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6 Hartford Business Journal • November 5, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Reporter's Notebook Gregory Seay | gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Real Estate, Economic Development/Construction, Banking & Finance and Manufacturing F or a few hours on a recent brisk, October day, downtown Hartford was the star attrac- tion for about a dozen corpo- rate staff ers and professionals, some of them newcomers to the region. Organized by Leadership Greater Hartford, with backing from the Metro- Hartford Alliance and the Capital Region Development Authority, the "Hartford Encounters" event led tourgoers on a four-hour, riding-walking tour of six of downtown's best and lesser-known commercial and cultural venues. The purpose was to show off the city as a vibrant home to employers and their workers at a time when com- panies are trying to recruit a future workforce, particularly Millennials. Tourgoers visited Upward Hart- ford, housed in the Stilts Building, 20 Church St., where a variety of high-tech business startups occupy airy, colorful shared offi ce spaces and amenities. Next, it was on to Sea Tea Improv in the basement of 15 Asylum St., where three Sea Tea performers acted out a brief sketch, showcasing their im- provisational comedy skills in their 80-seat theater. "Sea Tea Improv loves introducing newcomers to our space,'' said Julia Pistell, its founding member-actor. "There are so many entrenched, outdated beliefs about Hartford — it's important for people to see with their very own eyes all of the great stuff that's going on here." Then it was off to the offi ces of iQuilt, a public-private collaboration aimed at increasing downtown's sce- nic and walkability attributes. A stop at Coltsville National Park, occupying much of the former Colt gun-manufacturing complex on downtown's southern edge, gave LGH visitors a fi rst-hand glimpse inside and outside the complex's historic buildings. Nearly all have been converted to house employers, like JCJ Architec- ture, which showed off to visitors its living "green wall,'' and other design elements aimed at making its open workspaces bright, energy effi cient and comfortable. The fi nal stop was The Spectra Plaza apartments, a former hotel on Con- stitution Plaza that is one of the city's fi rst and most successful commercial- to-residential conversions. After that, LGH tourists walked across the street to the Spectra Wired Cafe, a popular respite and networking spot for down- town's Millennials. Leadership Greater Hartford thinks it may be onto something with its tours, which it has off ered for years as part of its executive-development pro- gram for high-level corporate execu- tives and professionals who were new to the region. Now, LGH is opening its tours — for a fee — to any corporation, small busi- ness, nonprofi t or public agency eager to leverage Hartford's commercial, cultural and leisure assets as recruit- ing tools. The tours aren't just about sightsee- ing, offi cials said. Participants also meet face-to-face with infl uential fi gures from business, civic organiza- tions and local government. "Our hope,'' said LGH CEO Ted Carroll, who rode along, "is that tours such as these will inform area employ- ers about the entertainment, housing and educational opportunities that make the Capital City great and how employees can get involved to make it greater still." For tour info, contact Hartford Encounters program director Greg Andrews, 860-951-6161 ext. 2700, or greg.andrews@leadershipgh.org. Jackie Mandyck, managing director of the iQuilt Partnership, shows off her organization's LEGO map of Hartford to Leadership Greater Hartford tourgoers. 'Hartford Encounters' tours give newbies, employers a glimpse into downtown DEAL WATCH Greater Hartford's rising luxury-housing demand The more luxurious the home, the better the equity appreciation and resale value. That's the summary of a recent Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage year-over-year survey of Greater Hartford's luxury-home market in Sept. 2018. According to Coldwell Banker's latest Hartford County Luxury Home Report, two, million-dollar-plus Hartford County homes sold in September after averaging just under two months each on the market. Beyond the relatively quick contract-to- closing period, both sold for 22.6 percent more than their listing price, Coldwell Banker said. By comparison, Greater Hartford million-dollar-plus homes sold for only 92.1 percent of their full listing prices in Sept. 2017. The average per-square- foot listing price in September for million- dollar-plus homes increased to $251 from $199 a year earlier. Meantime, the median price and average sales price for 12 Hartford County luxury properties sold in September (listed at $700,000 or higher) was $1.52 million vs. $1.19 million the same month in 2017, according to Coldwell Banker. The most expensive sales were in Glastonbury: 120 Fallview Drive sold for $1.6 million; 215 Penwood Xing sold for $1.4 million. "Hartford County is continuing to gain prominence in the luxury real estate market," said Brendan Grady, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's regional vice president. "Luxury homes selling higher than listing price is a clear indication of luxury market needs in the community." LVGH expands in Hartford Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford has expanded its of ce footprint for its literacy and life-skills services in Hartford's West End. The nonpro t, using interior contracting services provided by landlord Parkville Management, expanded to 10,000 square feet from about 6,000 square feet at 30 Arbor St., according to LVGH Assistant Director Stephen Morris. The expansion added classroom space to accommodate LVGH's more than 900 pupils; an enlarged on-site daycare center for students who are parents; and a dedicated training room for volunteers. Skyre renews in E. Hartford Sustainable energy-source developer Skyre Inc. renewed its lease on 8,846 square feet of manufacturing-of ce space in East Hartford. Landlord David Associates offered the space in its ex facility at 111 Roberts St., according to sole broker Sentry Commercial. Skyre was formerly Sustainable Innovations Inc. 120 Fallview Drive in Glastonbury sold for $1.6 million, Greater Hartford's most expensive home sale in September. 30 Arbor St., Hartford.