Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • February 10, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 23 MOVERS & SHAKERS Paul S. Young has joined Middletown- based Liberty Bank as chief financial officer. Young previously worked as senior vice president, controller at Siemens Financial Services. Heather Atkins was hired as a financial advisor at Johnson Brunetti Retirement & Investment Specialists, where she will provide clients with investing and general advice on post-retirement planning. Atkins previously worked as a financial advisor for Libertas Wealth Management Group. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, a global corporate, labor and intellectual property law firm with an office in Hartford, added three partners: Kurt Mayr, Jennifer Feldsher and Kristen Campana will form a new corporate restructuring and transactional finance team in Hartford. Mayr and Feldsher previously worked for Bracewell LLP, and Campana previously worked at Proskauer Rose LLP. Dr. Amy Sanders was hired as director of the memory care center at Hartford HealthCare's Ayer Neuroscience Institute. Scott A. Selig was appointed associate vice president at Middletown- based Harvest Development Group, a consultant firm that works with nonprofits. Selig previously worked at the University of Connecticut, where he served as executive director of UConn Hillel. Jane Banks was named executive director of the South Park Inn, an emergency shelter in Hartford serving men, women, children and veterans. Banks previously served as assistant undersecretary for housing stabilization at the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Catherine Spain has been hired as an attorney at Hartford law firm Alderman & Alderman, where she will practice estate planning and probate law. Todd Sloan has been appointed vice president for development and alumni affairs at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. Sloan previously worked as assistant vice president for development at American University. John Rugel has joined Hartford- based retirement and life insurance company Global Atlantic Financial Group as chief operations officer. Rugel previously worked as the senior vice president of life and annuity operations at insurance company Allstate. Gereen Langmeyer was hired as vice president of payment products at Glastonbury digital payments vendor Payrailz, where she will oversee product design, pricing and promotion digital payment products. Langmeyer most recently served as digital channels manager at Digital Federal Credit Union. Liz Connelly has joined Capitol Consulting LLC, a full-service state government relations firm in Hartford, where she will serve as a government- relations associate, and lobbyist. Connelly most recently worked as the senior legislative and communications advisor to Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz. Gerald "Jerry" Daly, senior vice president at Hartford-based pharmacy-benefits manager Optum — a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary — has been elected to the board of directors of the New England Council, a non-partisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations. Farmington-based veterinary pet cancer therapy startup Torigen Pharmaceuticals hired Michael Lucroy as vice president of oncology business development, focusing on accelerating the company's growth. Lucroy previously worked as director of the Clinical Studies Center at MedVet, where he led research efforts. Donna Sodipo was appointed chief program officer at YWCA Hartford, where she will develop, implement and evaluate YWCA Hartford Region programs. Sodipo previously served as senior vice president of education at Connecticut Public, where she spearheaded the organization's education strategy and learning initiatives to help advance the mission. Allison Tyropolis has joined Farmington-based environmental engineering and hydrogeology firm HRP Associates Inc. as a senior consultant, and will be responsible for technical support of environmental and EPA projects, focusing on air compliance. Tyropolis is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where she received a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering. Dr. David Choi has been hired as a neurosurgeon at UConn Health. Choi, Connecticut's only doctor fellowship-trained in spinal oncology surgery, will care for patients diagnosed with cancers that affect the spine. Eric Pritchard was appointed president of Marketing Solutions Unlimited, a West Hartford commercial printing firm. Pritchard most recently worked as chief operating officer at Primitives by Kathy Inc., a gift and home décor company. In his new position, he will partner with Marketing Solutions Unlimited founder and CEO Heidi Buckley to drive growth and expand into additional geographies. Todd Sloan John Rugel Donna Sodipo Allison Tyropolis Liz Connelly Paul S. Young Heather Atkins Dr. Amy Sanders Scott A. Selig Jane Banks another $7 million to upgrade the exterior and interior of the roughly 27,000 square feet of adjoining va- cant retail space. The hope is that the improvements will lure new retail and residential tenants to the 17-acre property, Nanni said. A gas station is also being con- sidered for the project, but a user has not yet been identified. Planners, meantime, are draw- ing potential blueprints to recon- figure the parking area with new paved surfaces, islands, landscap- ing and lighting, he said. Prospect has been steadily working its way through the town approval process over the last year. At a public hearing on the proposal in November, town officials said 70 or so residents spoke in favor of the project with only one citizen in opposition. Town Manager Michael Manis- calco said the redevelopment will provide a significant amount of property tax revenue for South Windsor. He said he hopes it also spurs other private-sector invest- ments on the Sullivan Avenue corridor. "My hope with the redevelop- ment of the Geissler's plaza is that it will set off a chain reaction of other redevelopment projects in the area that will enhance our Sul- livan Avenue trade area," he said. Deal Roundup A Canadian maker of home goods has signed a long-term lease to oc- cupy 8,570 square feet of space at 200 Main St. in Bristol, brokers say. The Gift Group operates brick- and-mortar locations that include brands like Hazelton's, Blooms, The Hope Collective, Gifting Kosher and North Pole Company & Month- ly Sommelier, among others. The company also designs, assembles and ships a wide variety of gift bas- kets to customers across the world. It's not yet clear which business will occupy the Bristol storefront, but it will feature a florist, chocolate shop and purveyor of gift baskets, said Farmington broker Amodio & Co. Real Estate, which represented The Gift Group in the deal. The Main Street building is owned by Precision Properties LLC, led by Japanese investor Chika- yuki Yamamoto, who acquired the building for more than $1.6 million in 2017, city records show. Joe Cooper is HBJ's web editor and real estate writer. He pens "The Real Deal" column about commercial real estate. Eric Pritchard

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