health & Wellness Fair sponsored by Middlesex Health, and much more.
The sun always shines on Middlesex County! Have a great week.