Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • December 17, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 patients, will now have 18 dispensaries and four producers. Hartford's reSET taps new managing director Hartford startup incubator reSET Social Enterprise Trust has reshuffled its leadership team. Founder Kate Emery announced that Managing Director Ojala Naeem is stepping down in 2019 after serving in the post for six years. Sarah Bodley, a seasoned nonprofit leader from Washington, D.C., will succeed Naeem. Naeem will help Bodley take over daily operations over the coming weeks. The organization said Naeem is leaving reSET when the transition is completed, but she expects to stay involved in Hartford's entrepreneurial community. Emery said Naeem, a former HBJ 40 under 40 winner, played a significant role in reSET's growth and success over the last six years and expects her to "continue to be a force for good within the community." Back East brewery unveils can rebrand One of the earliest Connecticut breweries to can its craft beer has unveiled a new look. Bloomfield's Back East Brewing Co. has redesigned the cans for its three core beers, Back East Ale, Misty Mountain IPA and Porter, which it began canning more than five years ago. "When these cans originally came out in early 2013, there was only one other brewery in Connecticut who was putting their beer in cans," co-founder Edward Fabrycki Jr. said. "Clearly consumers have shown their preference for canned beer." Back East said it nearly tripled its brewing capacity this year at its Bloomfield facility. Startup pro football league lists CT as founding location A startup pro football league focused on health and wellness and social justice has identified Connecticut as one of 10 locations to host a founding team. Formed in 2017, the Freedom Football League is the brainchild of 50 former NFL players, including Ricky Williams, Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia. With New England being the "birthplace of our nation's founding vision against tyranny and oppression," the spring football league said the Connecticut Underground will play in an unspecified city and venue when it debuts. The six-state region, the league says, has opportunity for new leagues with only Boston hosting major pro sports teams. Plus, Connecticut has a "rich tradition of high school and college football," according to the league's website. Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, which oversees several Greater Hartford entertainment venues, said his organization has not received an inquiry from FFL, but did receive early inquiries from operators of the XFL, which is relaunching its league. The Department of Economic and Community Development has also not been contacted by FFL, a spokesman said. Stanley: Tariffs, other headwinds mean CT layoffs as part of $250M in cost cuts Citing mounting headwinds from cost inflation and tariffs, New Britain hand- and power-tool maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc. says it has made an unspecified number of layoffs in Connecticut as part of a $250 million cost-cutting plan. The 175-year-old company in October said its third-quarter profits fell 9.7 percent to $247.8 million despite seeing higher revenues. The earnings report also confirmed that Stanley would implement a $250 million cost-reduction plan to "offset 2019 external headwinds," including inflation, foreign exchange and tariffs. Stanley said those cost-cutting measures would be completed by year-end. A Stanley spokeswoman told Hartford Business Journal the manufacturer is not releasing specifics about its cost reductions, including how many layoffs, which have already started, will happen in Connecticut and elsewhere. As of July 2017, Stanley employed 1,630 Connecticut workers and 54,000 people globally, according to HBJ's 2018 Book of Lists. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. TC Distribution | Stratford, Connecticut PDS served in the role as a Design Build Construction Manager for an 11,520 square foot addition to their existing building used to warehouse food products for McDonalds. The new addition is a freezer and cooler warehouse utilizing a pre- engineered metal building with foam metal wall panels and ceiling panels. There is also a cooling loading dock with six new overhead doors with vertical lift hydraulic dock levelers. 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