Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 12, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 19 positions to make money available for new hires, also plans to compete for state economic development funding. "Clearly we're seeing what we want to see," Bessette said of Griggs' efforts. Though it's seen a 2018 member- ship dip that will affect its largest revenue source, dues payments, the Alliance last year posted its high- est dues revenue since at least 2015, its financials show, improving by 60 percent year over year. Griggs says he's confident in the Alli- ance's financial position and potential. "I wouldn't have moved my fam- ily here if I didn't feel the financial position and the investor base was strong," he said. Road show Griggs is well-networked nation- ally with corporate real estate and government-incentives advisors, stemming from his previous eco- nomic development positions in Min- nesota and upstate New York. In fact, that's how the Coca-Cola deal happened. Griggs received a call in June from an incentives-advisor acquain- tance who was working on the Coca- Cola bottler's behalf shopping for sites. That led to phone calls and Alliance- organized meetings in Hartford. "You need a convener-coordinator, and someone to kind of bird dog it," Griggs said. "They don't want to navigate who they should put in a room to make a deal happen." The deal represents Griggs' first win in Hartford and he's planning for many more. He said he shares any due credit with his staff and various partners, such as state and municipal officials who participated in meetings. However, even with a well-connect- ed leader, not every deal is going to fall into the Alliance's lap. They've got to do the legwork to become even better connected and remain so. So Griggs is beefing up the travel budget to a level the Alliance hasn't seen since it was formed in 2001 through a merger of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and the Metro- Hartford Economic Growth Council. Six insurance-related trade shows in five states are already on the cal- endar for 2019. Hartford remains the insurance capital of the world, Griggs insists, and he intends to sell it that way, along with promoting the re- gion's aerospace and other strengths. The decision by three major insurers — Aetna, The Hartford and Travel- ers — to pledge $50 million over five years to help keep the cash-strapped city of Hartford solvent, will also be a marketing focus. "Tell me another city where the corporate sector is putting their money where their mouth is to keep their city alive and vibrant the way they are here?" he said. The six trade shows are just a start. More events, which will be attended by both Alliance staff and members, will be added to the travel itinerary in the coming months, Griggs said. The chamber's return Shortly after starting his new job in Hartford, Griggs visited a number of small businesses, both members and nonmembers, to gauge their feelings about the Alliance. Not all of it was positive. "The small businesses within Hart- ford haven't been well represented by the Hartford Chamber," Griggs said. "We need to be more intentional in our approach." Large companies and institutions are crucial for chambers, since they pay more dues, but that can sometimes shift the focus toward their needs and away from smaller members. "I've absolutely heard that," Griggs said. "We need to give our whole business community a better voice." The chamber has its strengths. It counts many of the area's biggest employers from dominant sectors like insurance, health care and manufac- turing as members. It also has active working groups focused on specific key industries and a robust young-pro- fessional networking arm, HYPE, that's more than 4,000 members strong. Moving forward, the Alliance name will be used for economic-development efforts, while the chamber brand will be used for chamber events and activities. Griggs said the new strategy is a long-term one. "To do economic development, you can't be in it for a year. It takes years to develop the pipeline, it takes years to develop the relationships between this organization and other organizations around the world that we need to be able to have a dialogue with," he said. With a new strategy and structure, that work begins in earnest for the Alliance in 2019. David Griggs speaking at a recent MetroHartford Alliance event. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED TRUMPF Inc. in Farmington, CT mourns the loss of former CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Professor Berthold Leibinger, born November 26, 1930 in Germany. Professor Leibinger passed away following a long illness on October 16, 2018. He is succeeded by his wife Doris Leibinger and three children. Under his stewardship, TRUMPF evolved into one of the world's leading machine manufacturers. Leibinger understood the potential of light as a tool more than any of his peers, and he is regarded as one of the pioneers in the industrial application of lasers. In 2005, he handed over the reins of the company to his eldest daughter, Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller. His son, Dr. Peter Leibinger, is Vice Chairman of the Managing Board. His daughter, Professor Regine Leibinger, works as an architect in Berlin, Germany. In addition to his work at TRUMPF, he held numerous honorary positions and actively supported the German Literature Archive and the International Bach Academy. In 1992, he established the Berthold Leibinger Stiung, a non-profit foundation that dedicates its proceeds to cultural, scientific, religious and charitable purposes. In 2000, the foundation established the internationally renowned Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize. Professor Leibinger lived and worked in the United States for some time and had a great reverence for the country and TRUMPF's local subsidiaries. It was under his responsibility in 1969 that TRUMPF Inc. was established as the company's second foreign subsidiary. In Memoriam BERTHOLD LEIBINGER November 26, 1930 – October 16, 2018

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