CBIA BizCast

For C4 Communications founder and president Colomobo DiSalvatore III, success is all about problem solving. “We try to go into our clients, we try to add value, and help solve problems,” DiSalvatore told the CBIA BizCast. “And we know that if we do that, that we will be rewarded over time.” C4 Communications is a telecommunications company specializing in helping small and midsize companies evalua...

For The Computer Company president Kevin Barros, a career in IT was something of an accident. “I kind of started off individually on my own, just kind of doing a little bit of side work, make a few extra bucks on the weekends and nights,” he told the CBIA BizCast. Barros said he always liked technology, but never thought he’d own a company. “Slowly it kind of grew to one referral, to another refer...

In a lifetime, one-in-four women and one-in-seven men will be affected by domestic or intimate partner violence. And each year, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence serves about 40,000 people. “We are the state's leading voice for survivors and victims of domestic violence and their families,” CCADV president and CEO Meghan Scanlon told the CBIA BizCast. The organization has 18 memb...

Jeremy Bronen didn’t set out to be known as “the toilet entrepreneur.”  But four years after founding SedMed, that’s exactly what transpired.  “Essentially, we make toilet lifts to help older adults, people with disabilities get on and off the toilet,” Bronen told the CBIA BizCast. The concept behind the SedMed toilet lift is simple.  It mounts to any toilet and helps slowly lowers users down and...

Like many people Adam Goldberg started to bake during the COVID-19 pandemic. Goldberg specifically baked bagels, selling them to friends out the back window of his kitchen in Westport. That hobby turned into an idea that became PopUp Bagels. “Fast forward two or three years, he opened a store in Westport, opened another store in Greenwich, and then in the city, and it's really just exploded,” PopU...

KeyBank market retail leader Elona Shape credits her mother for giving her a passion for helping women in business. “She's one of those women that continues to inspire me today, but really instilled the value of what women in business or women in leadership bring to the table,” Shape told the CBIA BizCast. Shape is co-chair of KeyBank’s Key4Women for Connecticut and Massachusetts. “It’s a program...

This episode of the CBIA BizCast is the second of a two-part discussion on a key issue in Connecticut and across the country—whole genome sequencing. In this episode Paul Pescatello, CBIA senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council speaks with Dr. Adam Matson and Dr. Louisa Kalsner from Connecticut Children’s. Dr. Matson is a neonatologist and lead researcher...

The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer. Spring is officially here, and that means the return of baseball to Hartford April 9 as the Yard Goats take on the Bowie Baysox at Dunkin’ Park. Looking over Dunkin’ Park in Hartford, general manager Mike Abramson tells the CBIA BizCast that he’s ready for the first pitch to be thrown. “It’s always an exciting time of year,” he said. “You...

This episode of the CBIA BizCast is part one of a two-part discussion on a key issue in Connecticut and across the country— whole genome sequencing. In this episode Paul Pescatello, CBIA senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council speaks with Dr. Tom Defay. Defay is a computational biologist and Deputy Head Diagnostics Strategy & Development at New Haven-base...

When Jill Mayer joined Bead Industries, the average age of an employee was 60 and there were little to no women in senior management. Today the average age of an employee is mid 30s and more than half of the management positions are filled by women. “Changing a culture at an organization takes a lot of patience and time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Mayer told the CBIA BizCast. “You don’t want to...

With approximately 16,000 students, 20 school sites, two aerotech sites, and 18 trade school sites, the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is a leader in technical education in Connecticut. “We have almost 2000 employees working very hard to make us the premier workforce provider in the state of Connecticut,” CTECS executive director Dr. Ellen Solek told the CBIA BizCast. CTECS offe...

CBIA released its 2024 Transform Connecticut Policy Solutions, a 12-point package of recommendations designed to unlock Connecticut’s economic potential, on Feb. 1. CBIA vice president of public policy Chris Davis joined senior public policy associate Ashley Zane on the CBIA BizCast to discuss the process behind the development of the policy priorities. “We looked to identify some solutions that h...

Since 1970, Waterford’s Millstone Power Station has been a key part of Connecticut’s energy supply. Millstone, which was acquired by Virginia-based Dominion Energy in 2001, currently supplies about 50% of Connecticut’s energy needs, and more than 90% of the state’s clean power, according to Millstone vice president Michael O’Connor. “Our mission is to reliably produce nuclear power for our custome...

Over the course of the last year, business leaders from across the state joined the CBIA BizCast to share stories of how their businesses innovated, overcame challenges and found new levels of success. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare, real estate, public service, law, or banking—all of our guests have had something in common—they have learned invaluable lessons along the way that have gotte...

Just on the outskirts of the UConn campus in Storrs sits the UConn Tech Park, a center for cutting-edge research, collaboration, and innovation. “The Tech Park is a really amazing initiative that the state and university funded to act as a kind of front door for industry into the services that are available at the university,” said Michael DiDonato, business development manager for the Innovation...

“We need to be looking through the windshield, and not the rearview mirror, because that's where the opportunities lie,” says Fuss & O’Neill CEO and newly elected CBIA board chair Kevin Grigg. Grigg sat down with CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima for a special episode of the CBIA BizCast. He said for the state to achieve its economic goals, it’s important to focus on issues like housing, educ...

RSM partner Dan Wheadon joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the results of the 2023 Connecticut Manufacturing Report. Among the findings: 86% of manufacturers report difficulty finding/and or retaining employees, with 48% calling the issue the greatest growth challenge. “The manufacturing industry is really going through a pretty significant change in recent years with industry 4.0, and a number...

With hundreds of locations worldwide, COBS Bread's Karen Frost-Spokes talks to the CBIA BizCast about plans to expand in Connecticut and the U.S. “It's a pretty simple concept,” she said. “It's really just about focusing on great bread, great customer service, and then connecting with the community and giving back.” “The intent is to replicate that here in the Northeast." COBS already has franchis...

For Chris O’Connor, becoming president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health was something of a homecoming. “I was born at Yale New Haven Hospital,” O’Connor told the CBIA BizCast. “I was a little premature, so I needed their special care unit and grew up here in New Haven.” He joins the CBIA BizCast to share his story and what is ahead for the health system.

Nearly 600 middle and high school students from two dozen schools spent part of their school day recently learning what Connecticut's manufacturing industry has to offer. They took part in EXPLORE MANUFACTURING: A Stop on CT Manufacturing Roadshow '23 Sept. 28 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. It was a chance for more than two dozen manufacturers and training and support organizations in attendance to m...

TD Bank's Mike LaBella joins the CBIA BizCast to discuss ways the bank is supporting manufacturers' growth and success. “The bank’s been a tremendous supporter of all industries, but especially manufacturing, because it's so key to our economy,” LaBella said. TD Bank is sponsoring CBIA’s Made in Connecticut 2023 Manufacturing Summit Oct. 11 at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. With interest rates risi...

Marcum LLP's Hartford office managing partner Michael Brooder joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the 2023 Survey of Connecticut Businesses. The survey highlights some of the top concerns for businesses, including workforce and the costs of living and doing business in the state. “These days? It’s labor, labor, labor, and costs,” said Brooder. “If you look at the open jobs and the availability of...

As students across Connecticut begin the new school year, some are returning to class after a summer filled with learning. More than 70 students recently completed ReadyCT’s G.R.I.T. (Get Ready! Immersive Traineeship) summer program. The CBIA BizCast team traveled to Pathways Academy of Technology and Design Aug. 9 for the annual G.R.I.T. showcase. “It really just allows them a way to learn more s...

After 40 years in business, Seymour-based Microboard has become known for two things: producing high-quality, high-tech circuit board assemblies and humanitarian missions helping people around the world. “There's not enough hours in my day to run this and listen to all that good news,” said Microboard CEO and president Nicole Russo. “You know, I just try to fit it all in.”

The Hartford Athletic started playing in the United Soccer League in 2019. Chairman Bruce Mandell started the club with his partners as a way to create something for the community and help the city economically. “I've always been involved in the community, and I wanted to do something really big for Hartford and wanted to bring people together and have a spot in Hartford to do that,” Mandell said....