Virtual Wedding Planning Website Wins Top Prize in Entrepreneurial Competition

The entrepreneurial spirit of a Connecticut-based business was the big winner as Voncierge, a virtual wedding planning start-up seeking financial resources to expand its innovative services nationwide, earned the top prize in a “Shark-Tank”-like competition at the Western Mass Business Expo in Springfield, MA. 

Founder and CEO Mee-Jung Jang impressed a panel of expert judges and an enthusiastic audience of business professionals in her spirited “pitch” highlighting the fledgling company’s business plan and growth-to-date.

In winning the First Annual Pitch Competition – besting nine other entrepreneurial companies – Voncierge won $1,500 to assist the company and one year’s worth of free space at the Business Growth Center at Springfield Technology Park.  

The company is striving to change the way brides plan their wedding. Jang, a Harvard undergrad and Yale Law School graduate, was working as an intellectual property attorney in Manhattan when she got engaged, and her wedding-planning experience proved to be a challenge – and thus, Voncierge was born. 

On the Voncierge website, brides can search for vendors — bridal salons, florists, stationers, bakeries, officiants, photographers, venues and planners — in their city and schedule appointments with them.  They can also view a list of all confirmed, requested and past appointments – and also keep track of favorite vendors and wedding dresses. To aid their search, they can submit their wedding date, budget and dress size. Voncierge has a unique search and tag feature where every image is tagged with the relevant vendor.

“In this modern day and time, brides still need to sit by the phone all day to book their bridal appointments. How annoying! We decided someone had to do something about it. So we built Voncierge,” the company’s website explains. The start-up was initially named Little Dress Book, but has since been renamed as Voncierge (for “virtual concierge”). It was launched in New York City last year, and Jang has since relocated to Hartford as she continues to grow the business from Connecticut.

The company is expanding its site and services city-by-city, with a smattering of listings in distant locations from Las Vegas to Dallas to New York – and more in-between.  Even at this early stage, more than 100 wedding vendors are already listed. 

“The plan is to make Voncierge available to people all over the country,” Jang explains. “We are talking with salons, venues and vendors across the country, and are continuing to add to the site.  It is tremendously well-received wherever we go, and we’re confident that the site will scale effectively and bring brides and businesses together in mutually beneficial ways.”

To participate on the site, vendors pay a fee for every appointment booked. The service is free for brides. Each vendor has a profile on the site displaying relevant information and photographs that brides can review before booking.

“When I started planning my wedding, I was still working as an attorney at a corporate law firm, which meant I barely had time to sleep or eat—so sitting by the phone playing phone tag with vendors did not make me happy,” Jang said.  “I knew there had to be a better way, so I set out to create it.” 

In her formal pitch presentation, Jang said she was seeking to have the Voncierge site become “ubiquitous,” with a strong presence on social media.  Joining her in developing Voncierge is chief technology officer Morry Belkin, a Carnegie Mellon graduate with more than 15 years of business experience ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. 

If the successful pitch in Springfield is any indication, prospects for the start-up appear promising.  To build a sales and marketing team and advance product development, Jang is currently seeking investments in the company. She is also looking to hire a sales associate to join her team.

The Business Growth Center at Springfield Technology Park – where Voncierge now has a year’s worth of free business space – offers a range of business services, including access to the Small Business Development Center Network, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Business Growth Center Affiliates Program, all aimed at supporting and assisting start-up businesses.  Center Director Marla Michel was on-hand at the Business Expo November 6 to congratulate Jang and personally extend the free space offer. 

The entrepreneurial competition at the Business Expo was coordinated by Valley Venture Mentors, which provides a range of mentoring services for start-up businesses, including the ten companies that participated. They offer support to the entrepreneurial ecosystem by uniting carefully selected startups together with high quality business mentors at structured monthly pitch and planning sessions.

The other start-up businesses recognized by the judges and audience as the top presenters were Celia Grace, Kloudbook and PeopleHedge.  The Western Mass Business Expo was developed and coordinated by the publication Business West, the business journal of Western Massachusetts.  It was produced by Connecticut-based Rider Productions.

Nationwide Effort by Newman’s Own Foundation to Help Veterans; Local Initiative Lagging

When Westport-based Newman's Own Foundation launched a national fundraising competition aimed at supporting the work of veterans organizations across the country – coupled with plans to contribute an additional $180,000 to the most successful efforts - the inclusion of a Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN) job training initiative for veterans was encouraging.

With the deadline just hours away, however, the local CPBN effort is ranked 23rd among the 28 participating organizations, having raised a total of $691.

A select group of military service nonprofits – a total of 28 organizations across the nation - were invited to raise money and compete for additional funds.  The Honoring Those Who Serve Challenge is a fundraising initiative developed to help charities gain awareness, recognition, and most importantly, cash.  It is an element in the Newman’s Own Foundation’s commitment to military personnel, veterans, and their families, providing a public awareness platform and funding support to organizations that help those who serve.

As of November 10, a total of $388,922 has been raised by 28 participating nonprofit organizations.  The Challenge began on Monday, September 30, and closes on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, at noon.  Only charities pre-selected by Newman’s Own Foundation were eligible to compete and win – among them Connecticut Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Vocational Training Program.

The CPBN program is free to veterans to train for a career in media arts and video production at Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network’s Learning Lab in Hartford.  Veterans learn from award-winning professionals in television, radio and new media production.  Participants gain experience working on digital projects and productions, ranging from live broadcasts to studio operations to web services.  Completion of the program leads to industry-specific certifications in digital arts or video production and includes portfolio development and business connections.

The charity that raises the most money during the Challenge wins a $75,000 grant. Second place will receive $50,000, and third place will receive $25,000.  Another $30,000 is being given throughout the campaign, through weekly bonus challenges.  As of November 10, the leading organizations were the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Community Services and Easter Seals ($122,194), Operation Finally Home ($53,331) and Hero Dogs Inc. ($41,531).  All the participating organizations in the Competition – operated through a specially designed Crowdrise website - will keep the money they raise, regardless of whether they receive the additional prize money contributed by Newman’s Own Foundation.

To carry on Paul Newman’s philanthropic legacy, Newman’s Own Foundation turns all net profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products into charitable donations. To date, Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $380 million to thousands of charities around the world.

Among a range of programs supported by Newman’s Own Foundation – including the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT and an array of nutrition programs nationwide, the organization has been a consistent supporter of veterans initiatives and public broadcasting.  Earlier this year, the organization announced a series of grants totaling $2.4 million over two years to 13 public broadcasting stations and organizations. The grants represent an ongoing commitment to support open dialogue and promote civic engagement.

Funds were used by some stations to generate increased donor giving through challenge grants. In other cases, funds will be directed to programming or special projects, such as National Public Radio’s Military Voices Initiative, where the experiences of military personnel, veterans, and their families are recorded and broadcast.  Among the affiliates included were Connecticut Public Broadcasting and WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield. 

This fall, Newman’s Own Foundation committed $7 million in grants over three years to support United States military men, women, and families through its “Honoring Those Who Serve” program. The grants will be awarded to more than 50 nonprofit organizations that help military personnel, veterans, and their families successfully manage deployments and the transition from active duty to civilian life.  The current Challenge that concludes on Veterans Day, along with $300,000 in grants for nonprofit organizations that assist female veterans with career development, are segments of the overall commitment.

“There is no greater sacrifice than serving and defending our country,” said Robert Forrester, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “We have a responsibility to support our military men and women, since they protect the freedom and privileges we enjoy as Americans.”

The grants will help military service organizations across the country that deal with issues such as health, housing, education, career development, and family support. When veterans return home, they face vast and complex challenges. According to the Department of Defense, the military suicide rate hit a record high in 2012, increasing nearly 16 percent over the previous year. Over 60,000 veterans are homeless.  The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era veterans was 9.9 percent in 2012, compared to 8 percent for all Americans.

“Recalling Paul Newman’s service in the United States Naval Corps in World War II, we have been committed to supporting military nonprofits for over twenty years,” said Forrester. “Paul felt that we can all make a difference by helping others, and there is no better time to announce our military grant commitment.”   The actor and philanthropist who founded Newman’s Own passed away on September 26, 2008.

For more information on Newman’s Own Foundation, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org. Any questions regarding the Veterans Vocational Training Program can be answered by contacting Donna Sodipo, Director of Education Services at dsodipo@cpbn.org

UPDATE:  At the end of the challenge, a total of just over $670,000 was raised during the Honoring Those Who Served Competition, including $741 for the Veterans Vocational Training Program at CPBN.

Student Innovators in Computer Applications Converge at Yale's First-ever “Hackathon”

At the recent inauguration of Yale University’s first new President in two decades, the call for a greater emphasis on entrepreneurship did not go unnoticed.  This weekend, the first annual “Y-Hack” will put an estimated 1,200 innovative, primarily computer science and engineering, students and cutting edge industry minds together for an intense 24-hour effort to see what computer programs might develop – or, more literally, be developed.

Y-Hack is a “national hackathon” hosted by and at Yale University. A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers, collaborate intensively on software projects.

A key goal this weekend is to bring together students and entrepreneurs with experienced industrial innovators, to stimulate creativity and creation.  Anyone currently enrolled in a bachelor's program – at any college in the country – has been eligible for Y-Hack with confirmed registration.  Registration, according to the program’s website, is now full.

Developing Worldwide Impact

“With Y-Hack, thousands of students across the country have come to see Yale as an innovator in the technology, computer science, and engineering fields, and we're attempting to push us further onto the world stage,”  explained organizer Mike Wu, a Yale student. “We want to make sure that Yale students are actively contributing positive impact to the world by sharing their talents, creating value, and giving back to the community.”

Participants will be descending on Yale not only from throughout the New Haven campus, but from campuses all nationwide, from public and private schools, as well as from Canada and England.  Among the more than 70 colleges represented among the participants are students who attend Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, UMass, RPI and, more locally, Connecticut College.

The who’s who of technology companies taking part in one way or another – more than two dozen – includes locally-based Prometheus Research, as well as well-known names including Redhat, Intel, Google, Dropbox, and Bloomberg.  The top sponsors are Akamai, Amazon, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public agency that financially supports in-state start-ups, will also be on hand.

In looking ahead to the student innovation that may result, Wu said “We challenge them to push each other and make the best products they can. It's rare to have so many intelligent and motivated minds from both the industrial and educational worlds together in one place with no other goal than to make something cool. It's a pretty powerful atmosphere.”

Teams of four are encouraged; some formed during advance registration, others will be formed on the spot.  Expert judges will ultimately assess presentations by the top 15 teams, based on criteria that include innovation, technical talent, the pitch and popularity, providing the students with meaningful and instructive feedback.

24 Hour Intensity

It all beings mid-afternoon Friday (Nov. 8) with displays set up by the corporate sponsors alongside student registration. Strict credential reviews will take place, and necessary release forms signed.   Friday evening, the sponsor companies will provide technology briefings to the students.  Then the action begins in earnest.

For 24 hours, from 6 PM Friday to 6 PM Saturday, participating students will have a single focus – development of their computer applications.   There will be meals and snacks available, and some diversionary activities in need of a short break, but the intense activity will be exclusively on innovation and development. Little sleep is anticipated.  A closing dinner, keynote address, presentations, judging and awards ceremony will be held on the Yale campus beginning at 6 PM Saturday.

New Haven-based Prometheus Research, an integrated data management services provider, announced this week that co-founder Clark Evans will be one of six judges for the inaugural Yale Hackathon (Y-Hack). Evans will evaluate student projects based on the four criteria and also award a separate, "Best use of HTSQL," prize to one talented entrant. HTSQL is a Prometheus product.

"Our developers, analysts, and clients think HTSQL is transformative,” Evans said. “It empowers them to securely interact with relational data over the Web in ways they previously wouldn't even attempt. So, it will be really fun to see how the students adapt it to their own novel applications."

There will also be a good amount of free stuff for participants, courtesy of the corporate sponsors.  As Wu points out, in addition to the opportunity to innovate with like-minded, top-caliber student and professional application innovators, “swag is what makes Hackathon enticing.”    The top prizes include thousands of dollars in cash, along with all-expense paid trips to Microsoft and Amazon to present winning “hacks” to company engineers, and there will be raffles of tablets, phones, and other devices throughout the event.

Majority of Students in 17 States Are Low Income, Study Finds; Connecticut Schools Among Most Income Diverse, Except in Cities

Echoing concerns that “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” a new study is raising alarm about the dramatically increasing percentage of low income students in American public schools – and the implications for the education of a generation of school children.

A new study from the Southern Education Foundation shows that 17 U.S. states have reached an unenviable tipping point: the majority of students in their public school systems receive free lunches — effectively indicating that the public school systems in these states can now be described as institutions that mostly serve the poor, rather than public institutions that serve a representative cross-section of their state’s population.

As states coast-to-coast reach that new imbalance – particularly in the South and West – the Northeast, including Connecticut, continue to have the smallest percentages of low income students in their public schools, according to the most recent data used in the study, from 2011. The states with majority-poor school systems include almost the entire South, as well as Oregon, Nevada, and California.

The study pointed out that “from 2001 through 2011, the numbers of low income students in the nation’s public schools grew by 32 percent – an increase of more than 5.7 million children. As a result, low income students attending the nation’s public schools moved from 38 percent of all students in 2001 to 48 percent in 2011.”

In Connecticut, the percentage of low income students in public schools was only 34 percent, among the lowest percentages in the nation.  Only four states had a lower or equal percentage – New Hampshire (25%), North Dakota (32%), New Jersey (33%) and Massachusetts (34%).

The largest percentage of low income students were in Mississippi (71%), New Mexico (68%), Louisiana (66%), Oklahoma (60%), Arkansas (60%), Georgia (57%), Kentucky (57%), Florida (56%), Alabama (55%), Tennessee (55%), South Carolina (55%) and California (54%).

Overall, the rates of low income students in the public schools, by region, was 53 percent in the South, 50 percent in the West, 44 percent in the Midwest and 40 percent in the Northeast.  The national average was 48 percent. As the report pointed out, “in 2011 the nation stood within only two percentage points of enrolling a majority of low income students in public schools across 50 states.”

The study  also compared the rates of low income students in cities, suburbs and rural areas in each state.  In each of the nation’s four regions, a majority of students attending public schools in the cities were eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The Northeast had the highest rates for low income school children in cities: 71 percent. The next highest rate, 62 percent, was found in Midwestern cities. The South had the third highest percentage of low income students in the cities – 59 percent.  In Connecticut, 62 percent of students in the cities were low income students, compared with 26 percent in the suburbs and 13 percent in rural areas.

“Low income students are concentrated in the nation’s cities but are by no measure confined to only cities,” the study noted.  “Forty percent or more of all public school children in the nation’s suburbs, towns and rural areas are low income students.”

 The report, released in October 2013,  indicated that low income students “generally are more likely to score lowest on school tests, fall behind in school, fail to graduate, and never receive a college degree,” and yet “the growth in the number of low income students far out-stripped the growth in per pupil spending in public schools during the last decade in every region of the country, except the Northeast.”  The nations per pupil expenditure (adjusted for inflation) in public schools increased by only 14 percent – less than half the rate of growth in the numbers of low income students,” according to the report.

The study concludes by stating that “The trends of the last decade strongly suggest that little or nothing will change for the better if schools and communities continue to postpone addressing the primary question of education in America today: what does it take and what will be done to provide low income students with a good chance to succeed in public schools? It is a question of how, not where, to improve the education of a new majority of students.”

The Southern Education Foundation’s mission is to advance equity and excellence in education for low income students and students of color.  The Foundation’s “core belief is that education is the vehicle by which all students get fair chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.”

CT’s Workforce in Leisure & Hospitality Industries Among Smallest in U.S.

The percentage of Connecticut’s workforce in the leisure and hospitality industries is among the smallest in the country.  New data indicates that the state ranks 45^th, with 9.6 percent of all workers employed in  the field.  The national average is 11.4 percent of workers.

The top-ranked state in leisure and hospitality workers is Nevada, with 28 percent, followed by Hawaii with 18 percent and Montana at 14 percent.  Just behind the top three states are Wyoming, Florida, Maine, Colorado, South Carolina, South Dakota, Rhode Island New Hampshire and Vermont, among the 17 states exceeding the national average.  Massachusetts ranks at #23, just under the national average.

Workforce in leisure and hospitality is defined as the percent of employees (on nonfarm payrolls) who are employed in leisure and hospitality, including arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food service.  Earlier this year, published reports indicated that employment in this sector – then at 10.5 percent of the U.S. workforce – was at a record high since the government began tracking such data in 1939.

Connecticut in recent years has dramatically stepped up efforts to promote the state to visitors, launching the “Still Revolutionary” marketing campaign slogan and increasing the state’s tourism budget which had been all but eliminated by the previous state administration.  Increased tourism is said to impact the leisure and hospitality industries.

The only states with a smaller percentage than Connecticut in the leisure and hospitality industry are Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, and North Dakota.

The data on workforce in leisure and hospitality were collected as part of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, a monthly survey of about 141,000 businesses and government agencies, in order to provide detailed industry data on employment, hours and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls. The workforce data are updated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The data used is updated through September 2013 and published by Bloomberg Visual Data.

Nationwide employment in the leisure and hospitality sector rose to 13.66 million jobs in August, based on seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Business Journals reported.

The BLS reports that the arts and entertainment sector generally includes (1) establishments that are involved in producing, promoting, or participating in live performances, events, or exhibits intended for public viewing; (2) establishments that preserve and exhibit objects and sites of historical, cultural, or educational interest; and (3) establishments that operate facilities or provide services that enable patrons to participate in recreational activities or pursue amusement, hobby, and leisure-time interests.

The Accommodation and Food Services sector, according to BLS, comprises establishments providing customers with lodging and/or preparing meals, snacks, and beverages for immediate consumption. The sector includes both accommodation and food services establishments because the two activities are often combined at the same establishment.

Note:  Concerns have been raised regarding the manner in which casino employees are categorized, which may impact the data.

CT Drops Among States But Exceeds National Average in Opportunities Available to Residents

A new report and analysis focusing on four “impact areas” of daily life – opportunity, economy, education and community - has determined that Connecticut exceeds the national average in each category, by at least five percentage points and as much as nearly seven.  Overall, the state ranked 13^th in the U.S., with a score of 56.9 out of 100 in the study's index, designed to measure economic, academic, civic and other key factors.  The state ranked 10^th a year ago, and is the only state to fall out of the top 10.

The top 10 states in the latest analysis are Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Dakota and Maryland.   In addition to Connecticut, three other states (Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania) dropped as many as three slots in the state-by-state rankings.

According to the report, developed by Measure of America  and Opportunity Nation, Connecticut did better than the national average in  mean household income, the number of banking institutions, and the percentage of households with high speed internet.  The state also exceeded the national average in the percentage of 3- and 4-year olds attending preschool and the percentage of the population (age 25 and older) with an associate degree or higher.  The unemployment rate in Connecticut was higher than the national average, but the percentage of the population with earnings below the poverty line was less than the average nationally.

Perhaps surprisingly, the percentage of students who graduate from high school on time (within four years) is below the national average – 75.1 percent in Connecticut as compared with 78.2 percent nationally.

The Opportunity Index focuses on the conditions present in different communities and is designed to connect economic, academic, civic and other factors together to help identify solutions to lagging conditions for opportunity and economic mobility.  From preschool enrollment to income inequality, from volunteerism to access to healthy food, expanding opportunity depends on the intersection of multiple factors, Opportunity Nation's website explains.  The Index is designed to provide policymakers and community leaders with a powerful tool to advance opportunity-related issues and work, advocate for positive change and track progress over time.  

In the area of community health and civic life, the level of volunteerism among Connecticut residents exceeds the national average, as does the   number of primary care providers (per 100,000 population) and the percentage of adults who are involved in social, civic, sports and religious groups.  Violent crime is below the national average and the percentage of youth, ages 16-24, not in school and not working is also below the national average, at 12.3 percent as compared with 14.6 percent nationwide.

Nationally, almost 6 million young people are neither in school nor working, according to the study - almost 15 percent of those aged 16 to 24 nationwide who are neither employed or in school, the Associated Press reported.  In Connecticut, 12.3 percent of those aged 16 to 24 are not working either at a job or in class, the study found.

The study also determined that 49 states have seen an increase in the number of families living in poverty and 45 states have seen household median incomes fall in the last year, the AP reported.

Social Enterprises Honored at Statewide Event; New Entrepreneurs Lead the Way

Six outstanding new Connecticut-based social enterprises, led by entrepreneurs in a range of businesses and industries, earned public recognition – and cash prizes – at the Third Annual Social Enterprise Awards held by reSET, the Social Enterprise Trust.  Nearly 200 people were in attendance for the awards ceremony, held at The Society Room in Hartford.

There were 54 social entrepreneurs from across the state vying for recognition in the 2013 Social Enterprise Challenge; applicants were narrowed down to 10 finalists who were evaluated by a panel of business experts.

The top five social enterprises were honored at the Social Enterprise Awards celebration for having the best and most sustainable social enterprise business plans, and for effectively demonstrating that their businesses could improve the community and create jobs, and generate both purpose and profit.

reSET also honored the renowned social enterprise Honest Tea with the reSET Social Enterprise Innovator Award for its community impact and corporate conduct, which has inspired others.  Honest Tea values simplicity, fair dealings, partnerships, the environment, and sustainability.  Dr. Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor of Management at the Yale School of Management, and co-founder of the company, accepted the award on behalf of Honest Tea, and conducted a presentation outlining the company's early years and evolution.

The winners of the Social Enterprise Challenge were:

Ray Xiong, New Haven, Farmivore (The Boehringer Ingelheim More Health through Innovation Award) Farmivore offers community supported agriculture co-ops with affordable e-commerce and marketing platforms, and provides consumers with an easy way to search, pay for, and join a community supported agriculture program. Ray.xiong@aya.yale.edu

Lon Seidman, Ivoryton, Windsor, and West Hartford, Independent Media Network, LLC (The reSET Community Impact Award) Independent Media Network provides training sessions and informational meetings with community members while providing accurate and valuable information to the community, in order to preserve independent media. lon@imnct.com

Leslie Krumholz, Guilford, Good Streets. Good Streets is a social enterprise that brings Main Street businesses on line to help consumers find great local establishments. Neighborhood business owners and customers can use this trusted site and in so doing receive authentic reviews, which helps to create dialogue and collaboration between local businesses and their customers. leslie@imbya.com

Rodger LaChance, East Windsor, Yummy CT.  Yummy CT takes a farmers market and puts it on an old school bus to help distribute fresh, Connecticut- grown fruits, vegetables, and specialty foods to Connecticut communities that are considered food deserts. The objective is to provide fresh healthy foods to communities that otherwise would have limited access. reldistributors@gmail.com

Dr. David Shearer, Old Saybrook, Therapeutic Research Foundation. TRF’s mission is to develop innovative, affordable, and therapeutic medical solutions to address the unmet global health needs of all people, even the solutions considered less profitable by other mainstream medical research companies. dshearer@tr-f.org

For the first time this year, reSET added an award to reflect the community’s voice through a People’s Choice Award. The public was able to vote on their favorite among the 10 finalists by viewing videos created by finalists and posted on reSET’s website. The People’s Choice winner was:

David J. Rubin, Simsbury, ElectroSpin University. ElectroSpin University is promoting a healthier, more fit, and eco-friendly culture through a one-of-a-kind group indoor cycling class titled Rage and Recharge that uses electric dance music to make playlists scientifically designed to improve exercise efficiency. The team is also working on ways of recapturing energy expended through exercise and pumping it back into the community’s electrical grid. rubin@electroSpinu.com

“reSET was so pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of entrepreneurs across Connecticut who demonstrate a deep commitment to helping out communities become safer, happier, and healthier places for all of our citizens,” said Program Director Michelle Cote.  “Each awarded business reinforces the idea that it is possible to generate profit and serve a social purpose at the same time.”

In the spirit of growing social enterprise in Connecticut, “A Taste of Social Enterprise” also celebrated locally-grown food and featured local farms and businesses that served up a menu showcasing Connecticut-grown foods, from the Kitchen at Billings Forge and The G Stream.

reSET has supported the launch of 19 new social enterprises in Connecticut  and supported the success or growth of nine social enterprises. reSET has also established the Social Enterprise Investment Fund, which will begin to offer loans to investment-ready social entrepreneurs in January 2014.

Photo:  Dr. Barry Nalebuff accepts the reSET Social Enterprise Innovator Award from reSET CEO, Kate Emery.  [Editor's Note:  CT by the Numbers is a member of the Independent Media Network.]