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www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 22, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 27 FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS 2018 Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream M ortensen Dairy Ice Cream makes gourmet homemade ice cream that has been voted one of the "Best in Connecticut." It is a family run business that celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2015. Mortensen uses high-quality, natural ingredients and customers can see the ice cream being made in the shop. Recent accom- plishments Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream has undergone a huge transfor- mation in the past few years, shifting from a full-building restaurant, serv- ing three meals a day, to Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream, a smaller ice cream shop. The move allowed the company to go back to its dairy roots so it could focus on continu- ing to provide the highest-quality homemade ice cream. How do you remain competitive in the market? It is difficult to compete with chain restaurants and the many ice cream stores that pop up. However, by con- sistently providing the highest-quality ice cream, we find that our customers return to Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream because of the ice cream itself as well as our friendly, courteous employees. We utilize Facebook and Instagram to highlight specials or local flavors. Rodney is always willing to make new flavors, and has even made custom flavors on request. This past August he made an Oktoberfest lager ice cream to serve at a local German festival. In a market where people tend to be overwhelmed by choices, our award- winning gourmet ice cream is what keeps customers coming back for more. What are the top two goals for your company over the next 10 years? Over the next 10 years the first goal is to pass the business on to the third gen- eration. Rodney hopes to retire in the coming five years, and he has three chil- dren currently involved in the business. His goal is to have his children keep the business going, and even expand it. The second goal is expansion, includ- ing the number of flavors and ways in which we provide ice cream. Strategies include possibly supplying ice cream to corporate and local functions or other area restaurants, as well as expanding social media use. Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream Headquarters: Newington Industry: Restaurant/Hospitality Year Founded: 1915 Founder: Elmer Mortensen Generation Currently Running Company: 2nd No. of Full-Time Employees: 3 No. of Part-Time Employees: 9 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Rodney Mortensen, Owner, father; Christopher Mortensen, Manager/Ice Cream Maker, son; Todd Mortensen, Manager/Communications Coordinator, son; Erika Mortensen Haelen, Manager/Marketing, daughter; Sheryl Mortensen, Office Support, mother. 3 RD PLACE — Less than 25 full-time employees category Current family members working at Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream: Rodney Mortensen (founder Elmer Mortensen's son) and his children — Christopher, Todd and Erika. On October 1, 2018, The Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association's Annual Charity Softball Game took place to bene t Special Olympics of Connecticut. Sponsored by CTLA's Membership, Young Lawyers and Women's Caucus Committees, members joined athletes from CT Special Olympics in a friendly game of softball at Connecticut Sportsplex in North Branford. CTLA members came from all over the state to play and spectate and enjoyed an evening on the eld with colleagues, friends and family to raise $5,000 for SOCT. www.CTTrialLawyers.org North Haven Special Olympics Local Program. Pictured (left to right) Steven Smoakes, Mike Rosario, Jonathan Lopez & Charlie Jefferson. Umpires Judge Robert Holzberg (ret.) & former Judge John Downey Playing Ball to Give Back