Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 20, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 37 2020 POWER 50 came an Aetna executive and chaired or served on the boards of UConn Health, the Connecticut Health Foundation, Eversource and Metro- Hartford Alliance. Sandy Cloud is best known today as a developer. The Cloud Co. LLC is currently co-developer of a major overhaul of Hartford's Westbrook Vil- lage, a site that is being demolished and turned into more than 400 rent- al housing units and homeownership opportunities and retail/commercial space in the city's North End. Sandy's other son, Christopher Cloud, also works in the family busi- ness, is a lobbyist and partner at government relations firm Camil- liere, Cloud & Kennedy, and was the former CEO and president of AMISTAD America Inc. Sal Luciano Labor unions may never see their power return to what it was in the heyday of American manufactur- ing, but unions still have plenty of leverage today in Connecticut, especially in the public sector. Steering a federation of 220,000 teachers, cops, state agency employees, casino workers, telecom crews and a vast range of other professional interests is Sal Luciano, who's worked in Con- necticut state government and labor organizing for the past 40 years. In 2018, he became president of the Connecticut chapter of the AFL-CIO, replacing Lori Pelletier. The role makes him point man for the policy and political in- terests of dozens of individual public and private unions, including those that are at the table when the state is hashing out high-stakes agreements with the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition, or SEBAC. David Fay Since 2001, David Fay has led the Bushnell Performing Arts Center, which is arguably one of Connecti- cut's top arts-and-culture destinations, drawing hundreds of thousands of theatergoers annually to Hartford's Capitol Avenue. Shows like a production of Broad- way smash hit "Hamilton" have sold out night after night, bring- ing throngs of people to down- town Hartford, many of whom also patronize local bars and restaurants before and after shows. Fay's theater, and its success, serves as an economic engine for the city and region. Fay has been working to pay down a $20-million debt he inherited when he became CEO and told HBJ last year that it could be extinguished within the next few years, creating much- desired financial flexibility. However, that was before the coronavirus shut down the arts industry, leaving the Bushnell and other performance venues fighting for their survival. Fay announced in early April the Bushnell would be furloughing 32 employees because COVID-19 "severely affected" its operations. Jay Malcynsky When Jay Malcynsky started practicing law with Brian Gaffney in the mid-1980s, lobbying wasn't a big part of their business. That's changed signifi- cantly over the decades. The University of Bridge- port Law School graduate has helped transform Gaffney, Bennett and Associates into one of the most powerful lobby- ing firms in the state, with about 80 registered cli- ents — the most of any Connecti- cut lobbying firm — from a wide range of indus- tries, including banking and finance, utilities, digital media, law, and health care. When the legislature is in session, Malcynsky will typically find himself involved in the biggest issues. Some of the firm's clients include: Bank of America, Eversource, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Associa- tion, NBC Universal, and Pepsico, to name a few. In a 2012 interview with HBJ, Malcynsky said becoming one of the state's premier influence peddlers is a result of being frank with politi- cians and tackling the job in a non- partisan manner. "Your stock and trade in this busi- ness is your reputation and integri- ty and willingness to be forthright," Malcynsky said in 2012. "Lobbyists at the end of the day are advocates. You are advocating for a client or cause and the manner in which you conduct yourself in that process becomes your reputation. The key is to treat facts as facts and not mas- sage things too much that you are blurring the edges." Paddi LeShane and Patrick Sullivan Paddi LeShane and Patrick Sul- livan are a power couple if you ever met one. The husband and wife duo own and run Sullivan & LeShane Inc., one of the most powerful lobbying firms in Connecticut, and sister company Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations Inc. Sullivan has been known as one of the most influential lobbyists at the state Capitol, hosting exclusive get-togethers at his Hartford home — located near the governor's man- sion — for top political lead- ers and media personalities. His firm's major clients, who seek help getting reg- ulatory changes, tax breaks or any other policy shifts that can make them more money, in- clude Coca Cola NE, NRG Energy, MGM entertain- ment and Lyft, among others. LeShane runs the agency's day- to-day operations and personally lobbies on behalf of many of the firm's prominent cli- ents. She was the former chair of the Hartford Parking Authority and is on the board of trustees of the University of St. Joseph. Jill Adams and Kim Manning Advertising agencies have taken on greater importance in recent years, calling the shots for many Greater Hartford companies on how, where and when they will pitch their products or services. It's also an industry undergoing much change with the digital revolution. Two of the region's biggest ad firms are led by women. Kim Manning is CEO of Greater Hartford's largest marketing agency, Cronin, which recorded $87 million in gross billings in 2018, according to HBJ's Book of Lists. She recently spearheaded a major deal, as her firm was acquired by Southport marketing agency Ho- rizon Group of North America. Man- ning will remain CEO of Cronin, which will also keep its name. She oversees all of the agency's strategic and brand planning initiatives. Jill Adams is CEO of Adams & Knight, the second-largest ad firm in Greater Hartford, which recorded $81.5 million in gross billings in 2018, according to HBJ's Book of Lists. For about 30 years, her firm has provided brand- ing, advertising, PR, digital marketing and social media services to myriad industries and has been nationally recognized by the American Market- ing Association, Public Relations Society of America, Web Marketing Association and many others. With a master's degree from Boston Univer- sity, Adams worked for several other agencies and corporations before starting her own business. Carlos Mouta and Martin Kenny Many former Hartford and central Connecticut offices and warehouses in recent decades have been con- verted into condos and apartments thanks to prominent developer- landlords Martin J. Kenny and Carlos Mouta. Kenny, of Lexington Part- ners LLC, has kept his development focus across the region, developing and then selling the Trumbull On The Park apartments in downtown Hartford as well as building market- rate rental units in Glastonbury, Windsor, Wethersfield, Old Say- brook and West Hartford. He is also currently leading a development team that's started a $100-million mixed-use project to transform Hartford's Pratt Street retail cor- ridor into a vibrant neighborhood. 41 43 42 44 45 46 Sal Luciano, President, AFL- CIO Connecticut David Fay, CEO, Bushnell Performing Arts Center Jay Malcynsky, Managing Partner, Gaffney, Bennett and Associates Paddi LeShane, Co-owner, Sullivan & LeShane Inc. Kim Manning, CEO, Cronin Patrick Sullivan, Co-owner, Sullivan & LeShane Inc. Jill Adams, CEO, Adams & Knight

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