CT Targets Convention & Sports Business with New Organization

Connecticut  state government will be dedicating $1.3 million of its tourism budget to create an organization focused on attracting large events to the state.  The Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau will be a public-private partnership between the Department of Economic and Community Development and what is now the former Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau. In addition to the $1.3 million, the organization will be funded through dues by member organizations, most of whom were members of the GHCVB, the Hartford Business Journal reported. CTCSB will intensify outreach and marketing efforts previously undertaken by the GHCVB to bring new revenue into the state from meeting planners and sports promoters. The types of events range from televised events such as the USA Gymnastics Championship - held in 2010 and described as the organization's most successful event ever - to lesser notable but equally as important events such as youth soccer and youth hockey tournaments.

Diversity Takes Root in West Hartford

The town of West Hartford, led by the Blue Back Square development, has become a prime go-to destination in the region.  Increasingly, out-of-town guests at conventions centered in Hartford are including West Hartford Center and the adjacent Blue Back Square on their itineraries.  But there's more to the town than its hip and attractive restaurant/shopping district.  And some of the numbers may be surprising to those who continue to view the town as '60's - or even '80's - suburbia. A brief glance at a demographic tool developed by three prominent universities, at http://mixedmetro.us/, clearly reflects the changing demographics of the town and the region over the past two decades.

As pointed out in the new edition of West Hartford LIFE, the "changing face of West Hartford" has paralleled progress and change in other areas:

• Population:  63, 628
• Breakdown:  20.4% white, 9.8% Hispanic/Latino, 7.4% Asian, Black 6.3%
• Residents over age 65: 17%     Residents under age 18:  23%
• Minority population in schools:  37.7% [all-time high]
• Percentage of population (over age 5) that speaks a language other than English at home:  25%
• Number of languages spoken in West Hartford schools:  65

$1 Million for Area Charities from Travelers Championship

The just-concluded 2012 Travelers Championship will generate in excess of $1 million for charity, including commitments from Travelers, bringing the tournament’s total 2012 charitable contribution to an amount on par with champion Mark Leishman’s $1.08 million winnings. The announcement was made by Travelers Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay Fishman during the final round at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. Celebrating its 60^th anniversary, the Travelers Championship has surpassed the $30 million mark for money generated for charity since its inception. The tournament contributes 100 percent of net proceeds to more than 100 local charities including The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which provides an extraordinary camp experience for children suffering from cancer and other serious diseases.

Attendance Up

The tournament is Connecticut’s largest sporting event. There are "strong indications that attendance rose dramatically from last year" for the PGA Tour Travelers Championship. While official figures were not tallied, it was reported that Tournament Director Nathan Grube "figured there was a 15 to 20 percent increase this year" for the week.

Every year, more than 3,500 people donate their time and effort to volunteer for the Travelers Championship. Volunteers spend countless hours throughout the week to help deliver a world-class PGA TOUR experience for players, fans and the media. The tournament offers fundraising programs that allow any charity in the state to use the tournament to raise funds. Additionally, Travelers and its employees annually participate in Birdies for Charity, a program that collects pledges for every birdie made during the Travelers Championship, to raise additional funds for the tournament’s charities.

In 67 Towns, Fewer than Half of 4th Graders Pass All Physical Fitness Tests

What do the towns of Thompson, Preston, Windsor Locks and Chester, have in common?  Less than 20 percent of fourth grade students in those communities meet the standard on all four physical fitness tests – the lowest percentages in the state.  On the upper end of the spectrum, 100% of fourth grade students in only two towns - Union and Caanan - pass all four physical fitness tests, as do more than 80 percent of fourth graders in Cornwall, New Canaan and Sterling. Overall, in only 23 communities did more than two-thirds the fourth grade students pass all four physical fitness tests, and in another 76 communities more than half (but less than two-thirds) of the students did so.  In  67 communities, fewer than half of the fourth graders pass all four tests.  The data, from 2010,  was not available from 3 of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities.

In 2009, only 29 cities and towns had more than half of their 4th graders pass all four physical fitness tests.  In 2010 that number jumped to 99 towns.

The data is available on the web site of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, which is bringing together data from various state agencies, making it more readily available to the public, along with the means to combine data from different agencies and chart the information in data visualization charts that help to illustrate patterns that enhance understanding.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative is a collaborative public-private effort to improve the quality of and access to policy-related data in the state - a central portal where all Connecticut organizations and residents can access a wide range of data from federal, state, local and private sources relating to the health, well-being and economy of the residents of the State of Connecticut. The goals of the Collaborative include:

• Advocacy - Advocating for the public availability of all state data to inform public debate and to drive planning, policy, budgeting and decision making in state government.
• Standards - Promoting and modeling use of data standards around privacy, interoperability, data definitions and quality.
• Access - Meeting demands for public access to data through the Collaborative's data portal, CTData.org, and the associated Connecticut Nonprofit Strategy Platform.
• Building Capacity -- Creating opportunities for Collaborative and peer support in data development and use both online and in person.

On the issue of physical fitness in the schools, Tennessee and Connecticut are the first states in the country to respond to the links between health and exercise, childhood obesity and academic performance with the establishment of School Health Coordinators.  Tennessee's law has brought solid results, and Connecticut's legislature approved a pilot program earlier this year.

Alexion Latest BioScience Headliner in CT; Industry Depth Grows

The impending arrival of Jackson Labs in Farmington, the year’s blockbuster deal in Connecticut’s efforts to build its economic base in the biotech industry into national leadership, is far from the only game in town.  Connecticut is already home to 800 biomedical companies, according to data from D&B Sale & Marketing Solutions (2011) as reported in the Connecticut Economic Review, produced by Northeast Utilities.  Connecticut’s 10 largest biomedical companies (alphabetically):

• Alexion Pharmaceuticals
• Boehringer Ingelheim
• Bristol-Meyers Squibb
• Clinical Laboratory Partners
• Dianon Systems
• Hamilton Sunstrand
• Pfizer
• Pharmaceutical Research Associates
• United States Surgical
• Zygo

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced this week that it will open a new headquarters in New Haven, adding hundreds of jobs to the region with the help of state financial backing.

Under the deal, Alexion will move and consolidate more than 350 workers that are currently spread over several buildings in Cheshire, to a new 400,000-square-foot facility with office, laboratory and research and development space. Alexion will be the anchor tenant in a $100 million facility that will be a centerpiece of New Haven's downtown redevelopment efforts known as Downtown Crossing.  The company returns to New Haven, where it began in a small office in the city's Science Park.

Seeking Social Entrepreneurs Demonstrating It Can Be Done

Are you a Connecticut entrepreneur interested in starting your own business that will improve the community, create jobs, and generate profit with a purpose? If this sounds like you, it may be worthwhile considering an entry for the reSET 2012 Social Entrepreneur Award.  The award recognizes aspiring individuals with viable, sustainable business concepts for social enterprise that will improve the community, create jobs, and demonstrate the power of harnessing profit to purpose. The Grand Prize Winner and finalists will receive a cash start-up award and other benefits to help take their idea to the next level.  Application Deadline is July 1, 2012; the Juror Panel includes reSET Board Members and Advisors.  Award recipients and Grand Prize Winner will be announced at an October 10, 2012 gala.

reSET was formed in Connecticut in 2009, when a group of concerned citizens, educators, and leaders from business and nonprofit organizations got together  to talk about the growing Social Enterprise movement and our desire to see it catch on in a big way throughout Connecticut.   Social Enterprise is a new business model that puts people and purpose before profit and uses the free market to create positive social change.  Becoming a Social Entrepreneur means moving from the profit paradigm to a more satisfying and sustainable way of doing business, and one with a lasting positive legacy.

CT Ranks #8 in USA in Patents

Connecticut is known as the land of Yankee Ingenuity, with good reason, but if the state is to retain its historic preeminence, it will need to step up its game.  The state ranks #8 in patents per 100,000 workers, according to data compiled by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010).  The top ten:  Vermont, California, Washington, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Jersey.  Connecticut’s 131.3 patents per 100,000 workers is well above the US average of 93.3 patents. Hoping to spur more collaboration locally, The Business Council of Fairfield County has launched a new Center for Growth Resources, in collaboration with the Connecticut Technology Council, Connecticut Innovations, and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, among other entities, the Fairfield County Business Journal has reported.  Connecticut is also actively promoting initiatives such as the Stamford Innovation Center and Startup Connecticut, among others.

Another $9.8 Million for Stem Cell Research in CT; Yale Leads

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has announced the awards of $9.8 million in stem cell research funds to 19 Connecticut–based researchers. The awards were made by the State of Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at its grant review meeting in Farmington. Thirteen of the 19 grants will be headed to Yale researchers, reflecting the institution’s cutting-edge work through the Yale Stem Cell Center.  Three grants will be awarded to researchers at the UConn Health Center, two to research work at UConn Storrs campus, and one grant being awarded is a joint initiative between research scientists at the UConn Health Center and Wesleyan University in Middletown.  UConn Health Center’s Stem Cell Institute is located in Farmington.

“Connecticut’s continued support of stem cell research has allowed for exciting and innovative research to take place right here in our state,” said Governor Malloy. Echoing the state’s new tourism and business development slogan, Malloy added: “The research projects funded by these grants allow scientists to do revolutionary work that puts Connecticut at the forefront of bioscience industry.”

Eighty-eight stem cell funding applications were accepted for consideration in January 2012 – nine more than a year ago. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee reviewed these applications in accordance with National Institutes of Health guidelines and provided to the Advisory Committee its recommendations with respect to the scientific merits of each application.

A year ago, Gov. Malloy announced the award of $9.8 million in stem cell research funds to twenty Connecticut–based researchers, selected from 79 stem cell funding applications that year.

In 2010, former Governor M. Jodi Rell announced $9.8 million in state grants to support nearly two dozen stem cell research projects by scientists at the University of Connecticut and at Yale.  The grants were part of the $100 million Stem Cell Research Fund, which was created by legislation that Rell signed into law in 2005 making Connecticut the third state in the nation to offer public funding for human stem cell research. The program was created to support the growing bioscience industry and the jobs it creates in Connecticut.

“The projects funded by these grants will advance the clinical use of stem cells to treat some of the most debilitating diseases and injuries,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner and Advisory Committee Chairperson Dr. Jewel Mullen of the 2012 grants. “The research conducted as a result of these grants brings hope to people coping with difficult health conditions.”

How Does Your Historic Garden Grow? 14 CT Sites Answer

Next Sunday, June 24 is the 9th Annual Connecticut Historic Gardens Day – a perfect day to visit one or several of 14 historic gardens across Connecticut. Each site offers special activities emphasizing their site and its unique history.  Connecticut residents (and visitors from beyond the state’s borders) are urged to visit a site or two in their immediate area, or make a day of it and head off to explore another part of the state.   The 14 historic sites are throughout the state, from Wilton to Old Lyme, Bethlehem to Woodstock. Connecticut's Historic Gardens raises awareness of distinctive historic sites and gardens within Connecticut's borders. By pooling funding, design, marketing and volunteer resources, the organization increases programming opportunities, offering the public experiences rich in beauty and history, and brings greater recognition and visitation to member sites.

Connecticut's Historic Gardens was started in 2002 by a small group of historic sites with gardens that pooled resources to participate in the annual Connecticut Flower and Garden Show held in Hartford. Out of this collaboration came the development of a comprehensive brochure, funded by a grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, that has been distributed in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, and is available online. The group also participates in the New England Flower Show in Boston.

Programs and fees vary at each of the historic sites; hours are 12 noon to 4 pm unless noted on their respective web sites.  The 14 locations are:

• Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem
• Butler-McCook House & Garden, Hartford
• Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme
• Glebe House Museum, Woodbury
• Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford
• Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford
• Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington
• New London County Historical Society and Shaw Mansion, New London
• Osborne Homestead Museum, Derby
• Promisek at Three Rivers Farm, Bridgewater
• Roseland Cottage, Woodstock
• Thankful Arnold House Museum / Haddam Historical Society, Haddaam
• Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Wethersfield
• Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton

Diminishing River Herring Draw Environmental and Economic Attention

It is difficult for most people to get worked up about herring, even in New England, but the Pew Charitable Trusts Environmental Group is leading a charge to preserve the herring population, and with it much of the region’s fish-related industry.  Connecticut is among the states at the center of the effort, given the prominence of Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River. The concern, as reported by the Associated Press, is that off-shore trawlers pull up hundreds of thousands of pounds of herring at a time, depleting a species that is a critical food for just about every commercial fish in the region. The small, nutrient-rich fish are eaten by larger fish we love to catch and eat–tuna, haddock, cod and striped bass.  Without herring to chase and eat, these fish could fade from inshore waters. The herring's influence even extends to ocean tours, which depend on abundant herring to attract whales and birds to the ocean surface to feed and be seen.

The numbers, Pew points out, are nothing short of alarming.  Catching herring is prohibited in Connecticut waters, but as the numbers reflect, the fish aren’t reaching those waters like they used to.  According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), millions of river herring once returned annually to Connecticut, but environmental officials say that by 2006, only 21 passed the Holyoke Dam on the Connecticut River.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) – which manages fishery resources within the 200 mile limit of the coasts of the New England States - meets June 20 in Portland, Maine to decide how to protect river herring at sea, and Pew is urging Connecticut to help protect the herring.  The NEFMC members include the principal state official with marine fishery management responsibility (or their designee) for Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Members are nominated by the governors, and appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

In the Connecticut River, habitat restoration has helped river herring return to their native areas. In the 1970s, runs had dwindled to about 200 fish. With community efforts, half a million blueback herring were counted in 1986. But by 2008, the run had again plummeted to only 84 fish.

NEFMC is also in the midst of a search for a new executive director.