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30 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m LARRY L. BINGAMAN PRESIDENT & CEO REGIONA L WATER AUTHORITY Residence: Madison College(s): Cal State/Long Beach, BA, Business Administration, University of New Haven, Executive MBA A Conscious Capitalist, Bingaman embraces his organization's role as the last locally owned utility with a key role as both shepherd and private-sector prime mover of regional economic development. Beyond delivering 45 million gallons of water to a half- million customers daily, "e RWA has long realized that our responsibility goes beyond the technical aspects of delivering high-quality water to our customers. It also includes the overall well-being and health of our community. We have always recognized our higher purpose and our responsibilities to the communities we serve. Being more conscious of why we do what we do benefits all of our stakeholders, as well as our organization." What advice would you give young professionals? Find your higher purpose and follow it. A higher purpose is the value a company provides to benefit society. is reason for being motivates stakeholders beyond dollars and cents, while reinforcing financial sustainability across the organization amid market shis. Big wheel: I'm a sports car enthusiast. When I'm not working or studying I like to slip behind the wheel of my 1964 Porsche sunroof coupe and drive the winding back roads of Connecticut with my wife and two schnauzers. KRISTIN GEENTY PRESIDENT GEENTY GROUP, REA LTORS, BR A NFOR D Residence: Hamden College(s): George Washington University, BA Female professionals are still a rel- ative rarity in commercial real estate. Geenty helms the firm founded by her father, Kevin, in 1986. "We find homes for businesses and in- vestments for people. Primarily, we work with business owners and non-institutional investors to sell and lease investment real estate, warehouses, bioscience labs, land and...basically anything that isn't a house (though we've been known to sell those, too). Currently I am very focused on working with biotech/life-sci- ences companies to grow the suburban biotech sector around New Haven. How do you give back to the greater New Haven community? I have been on the board of directors of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the New Haven Symphony, volunteered with the Community Foundation and participated in IRIS [Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services] events. It is impossible to be in this community and not give back. What advice would you give to up-and-coming business professionals? Build your squad, your tribe, your inner circle. It is difficult to be successful without a personal council of mentors, advocates, networking partners and trusted advisors. Social support is everything. What don't most people know about you? I am actually intensely shy and introverted. True story. TOM DUDCHIK PRINCIPA L CA PITOL REPORT MEDIA GROUP, LLC, EAST H A DDA M Residence: East Haddam College(s): Trinity College, BA e power of the (po- litical) press — and since media consoli- dation has eviscerated Capitol newspaper coverage, Dudchik is the go-to guy for state and local politics. His CTCapitolReport.com ag- gregates coverage from sources large and small — think of it as a Nutmeg State Drudge Report without the red-state bluster, and his eponymous Sunday morning talk show (10 a.m., WTNH-TV) is a must-watch. Pros & cons of being a sole proprietor: e news never stops, and for a site like Capitol Report, the work never stops. I update Capitol Report from the side of the road, a table at Starbucks, a high school soccer game. Marketer, salesman, accountant, publisher, editor, being a sole proprietor gives you full control of your product and brand, at the expense of a structured lifestyle. Advice to up-and-coming professionals: I have had many 'careers' — serving in the state legislature, deputy chief of staff to Gov. [Lowell P.] Weicker, working with Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard and starting my own business. Have many interesting 'careers.' Learn from the successes and failures in each career. Repeat. MAUREEN A. FRANK PRESIDENT & CEO STA RT COMMUNITY BA NK, NEW H AV EN Residence: Waterbury College(s): Mattatuck Community College; Post Junior College, Connecticut School of Finance & Management Describe your role in your organization and its impact: As CEO of a community bank we help individuals who are not comfortable dealing with banks to become comfortable. We are not a fancy organization. We are a small staff of individuals from diverse backgrounds — 40 percent of our staff never worked in a financial environment until they came to Start Bank. My role is to make sure that potential customers and community members have direct access to decision-makers — having conversations instead of taking applications. How do you give back to the community? By engaging in lending that other banks simply don't do. As a Certified Development Financial Institution, 60 percent of our lending must be in low- to moderate-income areas in order to maintain that designation and remain eligible for federal grant monies so we can continue to do the work in these communities. Whether financing the laundromat, the local diner, or providing money to rehab blighted properties, our jobs are to invest in the community and its residents. What advice would you give young business professionals? Always remember you are only as good as the people around you. Mentoring your employees is as important as serving your customers — if not more so. How do you unwind? I love the ocean. Its vastness and mystery always reminds me that we are such a small piece of the puzzle. I love to talk to animals. ey don't talk back. NEW HAVEN: POWER 50 >> Corner Office

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