Hartford Business Journal

July 15, 2019

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www.HartfordBusiness.com • July 15, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Newsmakers EDITORIAL Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139, gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com Gregory Seay | News Editor, ext. 144, gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Matt Pilon | News Editor, ext. 143, mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com Sean Teehan | Staff Writer, ext 145, steehan@hartfordbusiness.com Joe Cooper | Web Editor, ext. 127, jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com Stephanie Meagher | Research Director Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer BUSINESS Joe Zwiebel | Publisher, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Donna Collins | Associate Publisher, ext. 121, dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com Lauren Stroud | Events & Project Manager, ext. 137, lstroud@HartfordBusiness.com Christina Zuraw | Events Coordinator, ext. 134, czuraw@hartfordbusiness.com Shannon Vincelette | HBJ Office and Events Coordinator, ext. 122, svincelette@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Kristen P. Nickerson | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 133, knickerson@HartfordBusiness.com Sue Lavin | Accounts Manager, ext. 128, slavin@HartfordBusiness.com Raki Zwiebel | Credit and Collections Manager Valerie Clark | Accounting Assistant/Office Manager Jill Coran | Human Resources Manager PRODUCTION Christopher Wallace | Art Director, ext. 147, cwallace@HartfordBusiness.com Liz Saltzman | Creative Director, ext. 140, lsaltzman@HartfordBusiness.com Peter Stanton | CEO, pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Joseph Zwiebel | President, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Mary Rogers | COO/CFO, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: Annual subscriptions are $84.95. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com, email hartfordbusiness@cambeywest.com, or call (845) 267-3008. ADVERTISING: For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998.Please address all correspondence to: Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hart ford CT 06103. NEWS DEPARTMENT: If you have a news item: Call us at (860) 236-9998, fax us at (860) 570-2493, or e-mail us at news@HartfordBusiness.com. Hartford Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Hartford Business Journal (ISSN 1083-5245) is published weekly, 49x per year - including two special issues in November and December — by new England Business Media, LLC, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and at additional entry points. Tel: (860) 236-9998 • Fax (860) 570-2493 Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hartford Business Journal P.O. Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894 www.copyright.com HartfordBusiness.com (860) 236-9998 VERBATIM Uncertainty ahead "Connecticut giving remained strong in 2016. And this is important because we know there are more present threats to a thriving nonprofit sector, like changes to the federal tax code and cutbacks from the state and federal government." Connecticut Council for Philanthropy President Karla Fortunato commenting on in-state charitable giving in 2016, which was flat at $4.97 billion. Chris Riccobono | Founder, Untuckit By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com C lothing retailers have spent years taking brick-and-mortar operations online, but with its June opening of a store in Farm- ington's Westfarms mall, Untuckit is doing just the opposite. That's because Chris Ric- cobono, chief executive of the business-casual clothing line that started as a strictly online company in 2011, sees opportunity in expanding the business into the physi- cal world, and not just for the point-of-sale revenue. "Our stores simply … give customers a new touchpoint to experience the brand, while we get the chance to understand what they need and like about shopping with us," Ric- cobono said. New York-based Untuckit started opening stand- alone stores in 2015, and currently has 65 physical shops across the U.S. and Canada. The Westfarms location is the company's first in Connecticut. The brand is known for selling casual shirts designed not to be tucked into pants. Many people have declared brick-and-mortar retail to be on its way out. What's driving Un- tuckit's push for physical stores? Given our wide demographic of 25- to 70-year- olds, we knew early on that many of our custom- ers would want to touch and feel the product, so opening physical stores really gave us the oppor- tunity to create a 'trust bridge' between us and our customers as they got to know the brand. We want to continue growing that connection, which is why we're continuing to open stores. Why do you see the Greater Hartford market as a good match for Untuckit? We like to open locations where our customers are, so after seeing so many people from the Hart- ford area were shopping with us online, we wanted to give them the chance to experience the brand in person. Plus, we're lucky to be in the company of some other awesome brands at Westfarms. With the advent of online shopping, and apparel services like Stitch Fix, how do you see the role of physical stores changing in the clothing industry? There will always be a customer who wants to touch and feel a product in their hand before buying it. That's not to say the majority of retail won't live online, but I do think there will always be a place for physical retail spaces — so long as they are smart and seamless — for those customers still looking for a special experience with a brand they love. What do you think a clothing customer desires that will never change, no matter whether people shop online or at stores? Lucky for us, men's shirts can only be worn one of two ways: tucked in or untucked. The prints and fabrics or collars and buttons might change, but there will always be a desire for a good looking shirt to wear untucked. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES FACILITY SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We design, install, maintain, and protect systems in: Industrial Facilities Manufacturing Facilities Commercial Facilities Higher Education Facilities Healthcare Facilities Pharmaceutical Facilities Chris Riccobono

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