NewHavenBIZ

6 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n @ForbesRECouncil I am a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council. Members publish blogs and tips on every facet of real estate, from renting your first apartment to developing hotels. Like the rest of social media, it's the people that make the feed. One of the most amazing people I've met through this group is Carrie Bobb, who was sexually assaulted at a business conference. Her employment contract virtually silenced her. A bill in her name has been introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives that would require employment contracts to exclude sexual assault claims from employment agreements, which currently silences victims. @CREchatlive CRE Chat is commercial real estate centric. But, the ideas behind it and the camaraderie and friendships created in a virtual world have gone far beyond what anyone who participates might have expected. @azPRninja Melissa Swader is a public relations pro in Phoenix. She is anchored in the commercial real estate space, but her branding tips and content on several social media platforms stretch beyond real estate. She produces podcasts, has started networking groups for women in business, and has written a book about building your personal brand. Her content speaks to everyone working to define their personal brands. Her daily mission is to encourage, support and elevate women in all businesses. @JohnHenryStyle John Henry is damn cool. And nice. And generous with his social missions. He is the son of Dominican immigrants. He didn't go to college, started a business and sold it for $1 million at age 21, then became a venture capitalist and TV host. He shares advice on venture capital, start-up businesses, side hustles and real estate. He is buying and investing in properties in his hometown of Allentown, Penn. He renovates apartment properties with the social mission of "Buying back the Block." @GNHCC I follow a lot of local "Tweeps," but I am a big Chamber fan. e feed is a mix of business news, Chamber member promotion, COVID updates (city and statewide), and lately some really good quotes of the day. e Chamber was incredibly proactive when we went into lockdown in March 2020, providing webinars so oen, I'd think they were daily, with resources for PPP info, grants and regulations in real time. I can't say enough about the value the Chamber has been giving. n TWITTER: FIVE TO FOLLOW In this feature, we ask area Twitter aficionados about their favorite accounts to follow. n Which handles make your top five? Let us know at news@newhavenbiz.com. Kristin Geenty, President, The Geenty Group Realtors B R I E F S storage and distribution capacity. President and CEO Cindi Bigelow said the location appealed to the company because of its size and location, including its proximity to Interstate 95. e family-owned company launched 75 years ago. Now run by its third generation, it produces some 2 billion tea bags each year. While its "Constant Comment," is among Bigelow's most well-known variet- ies, it offers teas with flavors from apple to vanilla, from oolong to matcha. For winter, it has special teas like Hot Cinnamon and Peppermint Bark. Partnership offers new programs to boost bioscience industry With the state's bioscience industry con- tinuing to grow, several new programs have been designed to help the workforce get the skills they need for jobs in the field. BioPath, a bioscience academic and career pathway, is a partnership between Southern Connecticut State University and the city of New Haven, paid for with public and private funding. Established in 2015, it aims to help New Haven residents access jobs in the fast-growing bioscience sector. Peter Dimoulas, who has 10 years of experience in teaching and administration, including in New Haven schools, will man- age the new grant-funded programs. e BioPath Skills Academy initiative will include a series of workshops for teachers and school administrators on how they can meet the emerging needs of the industry. e program will include equipment and soware training, as well as a loan program enabling educators to use those materials within their schools and classrooms. BioPath Skills Academy for Students will consist of six non-credit bioscience bootcamps to prepare students for research and internship opportunities (followed by direct hire), and afford opportunities for mid-career professionals to learn new skills. BioPath Research Experiences and Internship programs will offer students experiential learning. A partnership with New Haven Works also will provide ongoing academic support and mentoring for New Haven students and residents. For more information, visit www.south- ernct.edu/stem/biopath. CT 3Q GDP surges from pandemic low point A rise in healthcare spending, social PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Bigelow Tea's new warehouse distribution center in Orange, empty as of late December and awaiting boxes of tea. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Continued from page 5 assistance and a partial recovery in the manufacturing and hospitality sectors helped Connecticut boost its gross domestic product in the third quarter by nearly 33%, erasing losses incurred in the previous quarter. e state's GDP for the third quarter was $283.6 billion, up from $262.7 billion in the second quarter, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which provides annualized seasonally adjusted growth rates for quarterly GDP. e growth here was the 32nd highest in the U.S. Despite the rebound, Connecticut's economy still remains down by about 1.7% from a year ago, when third-quarter GDP was $288.5 billion. Every state showed GDP recovery in the third quarter compared to the second quarter, with increases ranging from 52.2% in Nevada to 19.2% in Washington, D.C. Connecticut's economy shrunk 31.1% in the second quarter of 2020 as coronavi- rus-related shut downs wreaked econom- ic havoc on all 50 U.S. states during the early summer. Biohaven pays Tokyo drugmaker $10M upfront in licensing deal Biohaven Pharmaceuticals has acquired the rights to develop and commercialize a Japanese pharma company's portfolio of CGRP antagonists, a new class of drugs being used primarily to treat migraine headaches. e potential value of the agreement, announced by Tokyo-based Sosei Hep- tares, could reach $370 million. e agreement adds to Biohaven's existing lineup of CGRP antagonists, including its commercial migraine drug Nurtec ODT. Under the deal, the New Haven drug- maker will pay Sosei $10 million upfront in cash and Biohaven stock for the exclu- sive global rights to its CGRP portfolio. Biohaven will also make additional payments based on whether certain milestones are met, and will pay tiered royalties on any sales coming out of the collaboration. e deal gives Biohaven the rights to Sosei's lead drug candidate HTL0022562, which has shown promise for migraine treatment in preclinical testing and is ready to enter clinical trials, according to the companies. Alexion drug OK'd in Europe Alexion Pharmaceuticals recently won regulatory approval to market an improved version of its newest drug Ultomiris in the European Union. e European Commission approved a new 100 mg/mL formulation of Ultomiris for patients with two ultra-rare blood diseases: paroxysmal nocturnal hemo- globinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), according to the company. n

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