How many years have you been in your current field? 35

What was your company’s greatest achievement of 2018? CERC provided support and services to help many municipal and state entities to be better positioned and functioning to help Connecticut be competitive and be a great place to live, work and do business. We call this endeavor “Global to Local,” which focuses on inviting companies to invest here while ensuring a warm welcome by our communities.

What do you like the most about doing business in the Hartford Region? CERC is driven by our desire to increase investment in Connecticut through proven strategic, data-based, CEO-driven approaches to business retention and recruitment. Of course, while our work is statewide, collaboration is key for CERC and we have great partners in the Hartford Region to help increase this investment and positive outcome. 

What is the forecast for your company’s industry in Hartford Region going forward? Only by growing our economy – by retaining and growing existing companies and recruiting new companies – will we achieve the economic growth, job creation and vitality that has been missing in Connecticut for the last decades. The Lamont Administration wants to ensure that all agencies which impact businesses have economic competitiveness as a goal. 

What Hartford Region networking opportunities does your business participate in? As many as we can! Between partners like the MetroHartford Alliance, CEDAS, CCM, CT Main Street and even HBJ and Travelers Championship, there are a great variety of events and programs, and we attend – and often speak at – any pertaining to economic development, including those related to the topics of real estate, research, regional and municipal.

What is the most exciting job/project for your company in 2019? Governor Lamont has a new vision of how to attract and retain businesses in Connecticut, consistent with what private sector leaders have been asking for: a more holistic strategic approach to identifying companies that should be in Connecticut that includes strong participation by new CERC corporate board members who know their industry colleagues better than anyone. To support this vision, the new Administration has created an initiative called PACT (Partnership for Advancing Connecticut for Tomorrow) which expands the partnership between CERC and the state Department of Economic and Community Development. CERC will have a new, clear focus on business retention and recruitment with an added level of resources provided by an augmented board of directors representing corporate leaders of key industries in the state, together working with new leadership at DECD to transform the old way of doing business. 

It’s time for us to have partners across state government that include regional and municipal economic development leaders, to ensure all resources are working toward the same goals:

We want to make sure we measure our success in quantitative ways.

•We want to create a partnership that includes state agencies that impact state competitiveness and ensure that making Connecticut more economically competitive is part of their goals.

• We need to send a strong message to the business community that we know the contribution they make to CT, appreciate it and want to take steps to improve the state’s economic performance.