CBIA to Women: Drive a Truck

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s Education and Workforce Partnership is turning its attention to the state’s increasing demand for drivers of trucks, buses, and heavy equipment – a demand which is expected to grow to 30,000 by 2024. And the focus of their attention is women, urging them to consider careers in transportation. In an effort to showcase well-paying jobs in the industry, the partnership teamed up with Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford to create a video that highlights this growing industry.

Ellen Underwood, who now drives for the state Department of Transportation’s bridge crew, explains in the video that driving was a “natural pathway” because she enjoyed being outdoors, and driving.  She’s been at it for 20 years, with a number of different employers, including a local municipality.  She says state polices “make it easier for a woman to be treated as an equal,” adding that “if you’re willing to work hard and learn new things, you can do anything.”

A contract driver for CNS Transportation, Karen Roderick, says her career began “as a challenge to see if I could do it.”  She recalls being “the only female” in truck-driving school.  She has since earned Connecticut Driver of the Year, the only woman to do so.

CBIA notes some key facts about women in transportation:

• Women in historically male-dominated jobs earn an average of 25 percent more than women in historically female-dominated jobs.
• Women consistently do better with their paperwork, take better care of their trucks, and are often better with their customers.
• Women, especially when compared with young men, are generally safer drivers.
• There’s a huge shortage of heavy and tractor trailer drivers yet only 6 percent of truck drivers are female.

Daiana Soto, featured in the video, drives a big rig, and launched her career just four months ago.  “My truck is my office,” she explains. The limited number of women in the field is quite evident, and Soto says it is a challenge she’s ready to take on. “You can do the same job (as men)… and maybe better.”

Ezzie Williams, a professional motorcoach driver for Town & Country in New Britain, began as a school bus driver. She says young people should consider the field, so that they can “get a career and make money.”

Two versions of the video are available—one a full-length video with interviews with six women in six different transportation careers and the other is a one-minute highlight reel.  The project was supported by the Walmart Foundation. The Transportation partnership (Transportation, Logistics, and Distribution Partnership – TDL), convened by the CBIA Education & Workforce Partnership, aims to strengthens the transportation workforce pipeline, support on-the-job training, and improve retention rates among new hires.

https://youtu.be/pNRpQ16ZRNU

Safest Places to Raise a Child? Connecticut Communities Dominate A National Ranking

If you’re in the market for a safe community to raise children, and you are wondering about Connecticut, there is a new ranking that will be of particular interest. Developed by the SafeWise, a home security and safety brand, the ranking considered reported sex offender concentration, state graduation rates, overall school quality ranking, and FBI violent crime data in communities nationwide.  Parks and recreational opportunities as well as special programs focused on providing services for kids and families, were also in the mix.  And when the top 30 communities were ranked, Connecticut dominated the list, with nine towns.

Number one in the rankings was Greenwich, with Fairfield placing third.  Ridgefield, Southington and Westport earned a spot in the top 20, and Simsbury, Cheshire, Milford and Glastonbury also reached the top 30.

SafeWise said “these communities do exceptional jobs of protecting not only adults but also their smallest, most vulnerable residents.  The safest cities for raising families tend to skew towards coastal New England towns, where quiet, suburban neighborhoods have less crime, promote healthy and active lifestyles, and enjoy well-funded school systems.”  Communities across the country with populations exceeding 10,000 were considered.

Connecticut’s “exceptionally low rates of violent crime” contributed to the state’s strong presence – nearly one-third of the top 30 – on the rankings.

“While parents always strive to closely supervise their kids, it helps to have a community that’s willing to focus on family-friendly initiatives that make the difference. These are the cities across America that make one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs you’ll ever undertake a little less stressful,” commented Kaz Weida of SafeWise.

Among the Connecticut communities receiving honorable mention were Farmington, New Canaan, West Hartford, Newtown, Madison and Darien.

1. Greenwich
2. Essex, Vermont
3. Fairfield
4. Carmel, Indiana
5. Merrimack, New Hampshire
6. Fishers, Indiana
7. Monroe Township, New Jersey
8. Irvine, California
9. Middletown, New Jersey
10. Cary, North Carolina
11. Wayne, New Jersey
12. Franklin, Massachusetts
13. Toms River, New Jersey
14. Warwick, Rhode Island
15. Ridgefield
16. Gilbert, Arizona
17. Bridgewater, New Jersey
18. Southington
19. Orem, Utah
20. Westport
21. Cumberland, Rhode Island
22. Hillsborough, New Jersey
23. Milton, Vermont
24. Simsbury
25. Cheshire
26. Milford
27. Glastonbury
28. Narragansett, Rhode Island
29. Lakeville, Minnesota
30. Newton, Massachusetts

New Initiative Aims to Provide Vision Impaired Patients Access to Print News

The Connecticut Radio Information System (CRIS) continues to innovate and expand in Connecticut.  Connecticut’s only radio-reading service, which provides audio access to news and information for people who are blind or unable to read due to a print disability or medical condition, has announced a ground-breaking new service in partnership with Hartford’s Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center that will bring patients audio of the latest news, in English and Spanish. Saint Francis will be the first acute care hospital in the nation to provide an alternative to printed Spanish-language magazines and newspapers through an in-house system streamed to each patient TV with audio recordings for patients unable to read or turn pages of a magazine due to their medical condition or treatment.

It will also be the first acute care hospital in Connecticut to offer an alternative to more than 50 English-language magazines and newspapers streamed to each patient room.

Patients will be able to listen to human-narrated audio versions of newspaper and magazine articles featuring human narration – in both English and Spanish – through the hospital’s in-house television system.

CRIS is a 39-year-old nonprofit providing audio access to news and information for people who are blind or unable to read due to a print disability or medical condition / treatment, including those with physical, learning, intellectual or emotional disabilities.

 “The Connecticut Hospital Association applauds Saint Francis Hospital and CRIS Radio for its innovative collaboration, serving as another example of hospitals partnering with key service providers to enhance patient satisfaction and improve the quality of a patient’s experience while being treated at the hospital,” said Carl Schiessl, director of regulatory advocacy for the Connecticut Hospital Association.

CRIS operates with 300 volunteers at its main broadcast center in Windsor and satellite studios located in Danbury, Norwich, Trumbull and West Haven.  CRIS radio recently announced it will open its fifth regional studio in Norwalk next month, to be located inside the gatehouse at the Lockwood-Mathew’s Mansion Museum.  CRIS will share the gatehouse with the Fairfield County Cultural Alliance, which has been in that location for nearly four years.

“Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center is extremely grateful for the generosity of those who made this service possible for our patients,” said Dr. John F. Rodis, president of Saint Francis Hospital. “At Saint Francis we believe in caring for our patients in ways that help them on their journey to wellness. Whether it’s through surgical innovations or enhancements to their healing environment like the CRIS service, we are committed to providing the best patient experience possible.

Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center has been an anchor institution in north central Connecticut since 1897. In 2015, Saint Francis became part of Trinity Health of New England, an integrated health care delivery system that is a member of Trinity Health, Livonia, MI, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation.

“Streaming audio versions of newspapers and magazines to each patient room at Saint Francis Hospital is an important milestone for CRIS Radio,” said Paul A. Young, chairman of the CRIS Radio Board of Directors. “It enables our nonprofit to expand access to print information for people unable to read due to their medical treatment or other print disabilities.”

Young also said he is very thankful for the generous funding that brought this project to life. Key funders of CRIS Radio’s hospital streaming project include the John G. Martin Foundation and Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving supports the nonprofit radio station’s Spanish-language programming, CRIS en Español.

In addition to broadcasting newspaper and magazine articles, CRIS also records classroom materials for teachers, and the CRISKids Audio Library offers more than 800 classroom titles, including 17 children’s magazines, also recorded by CRIS volunteers.  CRIS also streams audio versions of children’s magazines to patient rooms at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Other CRIS programs include CRIS en Español and CRISAccess, featuring Spanish-language newspapers and magazines and audible tours for museums, respectively. An initiative with the Mystic Aquarium, providing audio information about museum exhibits, was launched two years ago. Earlier this year, CRIS Radio's Voice's of World War I project was announced, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into the war.

CRIS Radio broadcasts can be heard with a special CRIS radio distributed free of charge, toll-free through the CRIS Telephone Reader, online streaming live or on-demand at the CRIS Radio website, www.crisradio.org, or with a free mobile app on any mobile device, including tablets or smartphones.

7,000 Refugees Settle in CT Since 2001; Burma, Congo, Iran, Somalia Most Frequent Origin

The United States has long been the global leader in resettling refugees, defined as people forced to flee their home country to escape war, persecution or violence, explains Smithsonian magazine in a state-by-state comparison. Since 2001, the magazine reports, more than 895,000 refugees have settled in the U.S., typically after being referred by the United Nations and vetted by the State Department in a process that takes at least 18 months. By comparison, a million or so legal immigrants arrive annually. From October 2001 through 2016, Burma, Iraq, Somalia, Bhutan, and Iran are the top five nations that send refugees to the U.S.

Refugees to the United States have come mostly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. While many immigrants, legal and undocumented, come from Latin America, U.S. regulations make it difficult for Central and South Americans to qualify as refugees, according to Smithsonian.

The magazine developed a series of charts that compare refugee populations resettled in 41 states since October 2001. In depicting the refugees’ nation or origin, the breakdown in each state is limited to nationalities with at least 500 people, and no more than the top 5 nationalities are shown.

The number of refugees from those five nations, as well the total number of refugees is indicated.

For Connecticut, the total number of refugees is 7,144. The largest percentage of refugees come from Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran and Somalia.  Those four nations were the home country for 3,824 of the refugees who settled in Connecticut since 2001.

Massachusetts' total is three times Connecticut - 21,441 refugees moving to the Bay State since 2001.

States with the largest number of refugees include California (102,614), Texas (81,765), New York (53,790), Florida (46,553), Minnesota (40,762), Washington (40,111), Arizona (39,031), Michigan (38,175), and Georgia (35,328).

There were nine states that had less than 500 refugees from a single country since October 2001:  Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana West Virginia and Wyoming.

PERSPECTIVE: Enduring Impact of Risky Driving Can Change Anyone’s Life

by Nikole Doolittle and Sherry Chapman "This upcoming New Year’s Day will mark 14 years since I woke up in the intensive care unit of Hartford Hospital, unable to walk, talk, eat, or even breathe on my own.  I had been in a coma for 28 days, and had sustained a traumatic brain injury.

I can still remember that night like it was yesterday.  I headed out with a group of friends and the newly licensed driver decided to test out his speed.  When we hit what seemed like 100, all of us in the car screamed for the driver to stop or at least slow down, we were so scared.  One of my friends remembers the boys counting the speed up to 127 trying to beat their last record of 125.

I was told the driver had lost control of the car, it hit the guardrails on the right side of the highway and then flipped left rolling across the highway, through the median, landing on the other side.  At some point while the car was rolling I was thrown through the back window.   Once the paramedics showed up, I was unresponsive so they put me on life support right in the median of the highway.  For the next 30 days, I never took another breath on my own."

This is how Nikole Doolittle begins as she shares her heart wrenching experience with students at high schools and, most recently, Windham Middle School, as a part !MPACT's Drive 4 Tomorrow program.

Early in Nikole's recovery, she knew she had to do something to help combat motor vehicle crashes caused by young drivers, the number one killer of teens in America. She met members of !MPACT (an acronym for Mourning Parents Act, Inc.) at a presentation she made at Cromwell High School. Not long afterwards, she began delivering her safe teen driving message with the !MPACT moms at high schools across Connecticut and into greater New England.

All members of !MPACT have been directly affected by tragedy involving teen driving. Everyone has a horrific story. Sadly, Nikole fit right in.

!MPACT's mission is to eliminate tragedies caused by inexperienced drivers through awareness, education and legislation. The group raises awareness with their "Somebody Loves You" billboard initiative. They educate by delivering their heart wrenching Drive 4 Tomorrow presentations, in which members share their personal stories and teach teens how to protect themselves and their friends from becoming statistics. They fight hard for safety legislation to protect teen drivers, their passengers, and those of us who share the roads with them. The group was instrumental in helping to develop and pass into law Connecticut's graduated drivers licensing program, which serves to introduce the novice driver to the driving experience in a gradual manner.

This is how Nikole ends her story:

"I had taken for granted the daily routine of my life, getting up, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, eating, walking, even the simple task of talking.  These were all ordinary events which suddenly disappeared on the night of January 1, 2004. 

A lot has happened since then, one year of hospitals, two years of therapy, three eye surgeries, one stomach surgery, one mouth surgery, and a lifetime of memory problems. It has taken me well over eight years of rehab, therapy, and figuring out who I had become. Despite this, I landed a job with United Technologies, moved over 12 hours away and thrived on my own for five years. I finally returned home to Connecticut to be near family this past September.

When sharing my story, I try to remind these newly licensed drivers, that anything can happen to anybody – and driving is a huge responsibility.  I appear to be like everyone else, but I am not. I try to remind my audience that I could have been.  Once you make a bad decision, there is no turning back."

_________________________________

Sherry Chapman is Co-founder and President of Mourning Parents Act, Inc.

All of !MPACT's services are offered for free. Members of !MPACT include families, friends, and victims, and all donate their own time and resources to advance the mission of the organization.  If you are interested in having !MPACT present its Drive 4 Tomorrow program at your high school or other forum, please contact Sherry Chapman at 860-209-7070.  !MPACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by donations, grants, and one annual fundraiser––their annual Tee Off For Teen Driving Safety golf tournament will be held at Blackledge Country Club in Hebron on Monday, June 26.

Public Transit Commutes Double, Triple Driving Time in CT Cities

People who take public transportation to get to work in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area will have a commute nearly three times longer than those who drive to work.  In New Haven, the commute via public transportation is twice as long. Data compiled by Governing magazine indicate that across the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, public transportation riders spend significantly longer traveling to work than those who drive.  Data was compiled for the 25 largest metro areas, including New Haven-Milford and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area public transportation commuters spend an average of 69.2 minutes traveling to work. By comparison, it takes those who drive 24.9 minutes.  The 44,742 estimated public transportation commuters account for 10 percent of commuters, according to the data.

New Haven-Milford area public transportation commuters spend an average of 48.4 minutes traveling to work. By comparison, it takes those who drive alone 23.9 minutes.  The 17,504 estimated public transportation commuters account for 4 percent of all commuters.

In nearly every metro area, driving to work remains far quicker than using a bus or train, taking less than half as long in some places.  Across the country, Governing reports, transit systems are seeking to attract new customers as the latest national statistics show stagnant ridership. Cutting down on commute times represents an opportunity to serve more riders who otherwise have a choice in how to get to work.

“Operating speed is going to be important for customers, so if they want to compete in that market, they need to be more competitive,” says Steven Polzin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research. “Time is important to folks across the full economic spectrum.”

Governing compiled the most recent Census survey data measuring total commute times, including travel to stations and the time spent waiting for buses or trains. In the 25 metro areas where public transportation accounts for the largest share of all commuting, riders reported commute times an average of 1.9 times greater than those who drove alone. Similar gaps exist in regions where public transportation isn’t as prevalent.

A metro area’s overall commute times partly reflect its different types of transit. Commuter rail passengers spend an average of 69 minutes traveling to work, far longer than those taking bus or light rail. Accordingly, areas relying more on heavy rail, like Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, report lengthier commutes overall, Governing points out.

On average, the latest Census suggest Americans who drive alone spend an average of nearly 25 minutes traveling to work. The national average for bus commuters is 45 minutes, while those who ride subways or streetcars spend an average of 47 minutes traveling to work. For those who primarily walk to work, commute times average only 12 minutes.

College towns are about the only areas where public transportation commute times mirror those for auto commuters, according to the data compiled by Governing.

Financial Woes Aside, Dunkin' Donuts Park is Nation's Best Double-A Ballpark

With almost 49,000 voters weighing in on the top Double-A facilities, Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home of the Hartford Yard Goats, was the winner in the third-annual Best of the Ballparks fan vote from Ballpark Digest. It is the first time a new facility has won a Best of the Ballparks vote. Fans selected Dunkin’ Donuts Park over Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, in a bracketed online competition at ballparkdigest.com that saw over 178,000 fans vote on their favorite minor league ballparks.

“We are extremely proud to hear that fans voted Dunkin’ Donuts Park as the best Double-A ballpark in the country,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said. “We want to thank all the fans for taking time to vote over the past few weeks and for Ballpark Digest for having this contest to help showcase Dunkin’ Donuts Park on a national level. This is such a wonderful honor and we have been completely overjoyed by the outstanding fan support at our games in Hartford this season.”

The Yard Goats have played in front of capacity crowds 15 times. This past weekend, 19,956 fans watched the Yard Goats in Hartford. Dunkin’ Donuts Park has been sold out completely in each of the last three weekends (Friday through Sunday) and filled to capacity in 11 of the past 17 home games.

Voters were asked to choose among Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks in five rounds of voting. Last year’s top vote-getter among Double A stadiums was Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.  In this year’s voting, Dunkin’ Donuts Park was seeded sixth when the voting began.

Dunkin’ Donuts Park is the first brand new venue to open in the Eastern League since Northeast Delta Dental Stadium—home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats—opened its doors in 2005, and it is seen as the biggest change to the league’s facility landscape since the extensive multi-phase renovation to the Harrisburg Senators’ FNB Field was completed prior to the 2010 season.

“Dunkin’ Donuts Park is one of the great stories in Minor League Baseball in 2017,” said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. “The Yard Goats front office persevered during a rough 2016 season and never wavered from a commitment to creating the best possible fan experience. That commitment to fans helped Dunkin’ Donuts Park snare a great honor in a highly competitive field.”

The stadium includes 18 luxury suites and two other suites adjacent to the dugouts, a kids “fun zone” just beyond the center field fence with an inflatable slide and bounce house and a glassed-in batting cage, which will allow fans with premium tickets to watch the players practice.

The Yard Goats are in their second year after moving 15 miles north from New Britain, where the team played through the 2015 season as the Rock Cats.  The club was forced to play its games on the road last year when construction delays caused the opening of Dunkin’ Donuts Park to be pushed back numerous times, ultimately to this season.

The team, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is the first professional baseball club to call Hartford home since the Hartford Chiefs in 1952.  The team’s home opener earlier this year was played on the 20th anniversary of the home finale for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.

Florida vs. Connecticut - Mixed Bag of Growth and Opportunity

Florida Governor Rick Scott spent much of Monday in Connecticut, urging businesses here to relocate to the Sunshine State. There’s no question that Florida has attracted some Connecticut residents and created jobs in recent years, but recent published reports highlight more of a mixed bag that appearances may suggest at first glance.

Chris McCarty, the director of the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said in a PolitiFact.com article earlier this year that the state has yet to regain the construction jobs that were lost in the recession. McCarty said these jobs are important to note because they are high-paying. Prior to the recession (2006), there were about 668,700 construction jobs and in November 2016 there were only 461,800.

Scott, elected at the start of this decade, pledged to create 700,000 jobs (on top of what the state would have created anyway) in seven years, according to PolitiFact, has “more work to do before Scott hits the jobs total that he promised,” McCarty noted.

PolitiFact Florida is a partnership of the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald, “to help you find the truth in politics.”

Scott’s office announced last month that Florida tied Georgia for the fastest private-sector job growth rate of the 10 largest states in the nation during the past year, when Florida added 233,800 new private-sector jobs, the second-most in the nation.

Scott is a former resident of Stamford.  He has made similar trips to California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and Minnesota, according to the Miami Herald.  The paper reported that Scott brought chief of staff Jackie Schutz Zeckman to Connecticut, but none of his economic development experts joined him. Scott has previously urged GE and Yale University to relocate to Florida.

The Connecticut foray comes a week after he gained legislative approval of a “growth fund” for infrastructure and job training meant to create new jobs, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The new fund cannot be used for direct payments to businesses, according to published reports, but can be tapped to build roads or other infrastructure and improve job skills to benefit citizens at large, rather than just one company. Local governments and state colleges can apply for money for specific projects from the fund.  It was the result of a compromise with legislative leaders in Florida, who had been critical of what was described as “corporate welfare.”

Job-poaching trips to other states had been routine for Scott, the Sentinel reported, but were cut back last year when lawmakers eliminated funding for direct incentive payments to businesses. Florida legislators have set aside $1.6 billion for business incentives over the past seven years but have become increasingly wary of their effectiveness in light of high-profile projects such as the Orlando biotech firm Sanford Burnham, which is leaving the state after failing to meet its job creation goal, set more than a decade ago. The company had been approved for $350 million in incentives.

A recent United Way report in Florida shows that nearly 70 percent of jobs in the state pay less than $20 an hour, the state’s public radio station, WFSU, recently reported. The most common job in Florida is a retail sales position paying an average of $10 an hour. Next are food preparers and cashiers, according to the report.  An economic analysis compiled for the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau by Florida International University Metropolitan Center last fall showed that although many jobs have returned since the Great Recession, the new jobs are paying workers significantly less than the jobs they replaced, and the rebound has been dramatically uneven across the state.

Last month, Scott announced the unemployment rate in Florida stood at 4.5 percent in April, the lowest it had been since September 2017 and just above the national unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. Connecticut’s unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 4.9 percent in April as the state lost 1,500 non-farm jobs, according to the state Department of Labor.  The jobless rate was 0.5 percentage points lower than a one year ago and the state added 5,500 jobs during the previous 12 months, with private sector employment increasing by 9,900 positions during the previous year.

Earlier this month, Scott signed a state worker pay raise into law, marking the first time in over a decade that Florida state employees will receive an across-the-board raise. All employees who earn $40,000 a year or less will get a $1,400 raise, and employees who earn more than $40,000 a year will get a $1,000 raise. Most state law enforcement officers will get a 5 percent raise and most correctional officers will get a $2,500 raise, and judges, elected state attorneys and public defenders will get 10 percent pay hikes, the Tampa Bay Times reported.  In addition, state group health insurance will begin moving toward a four tier system, and most public sector employees will default into a 401-k style retirement program.

Subway Looks to Technology to Spur Growth, Reinvigorate Brand

If it seems like Subway restaurants have stepped up the use of technology to combat the company’s first dip in growth in memory, you’re right.  Low-tech is out and high-tech is increasingly in at the Connecticut-based sandwich franchise mega-chain. Subway is aggresively introducing touch-screen ordering kiosks and a new mobile app – an effort to close the gap with competitors that have credited technology with helping boost sales. Subway is also testing dedicated pickup areas for mobile orders, a first for the company.

“It’s really a vision and strategy in how we want to evolve,” Carman Wenkoff, Subway’s chief information and digital officer, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “Customers are demanding a more complete experience.”

Subway launched a “bot” for Facebook Messenger in April that allows guests to order sandwiches and salads. The first-of-its-kind sandwich ordering bot was announced at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference with Agilitee, one of Subway’s digital partners, and is an innovation driven by the company's year-old Subway Digital division.

Customers can use the bot to order a sandwich or salad, customize it with their favorite bread; cheese; vegetables; and sauce, and pay on any device that supports Messenger. The bot for Messenger is described by the company as the latest addition to the brand’s mobile order systems that includes web ordering and app ordering. The new mobile app is available in about 26,500 of the chain’s 27,000 U.S. stores, which the company says is the largest deployments of a Messenger bot in the restaurant industry.

Subway has a presence in 112 countries, with more than 44,600 franchised locations. The company reports 7.5 million sandwiches a day served around the world.  Subway has more locations than any other restaurant chain U.S., but sales fell 1.7 percent last year to $11.3 billion, marking the third straight annual decline, according to research firm Technomic. Industry analysts point out that traditional fast-food chains are upgrading their equipment and embracing more natural ingredients, cutting into Subway’s decades-long edge in the healthy-eating arena.

The company, based in Milford, Connecticut, was founded almost 52 years ago by Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck. It remains a family-owned business. The company now operates about 26,744 stores in the U.S., a decline of 359 locations in 2016, the first annual decline the company has experienced.

A year ago, Subway announced the launch of Subway Digital, a new division centered on tech initiatives. The division’s focus was to be on evaluating all of the chain’s technology, ranging from its app to its loyalty program, with the ultimate aim of enhancing guest engagement, according to published reports in June 2016.

“With the creation of Subway Digital, we are committed to making the guest experience as meaningful, convenient and contemporary as possible, across all channels,” Suzanne Greco, Subway president and CEO, said in a statement at the time.

Subway is currently testing about 50 of the new self-ordering kiosks, Bloomberg reported. The technology allows customers to walk in and tailor their meals with more accuracy. Digital menus, meanwhile, are available in hundreds of stores. They can be changed instantly without having to print new signs and replace them. The chain also is testing out remodeled restaurants in eight areas in the U.S., Canada and England, according to published reports.

The upgrades require buy-in from franchisees, which own all of Subway’s locations. Though the company is helping pay for the changes, independent owners will bear much of the cost.

“We are investing heavily,” Wenkoff said in the Bloomberg interview. “Our franchisees are with us 100 percent.  Mobile devices are attached at the hip to pretty much all our customers these days.  It’s all about convenience.” The company also noted that Subway Digital, established last year, is in the midst of hiring more than 150 people for jobs supporting the brand’s “omnichannel approach.”

PERSPECTIVE: Law is the Fabric That Holds Society Together

by Richard A. Robinson Let's face it, regardless of one's political leaning, economic philosophy, or cultural beliefs, we are in the midst of great turmoil. In the face of so much uncertainty, I initially found it somewhat difficult to be both sincere and inspiring.  But as I continued preparing, I realized that I had been looking for inspiration in all of the wrong places.

In our busy lives, we turn to video clips and sound bites for news and let the tenor of these brief snippets shape our outlook. Our mood is at the mercy of headlines, news feeds, and 140 character messages. We are accustomed to looking to our leaders and other public figures for encouragement and inspiration, and when it isn't readily available, we are easily discouraged. So, in times like these, we need to think a little bit more about the sources of our hope, encouragement, and inspiration.

When you think about it, doesn't real inspiration come from the people we live with, the people that we work with, and the people that we interact with on a daily basis? People who work hard and do their best to make the world a better place in their own unique way. People who make a commitment to something worthwhile and important, just as all of you have done.

The bottom line is that the reason we are celebrating today is because you are the future. The direction we will follow as a profession, as a nation, and as a world, is up to you.  Is that a bit scary? It should be! But it should also be exciting and exhilarating. As you graduate and prepare to embark on your career in the law, you hold tremendous power. On this most important day, I'd like for you to think about that power and to truly comprehend its significance.

So what does this mean for you? It means that, as you begin your career in the law, it is essential for you to understand that your obligations as an attorney extend far beyond the interests of your clients. They extend to the justice system, to the legal profession, and to society at large.

William Shakespeare focused on this duality in his play Henry the Sixth. The play includes a scene in which a character named Jack Cade, the leader of a rebellion against the crown, muses about what he would do if he were king. It is then that one of his followers, Dick the Butcher, utters what I believe is the most misunderstood line in all of Shakespeare's writings: "The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers." Cade heartily agrees. i

While many people believe that Shakespeare was expressing society's frustration with the lawyers and the legal profession, others, including myself, believe that he was actually paying us the ultimate compliment by pointing out that lawyers and the rule of law are the only things protecting society from anarchy. If you want to bring down society and render the people powerless, the first thing that you must do is get rid of the rule of law and all those who fight to protect it.

John Curtin, a former president of the American Bar Association once remarked that "[a]nyone who believes a better day dawns when lawyers are eliminated has the burden of explaining who will take their place. Who will protect the poor, the injured, the victims of negligence, the victims of . . . discrimination, and the victims of . . . violence? . . . Lawyers are the simple yet essential means by which people seek to vindicate their rights and we must not foreclose that means." ii

As you prepare to enter the practice of law, I urge you to think about the power that you hold, and strive to balance your obligation to your clients with your duties as an officer of the legal system. Our profession needs individuals who understand that, when a single attorney starts to chip away at the rule of law in order to secure an easy win for their client, it undermines the bedrock of our society. I recognize that, at times, this may not be easy. This is why our profession is in dire need of individuals who are willing to devote their time to working through these issues. Our small steps matter.

What we do every day affects the way that our profession is perceived by the public. The way that we act in the courtroom, the tone of voice that we employ, and whether we choose to treat others with dignity and respect. Our everyday words and deeds express our commitment, or lack thereof, to a fair and effective justice system. The simple decision to conduct ourselves in a manner that fosters respect also builds respect for what we do. When our own actions are added to those of our colleagues, we have an effective force for improvement.

If each of us strives to balance our duties to the public with our commitment to fairness, justice, and the rule of law, it will go a long way to restoring the public's faith in our profession and our legal system as a whole. This is particularly important in times of uncertainty. As you embark on your legal career, I urge you to keep this balance in mind. In doing so, you will serve as a source of inspiration and motivate others to take similar action.

Today you are taking a great step in your journey toward the practice of law and, on this special occasion, we celebrate the success that comes from many years of your hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. You have achieved a major goal by making major sacrifices. However, as others have said, what you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. The power to practice law brings not only the financial ability to support yourself and your family; it also brings along with it the responsibility to assist others and to help shape the legal profession of the future.

We are a remarkable people, living in a remarkable country, with a remarkable system of laws and justice, yet we are not perfect. As a quinquagenarian, I can remember some very turbulent times, the crescendo of the civil rights movement, the assassination of a United States President, a Presidential candidate, and several national civil rights leaders. I remember what happened at Kent State, and the burning of some of our major cities. These are the type of things that have destroyed other nations. Yet, we did more than survive; we thrived. So what saved us? What was different?

I believe that it was the hard work, dedication and sacrifices of people like you. People that chose paths similar to the ones that brought you here today. People who know that a lawyer assumes not only an obligation to their clients, but also solemn duties as an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice.

The oaths that you will eventually take and various rules, laws and regulations related to the practice of law are all designed to help you reach this lofty goal; you would be wise to heed them. But make no mistake, what I am asking you to do runs much deeper.

The legal profession is a noble one, but it is often greatly misunderstood. Many assume that lawyers are merely troublemakers that bring lawsuits that should not be brought and defend that which should not be defended. In reality, the law is the very fabric that holds our society together and, as lawyers, you bear the responsibility of being its tailors.

Look at any form of mass media today and you will see that we are living in interesting and troubling times. Both present events and those which lie on the horizon will stretch this fabric beyond its tearing point. As lawyers, you bear the tremendous burden of mending any rift that may occur.

Bear this responsibility well. Approach it with civility, reason, respect, compassion, and great purpose. The cold dispassionate procedures and technicalities of the legal profession often makes people think that lawyers are more interested in money, papers, forms, and procedures than they are in the everyday struggles of life.

People go to lawyers because they believe them to be problem solvers that will help them get through life's struggles. It would be a great disservice to let them leave feeling that they were not heard or, even worse, believing that your involvement not only failed to put out the embers of their angst, but fanned the flames that eventually consumed them.

Remember that you are more than just a representative of your clients. You are an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice. Persuade when you can, compromise when you should, and fight when you must.

Your responsibilities as lawyers will be great. You are the tailors of the very fabric of our society. Although you may never receive a hero's welcome for the work that you do, please know that you are our heroes.

I ask that you do more than just follow the rules, oaths, laws, and regulations that I mentioned earlier. I ask you to fully accept your responsibilities as lawyers, and to continue to listen ever so closely for that subtle tearing sound because you are the keepers of the cloth.

_________________________________

Richard A. Robinson is an Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Connecticut in 1979 and a Juris Doctor degree from West Virginia University School of Law in 1984. Justice Robinson’s career is complimented by an array of public and judicial service.  This is an excerpt of remarks delivered on May 14 at the Commencement and Doctoral Hooding ceremony of the Quinnipiac University School of Law in the TD Bank Sports Center on the university’s York Hill Campus.

i WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, THE SECOND PART OF KING HENRY THE SIXTH act 4, sc. 2.

ii THOMAS F. BURKE, LAWYERS, LAWSUITS AND LEGAL RIGHTS 24 (2002).