Economic Development Session ~ November 2, 2015

Transcription

1 Economic Development Session ~ November 2, 2015 Goals & Objectives To provide an overview of local business communities and the economic and social factors affecting their development to data and in the years ahead. To present initiatives underway by individuals and organizations to overcome barriers and take advantage of opportunities for business growth and expansion of jobs. To encourage class members to choose to use their time and talent to make Western Connecticut a better place for future generations. Important Session Information Session Leaders Suggested Attire Venues Ilene Leff, Dan Sherr Dressing for comfort is appropriate. Comfortable shoes are recommended for a short walk to lunch. If rain is forecasted please bring an umbrella or rain jacket. New Milford Chamber of Commerce 11 Railroad Street, New Milford, CT (p ) Enter through the first door in the station nearest to the municipal parking lot on Railroad Street. Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut (lunch) 7 Whittlesey Ave, New Milford, CT Parking Parking is available at the Chamber of Commerce Parking is available at the large, free town parking area accessed after coming in to New Milford from Route 67, crossing the railroad tracks on Bridge Street as you are driving towards Veterans Bridge and immediately turning right into Patriots Way parking lot. Walk across the railroad tracks behind and to the left of the Railroad Station and enter the Railroad Station meeting space by the first door on Railroad Street. Click here for a map. 1

2 8:00 8:30 Arrival & Light Breakfast Agenda 8:30 8:45 Welcome Ilene Leff, Board Chair, 2014 WCL Planning Team, 2015 WCL Planning Team, 2014 WCL Class Participant, and Founder, Leff Management Consulting 8:45 9:30 Overview of Current Economic Status of Connecticut Robert Santy, President and CEO, Connecticut Economic Resource Center 9:30 10:30 Regional and Local Economic Development Luigi Fulinello, Economic Development Director, Town of New Milford Dan Sherr, 2014 WCL Class Participant and 2014/2015 WCL Planning Team Robert Colapietro, Business Growth Advisor, CONNSTEP, Inc. 10:30 10:45 Break 10:45 11:30 Farming in Litchfield County An Emerging Economic Opportunity Julie Bailey, 2014 WCL Class Participant Howard Rosenfeld, 2015 WCL Class Participant 11:30 12:00 Bank Street Development Meredith Cleary, President, The Bank Street Group Tony Vengrove, Miles Finch, 2014 WCL Class Participant and 2014/2015 WCL Planning Team 12:00 1:30 Lunch and A Case for Social Entrepreneurship Dawn Hammacott, Co Founder, Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut 1:30 3:00 Succeeding Economically without Losing Our Soul Kip Bergstrom, Department of Economic & Community Development 3:00 3:15 Break 3:15 3:45 Entrepreneurs and Investors for Job Creation Elliott Davis, Mine Hill Distillery 3:45 4:00 Session Day Wrap Up Brief Review of the Day & Preview of Civic Engagement Day 2

3 Robert Santy Connecticut Economic Resource Center Speaker Biographies Robert W. Santy has enjoyed a 35 year career in a variety of positions at the intersection of business, the economy and public policy. He currently is President and CEO of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC), a statewide nonprofit public private partnership that provides economic development services consistent with state strategies, leveraging Connecticut s unique advantages as a premier business location. Mr. Santy also is playing a leadership role in the Open Data movement, advocating greater public accessibility to data, as chair of the Connecticut Data Collaborative steering committee. Prior to joining CERC in 2007, Mr. Santy served as president of the Regional Growth Partnership in New Haven, a not for profit collaborative economic development corporation serving the 15 communities of south central Connecticut. Previously, Mr. Santy was vice president of the Connecticut Capitol Region Growth Council and project director for the MetroHartford Millennium Project, the first comprehensive economic development strategy for the 29 towns of the capital region. From 1992 through 1995, Mr. Santy served as deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic Development in the Administration of Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. He has a BA in American Civilization and an MBA in Business, Economics and Public Policy from The George Washington University. Contact info: [email protected], Luigi Fulinello Economic Development Director, Town of New Milford Luigi Fulinello is the Economic Development Director for the Town of New Milford and the President of the New Milford Economic Development Corporation, helping support business retention and recruitment, as well as managing municipal redevelopment projects. He previously worked for the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development and the Office of the Governor. He also serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut Economic Development Association. Contact info: [email protected], Dan Sherr 2014 Western Connecticut Leadership Alumni Dan Sherr is a 2014 WCL Participant and has been a member of the WCL Planning Team for the past two years. Dan retired from a career in marketing, with a specialty in consumer modeling, quantitative analysis, audience segmentation and big data. He lives in Washington, Connecticut and is very active in the community and the region. He is involved in town and regional economic development in Litchfield County, Region 12 schools, pro bono capacity building consulting and frequently collaborates with the Connecticut Community Foundation and is the Chairman of the 3

4 Board of the Naugatuck Valley Community College Foundation. Dan graduated from Penn State University s Smeal Business College with a BS in Economics and an MS in Business and Land Use Economics. Contact info: [email protected] Robert Colapietro Business Growth Advisor, CONNSTEP, Inc. At CONNSTEP, Inc., Bob is responsible for sales and business development in the South Central Connecticut region. He has more than 20 years of experience in driving organizations to operational success with a focus on managing human capital, recruitment, and training programs. His expertise in delivering top notch project results and elevating technical staff capabilities helps his clients to improve their performance and profitability and increase their sales. Over the years, Bob has cultivated strong client relationships, and he is recognized as an outstanding leader and negotiator who builds exceptional technical teams. He studied Marketing at Bryant University in Rhode Island. Contact info: [email protected] Julie Bailey 2014 Western Connecticut Leadership Alumni Julie Bailey has served for eight years as a farming advocate/member of New Milford s Farmland & Forest Preservation Committee. NMFFPC has been instrumental in preserving four of the town s surviving working family farms in the Ridge Road area, our future Agricultural Heritage District, 1000 acres of high quality agricultural soils. Julie has also worked to expand marketing channels for area farmers including Who s Your Farmer?, a bi annually published hard copy and online guide ( to area farms. Residents can use it to search for locally grown produce and product and almost 125 farms that produce them w/n a 70 mile radius. She has also worked with farmers to secure state and federal grants to increase their ability to scale up and improve their infrastructure and to embark on farm succession planning. She is also working with the New Milford Youth Agency on our town s first winter s Farmer Market so area farmers can continue to direct market their produce long after the growing season ends. Regionally, Julie is a volunteer on the team developing and delivering in 2016 the first Litchfield Hills Farmers Forum, a professional skills workshop for area farmers being offered with funds raised by The Farmer s Table. This annual celebration of Litchfield County farms raises funds in pro of revitalizing farming as an economic driver and job creator in our local communities. Contact info: [email protected] 4

5 Howard Rosenfeld Founder & Owner, The Smithy Since moving to Warren, CT in 2000, Howard Rosenfeld has been actively involved in land conservation efforts and organic farming. In 2007, Howard and Sheryl opened a country market, The Smithy, in the heart of New Preston village. They hoped that the store would provide local area farmers and producers with an additional market for their products, and, at the same time, give neighbors a greater sense of awareness of, and participation in, our community s richness and diversity of culture and product. The Smithy has evolved over time into a blend of local retail, an art gallery featuring the work of local artists, and a community space, hosting a variety of workshops and events. In addition to his work at The Smithy, Howard has become actively involved in the Washington Business Association, the Farmer s Table, Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities, the research phase of a study regarding the feasibility of establishing a local area Food Hub, and, most recently, as an engaged member of the Washington Economic Development team. All of these activities share a common thread the resiliency of our local community. Contact info: [email protected] Meredith Cleary President, The Bank Street Group Meredith Cleary is President of the Bank Street Group, a commercial property management company focusing on revitalizing downtown New Milford. In her role, she manages all aspects of their properties from marketing, finance & HR. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the New Milford Chamber of Commerce. Meredith graduated from University of Rhode Island with a degree in Textile Merchandising and Design. She worked as a buyer for Ralph Lauren and West Elm in NYC. In 2007, Meredith moved back to CT and worked for Homeward Bound which was previously in the Harts Gallery. When the previous owner sold to Gary, she tells everyone that she came with the building! Contact info: [email protected], Tony Vengrove Founder & CEO, Miles Finch Innovation Tony is a marketing and innovation veteran with over 20 years experience revolutionizing industries. His firm, Miles Finch Innovation, helps companies shatter cultural barriers that interfere with corporate innovation and creativity. Tony brings a general management perspective of innovation to the table having worked in worldclass NYC ad agencies and Fortune 500 marketing, innovation and R&D organizations. Having lived 5

6 and breathed innovative life on the inside, he possesses a pragmatic perspective valued by his clients. Tony is co author of the just released book, Energize Your Leadership. When he s not in his studio, he s getting inspired by the creativity of his three young children, which usually involves crayons, cameras and musical instruments. Contact info: [email protected] Dawn Hammascott Executive Director, Community Culinary School of Northwestern CT Dawn Hammacott is the co founder of the Community Culinary School of Northwestern CT (CCSNC). She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts. As a career culinary professional, Dawn has extensive restaurant management and food service experience. Shortly after graduating from the CIA she opened a bakery/café in downtown New Milford which she sold after 13 successful years in business. This allowed her to pursue the development of CCSNC a project which she had long had an interest in. She is currently the Executive Director of the school. Contact info: [email protected], Kip Bergstrom Former Deputy Commissioner, CT Department of Economic & Community Development Kip Bergstrom currently serves as a loaned executive from the State of Connecticut to Discovering Amistad, the new non profit organization created to operate the Amistad vessel and to help Connecticut children and adults discover the Amistad story and the larger American freedom narrative of which it is the heart, including the implications for many issues of social justice, human rights and the meaning of citizenship that are the focus of our national discourse and civic life today. Kip previously served as Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, with a portfolio that included the development of the innovation economy, statewide branding, as well as the arts and culture, historic preservation and tourism functions. He has held executive positions in the private, public and non profit sectors, including serving three mayors and three governors. His interests, writings and accomplishments span the full spectrum of economic development, including: the power of storytelling in defining identity; branding and marketing; tourism; education and talent; transportation; entrepreneurship; technology commercialization; business recruitment and retention; urban design and real estate development; and the interface of the human network and the natural system. He was one of the pioneers of place centric economic development, which he defines as succeeding economically without losing our soul. Contact info: [email protected] 6

7 Elliott Davis Founder, Mine Hill Distillery Elliott Davis has been a full time resident of Washington for 15 years. He has had a long career in investment banking and venture capital as well as running their small family farm. He has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors, working for the Youth Conservation Corp in the 1970s, attending Dartmouth College, helping the leadership of Conservation International and more recently, was the President of the Washington Environmental Council and serves on the Advisory Board of Nonnewaug HS AgriScience program. Elliott is the founder of Mine Hill Distillery to be established at the historic Roxbury Station complex. The distillery is an innovative approach to starting a local business, preserving a part of Roxbury s history and helping farmers by creating demand for local grains and pledging to give 5% of the profits to local agricultural interests. Contact info: [email protected] 7