MEMBER NEWS

Update - 01/08

The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce is Seeking a President

Individuals with experience in business advocacy, membership development, financial and staff management, strategic planning, and a strong record of building positive community partnerships are encouraged to apply for this position by January 28, 2008. Excellent interpersonal, communication and administrative skills as well as a history of responsible leadership essential.

Update - 10/07

Saint Joseph College Names President
Pamela Trotman Reid, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president at Roosevelt University in Chicago, today was named the 8th president/chief executive of Saint Joseph College.  Reid was selected through a comprehensive national search process. A search committee representing all College constituencies was assisted in its efforts by R.H. Perry & Associates. Reid was unanimously endorsed by the Board of Trustees.

Hypnotist of the Year
Lifestyle Improvement Centers, the franchise parent of Positive Changes
Hypnosis Centers has recognized David Barron from Positive Changes in West Hartford as the 2007 Hypnotist of the Year. David started with Positive Changes in November 2005. Besides his fifteen years of experience as a hypnotherapist and the positive impact that he has had on more than 5,000 clients, David has taken significant initiative with his self-styled Better Life Workshops.

Update - 09/07

For the second straight year, Kitchen & Bath Design Consultants, LLC (KBDC) has been named a top 500 remodeling company by Qualified Remodeler Magazine. The Top 500 list is the longest on-going recognition program in the remodeling industry. KBDC has been included on this prestigious list based on the following criteria: Installed remodeling dollar volume, total number of years in the business, industry association membership, industry certification, industry awards, and community service.

Dr. Iacob Marcovici of Aesthetic Medical Center was recently featured on various news programs throughout Greater Hartford educating women about a new, innovative breast cancer detection device called the Breast Pap Test. This noninvasive technology is the first of its kind helping to detect breast cancer in asymptomatic women. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Marcovici will do a short presentation about the new technology at our West Hartford Women in Business meeting on October 18.

The Hartt School has announced the appointment of Dr. Mark George as the new Director of the Hartt School Community Division, the University of Hartford’s prestigious community arts school for music, dance, and theatre. Dr. George has enjoyed a unique career making music and connecting people of all backgrounds to the performing arts.

Westfarms shopping center has named Christa Allen marketing and sponsorship director.  Allen is responsible for developing programs and events and implementing a strategic marketing and sponsorship plan for the center. Allen joins Westfarms after three years with The Westfield Group, most recently as marketing director of two Connecticut shopping centers, Connecticut Post and Trumbull. She also served as marketing director for the company’s Enfield and Meriden mall locations, as well as the interim marketing director at Century City mall in Los Angeles. Prior to that, she was regional assistant marketing director, working with six properties in the Northeast.

Update - 07/07

Travelers recently awarded the Children's Museum with a $236,000 grant to upgrade the technology in it's Gengras Planetarium, according to a story in the July West Hartford LIFE. Upon completion in September, the upgrade will be renamed the Travelers Science Dome at the Gengras Planetarium, and will be the most advanced in the state.

On May 2nd, the Intensive Education Academy hosted a Dedication of the New Wing and the ongoing celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the school's founding. The Wing's
auditorium has been named the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Auditorium and since it's
inauguration has hosted Joseph Albano and his Ballet Troupe, the IEA student's spring
show and their Graduation and Awards Ceremony.

In the July 16th edition of the Hartford Business Journal, Simons Real Estate ranked 6
out of the top 10 commercial real estate brokers in the Hartford region.
Congratulations to Simons Real Estate!

RTK Environmental Group was featured in the New York Times on Sunday, May 20th.
The feature story, "What's Furry and Thirsty and Loves the Dark?", was on indoor air quality and mold. The article can be found on the web at NYTimes.com, keyword "RTK
Environmental Mold."

Now people all over the world can tune into what our members are up to! Rae Tattenbaum of Inner Act was recently featured on YouTube. People can learn about achieving peak performance in any activity or job function through the use of neurofeedback right on the web! Neurofeedback on YouTube

Update - 06/07

The Hartford Courant did a feature this month on Marc Bazilian, the owner of Bazilians shoe store on Park Road. The business, which his family began in 1930, has been located in its present location since Marc was officially handed the reins in 1970. The Bazilians shoe store has been a intricate part of the West Hartford community ever since it relocated from Hartford to its Elmwood location in 1954. The Bazilians have been longtime supporters of the West Hartford Chamber, having been members since 1958! The store will be closing as Bazilian, who will be turning 65 this summer, plans to retire. According to the article, "He says he wants to make up for time he didn't get to spend with his two sons. He wants to build kayaks and canoes, climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and take a motorcycle trip across the country". The Chamber, the community and especially all of his customers wish him the best of luck and happiness!

The Noah Webster House has received the Wilber Cross Award for Heritage Project of the Year from the Connecticut Humanities Council for its "Bristow: Putting the Pieces of an African-American Life Together" exhibit.

Westfarms Mall and the Department of Labor honored Donna Plomba with the 2007 Connecticut's Working Woman of the Year award. A committee selects the winner based on devotion to work, family, community and ability to overcome adversity.

Several nurses and health care institutions in the Greater Hartford area were honored at VNA HealthCare's 5th annual Nightengale Awards for Excellence in Nursing. The awards are presented at a charity gala. Over the last 5 years, the gala has raised over $30,000 benefiting a scholarship fund for nursing school students and high school students seeking a nursing degree.

The Hartford Business Journal took away a whopping 18 awards for journalistic excellence at the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists annual meeting, one of the highest total award counts of any publication in the state! The winners are chosen from a committee of journalists from Arkansas, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington D.C. and Washington state. Congratulations to the talented staff at the Hartford Business Journal!

The Best of Show award from the Advertising Club of Connecticut went to Adams and Knight! They were recognized for a television commercial series it created for Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut.

Update - 05/07

Our very own President/CEO, Ed Pilkington, has received the CACCE (Connecticut Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives) Executive of the Year Award. The award recognizes chamber executives for exemplary service to their organization, community, and chamber of commerce profession. Ed was nominated by Bob LaPerla of LaPerla Jewelers, a member of the West Hartford Chamber Board of Directors.

Citizens Bank celebrated the opening of their 51st Connecticut branch this month with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Located in West Hartford Center, this is Citizens Bank's first West Hartford location. The bank has proved to be very community oriented in the short time they have been here. They have donated money to various organizations including a $7,500 grant to both the Children's Museum and Jewish Family Services.  In addition, they are the presenting sponsor of this year's West Hartford Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Noah Webster Awards!

Get your spoons ready! Ben & Jerry's opened its doors in West Hartford Center over Memorial Day weekend. Even though they have been open for less than a week, it is already becoming a popular destination for ice cream lovers! Ben & Jerry's had a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday and as part of their festivities they donated a portion of the sales for the evening to the American School for the Deaf.

An article in West Hartford News announces the grand opening of a Seniors Job Bank office in East Hartford. Seniors Job Bank is a non-profit organization which connects Hartford area residents over the age of 55 with employment opportunities. The service is free to both the employee and the employer. The organization was established in 1974 and is sustained though grants and contributions. The SBM Charitable Foundation and the Town of East Hartford provided the grants necessary for the East Hartford office to become a reality.

The Bridge Family Center awarded its second annual Bridge Business Award to Blum Shapiro for their continued support over the last 15 years. Over this time period, Blum Shapiro has offered its financial services to The Bridge pro bono and has always had a presence on The Bridge Board of Directors. In addition, Blum Shapiro also received a citation from the State of Connecticut for their commitment to The Bridge and the community as a whole. Congratulations to Blum Shapiro for receiving these prestigious honors.

Update - 04/07

West Hartford LIFE reported that Whole Foods raised $63,000 during its 5% week. The proceeds will be put into trust funds benefiting the families of two fisherman who lost their lives when their boat sank in early February. The $63,000 was raised as a result of taking 5% of the seafood department sales from Whole Foods stores in the Northeast and North Atlantic regions.

For the third consecutive year, Adams & Knight has been awarded Best in Show by the American Marketing Association's Connecticut Chapter in addition to receiving eight of the chapter's Mark of Excellence Awards for strategic marketing campaigns they created for their financial, health and education clients.

LIFE Publications has purchased Hartford Magazine from Marketing Resource Consultants. Chris White and Michael Guinan, owners of LIFE Publications and Marketing Resource Consultants respectively, will be co-publishing the magazine. The first issue will be out May 31st.

Edward Forand Jr. announced last month that he will be retiring from his position of museum director of the Children's Museum. On April 24th, the Hartford Courant announced that Hank Gruner has been appointed to the position of interim director while the museum searches for a new director. Gruner has been with the Children's Museum since 1984 and is currently the vice president of programs and exhibits. "Hank Gruner is the heart and soul of the museum, with many years of experience in museum management and programming. We are fortunate to have a professional of his caliber on staff to continue the ongoing operations of the Children's Museum," said museum board Chairman Howard Shafer.

At a press conference in front of town hall on Monday, April 24th, West Hartford based CowParade Holdings Corporation announced that the CowParade will be coming back to West Hartford this fall. The event was previously in town in 2003 and this will be the first time in CowParade history that a repeat visit has ever been made. The life-size cows will be on display around all of West Hartford from September - January. This event truly involves the entire town as the cows are painted by local artists, sponsored by area businesses and residents with the proceeds from the event benefiting local charities.

Update - 03/07

West Hartford News covered the 5th Annual West Hartford's Cookin', a fundraiser that directly benefits the Foundation for West Hartford Public Schools. Several Chamber members participated in this event. Bank of America was a corporate sponsor; donations of food, wine and silent auction items came from Wild Oats, Prospect Cafe, Toast Wines and Max's Oyster Bar. A few of our members got more 'hands on' as celebrity chefs including Senator Jonathan Harris of Furey, Donovan, Tracy, & Daly P.C., Chris Dobbs of the Noah Webster House, Richard Patrissi and our very own West Hartford Chamber of Commerce President/CEO, Ed Pilkington. The event was a success raising over $40,000 that will be used for grants, projects and residencies in West Hartford Public Schools.

After an eight month renovation period, Sally & Bob's Eatery opened for business. To celebrate, they held a re-grand opening on March 15th which included a ribbon cutting ceremony coordinated by the Chamber. The ribbon was cut by none other than Mayor Scott Slifka. Chamber staff, board and ambassador members, along with several friends, family members and long-time customers came together to help celebrate this milestone. Sally & Bob's was also recognized last month by the West Hartford Rotary Club for their support of the club over the years.

Shauna K. Molloy of Molly Funeral Home was recognized under the 'Movers & Shakers' section of the Hartford Business Journal after being elected Secretary of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. Congratulations Shauna!

Congratulations to the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan who, after receiving an extensive review by The New York Times, received an overall rating of 'VERY GOOD.'

The University of Hartford turns 50 this year and was featured in a West Hartford News article which gave an outline of the year-long birthday celebration. The festivities were kicked off on February 21st at the Founders' Day celebration. The next event will take place on April 13th, when a time capsule containing items from the University of Hartford of today will be buried and the items recovered from a time capsule buried 25 years ago will be displayed.

Bob Nenna was recently named the new executive director of the West Hartford and Tri-Town YMCAs. Bob is University of Hartford graduate and was previously at the YMCA in Norwich. He is currently coordinating the 4th Annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day in conjunction with West Hartford News and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce.

Update - 02/07

Several Chamber members have recently been recognized in the Hartford Business Journal. Blum Shapiro, Comcast, Edward Jones and People's Bank have been named among the 25 "Best Places to Work in Connecticut". Blum Shapiro was also recognized, along with Filomeno & Co., among the 20 "Largest Accounting Firms in the Hartford Region". Congratulations to everyone on your success.

Doug Day, owner of Vespa Hartford and Scooter Centrale, was featured in the article "Scooters Making Inroads" in the Hartford Courant. In the article, commuters who use scooters as their primary source of transportation spoke about its benefits, such as fantastic gas mileage which ranges from 65 to 100 MPG. Day has been selling scooters from his shop since 2002 and states that scooters have been gaining quite a following as commuters search for ways to make their commute more economical and fun.

Mariel Peck, the owner of Mariel the shoe bar was recently featured in West Hartford News. The article discussed Mariel's view on the challenges of being a young business owner. Her shop combines high fashion shoes and a warm, relaxed atmosphere. She describes her business as having a diverse inventory of women's shoes and accessories for all styles and ages. Mariel the shoe bar opened its doors in August of last year and had a very successful holiday season. Mariel projects that her shop will thrive as she continues to learn and grow as a business woman.

Update - 01/07

Wild Oats came up with an innovative way to collect food donations during the holidays that proved to be a great success. According to the West Hartford News, Wild Oats donated over $6,000 worth of food to the West Hartford Food Pantry between the months of November and December. In order to make charity more 'user friendly', the store collected items the Food Pantry needed the most and packed them into affordable and convenient packages placed at the register stations. Customers had the option while checking out to purchase one of the packages, which ranged in price from $10 to $15 and included a generous 10% discount from Wild Oats. Russ Pound, director of the Food Pantry, stated "This was the largest donation we've ever received from a merchant in the history of the Food Pantry". The donated food not only got the Food Pantry through the holidays, but there was actually a surplus that will be distributed to Senior Centers and those in need.

West Hartford LIFE featured John Voice of Pre-Paid Legal and certified group security specialist with the Identity Theft Awareness Group. In the article, Voice discusses what he refers to as "the fastest growing crime in America", identity theft. With a staggering 27,000 new victims a day, that equates to 19 people every minute!  There are ways to protect ourselves including identification programs such as I.D. Shield and several free websites and phone numbers that one can utilize to monitor their identity and learn more about this new crime epidemic.  Learn more about protecting yourself from identity theft in our upcoming March eNews in the Business Tips section.

The Johansen Group, Inc. has announced the addition of David Hughes, CFA to the firm as an Investment Manager. He has an extensive background in financial and investment analysis and has been published in such publications as Forbes, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.

RTK Environmental Group recently had several Indoor Air Quality articles published by UPI, Connecticut Post, Stamford Advocate and the Hartford Courant. All of the above articles can be seen at www.rtkenvironmental.com. Gene Burch, from RTK, has been invited as a guest speaker at the Indoor Environmental Health & Technologies Conference in Orlando Florida.

The West Hartford Public Library is now offering four new services that will make the library easier and more efficient to utilize: E-mail reminders that alert borrowers prior to their materials being due; web and phone renewals that allow most materials to be renewed without ever leaving the house; a kiosk set up inside Town Hall during the Noah Webster Library renovation so library information and services can still be obtained in West Hartford Center; and three book drops, including drive-up drops at the Faxon and Bishops Corner branches and a sidewalk drop located in front of the Noah Webster branch.

WSI Web Wize of West Hartford recently announced the launch of Contractor Website Solutions (CWS). CWS, a subsidiary of WSI Web Wize, is a new Internet service business that specializes in building contractor websites across the nation for all trades in the contractor and construction industry.

Update - 12/06

We have one more great reason to visit Corbins Corner! Red Robin Gourmet Burgers opened its doors to the public on December 4th. In the short time that they have been in West Hartford, they have proven to be very active in the community. On December 1st, they invited Chamber members to a special lunch. The restaurant has created nearly 200 new jobs and to help the staff sharpen their skills they had several dry runs where people from the community were invited to come in and sample the food and the service. The grand opening festivities began with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Chamber, Mayor Slifka, Town Councilor Shari Cantor and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters were among those in attendance. Red Robin committed 50 cents from each burger sold during the grand opening week to the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. They ended up raising $3,300 with this fundraiser. Go in and try one of their 22 gourmet burgers!

State Senator Jonathan Harris was recently named one of four legislators of the the year by the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits for his commitment to state non-profit agencies. In addition to being a state senator and a lawyer, Jonathan is an active member of the Chamber and the West Hartford community. Congratulations!

Christine Landino of An Orderly Space was featured in West Hartford News to speak about how she helps people to organize their lives. She discussed how clutter is a source of stress and can occur anywhere: in the office, at home, even in the kid's playroom! She tailors her organizing techniques to each individual client so that they are more likely to continue utilizing the skills she provides them with. Christine will be teaching a class entitled "Time Management for the Busy Professional" on February 21st as part of the Chamber's Breakfast Seminar Series. Click Here  to register or for more information on the class.

Update - 11/06

Positive Changes in West Hartford has been recognized for winning the prestigious Founders Award by the Lifestyle Improvement Center. The founders award is given annually to the Positive Changes center that has upheld the ideals and principles of the Positive Changes brand which includes client centered quality and innovation, teamwork and community. Edward “E.J” Dupre from Positive Changes in West Hartford was also recognized as the 2006 Hypnotist of the year. E.J holds a PhD in Psychology and has been honored for his unparalleled experience, competence, and passion for client success, along with his 23 years of hypnotherapy service.

Westfarms Mall has taken security to a whole new level of innovation. They recently introduced the Segway scooter as a new tool for the security department to utilize. The Segway gives security staff the ability to move around more productively and easier to be recognized by shoppers due to the height the scooter gives the operator. So far they have been well received!

Best Buy has reinvented itself once again! In keeping up with the latest technology and consumer demand, they have gone through a major reconstruction and renovation that has literally doubled the size of the store. Best Buy has also added the high-end home theatre line, Magnolia. It is a "store within a store" and is something you must experience to believe.

Rob Levine of William Raveis Real Estate was recently recognized by his office for Outstanding Achievement. Congratulations Rob!

Breast cancer is an disease which affects women and their families nationwide. For Jody Ferrer, owner of The Perfect Promotion, the disease is personal. She lost her mother in 1996 to breast cancer. In order to raise awareness and money to help find more effective cures, she began a fundraiser last year. On October 5, 2006, she kicked off her second annual event with a "Thank You Breakfast" for her customers at the Pond House Cafe. She also donated a percentage of her sales during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to the Hartford Hospital Partnership for Breast Cancer. She presented them with a check for $5,000 on November 9th.

On November 7th, two of our members were re-elected into political office. Syd Elkin, of Sydney W. Elkin, Esq. LLC, was elected Probate Judge. He was originally elected into the position in 2002. Jonathan Harris, of Furey, Donovan, Tracy, & Daly P.C., was elected State Senator of the 5th district. He originally became Senator by winning a special election to fill the seat vacated by Kevin Sullivan when he became Lieutenant Governor. Both Judge Elkin & Jonathan Harris are active with the Chamber. Senator Harris is a Chamber Ambassador and Judge Elkin can be seen at many Chamber events. Congratulations to both of these fine gentlemen.

Philip David Jewelers was recently honored as one of the top 50 designer retailers of 2006 by the Design of the JCK Group, an international trade show organization. The 52 year old boutique carries many U.S. designers but also features works from artists in