Hartford Business Journal

34 Hartford Business Journal | February 22, 2021 | HartfordBusiness.com development in the state. He's served on the board of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education and executive board of the Connecticut Council of Independent Colleges. The Winstanleys Connecticut's hot industrial real estate market — spurred by demand for last-mile warehouse space from e-commerce giants like Amazon — has been a boon to the state's economy, kickstarting job creation and new construction across the region. And few have capitalized on the growing industry like David Winstanley and his sons, Adam and Carter. Owners of the family-run realty shop, Winstanley Enterprises LLC, the Massachusetts- based firm is Connecticut's largest owner of warehouses. The family, which has offices in Hartford, New Haven and Bristol, solidified its local prowess in 2020 by buying J.C. Penney's former Manchester distribution center and spending $44 million on a pair of abutting food distribution and storage facilities in South Windsor. This spring, Winstanley plans to kick off construction on a $100 million bioscience tower in New Haven that will add another 500,000 square feet of laboratory and life- sciences incubation space in the Elm City. Jennifer Jackson In many industries, a $40 million relief package from the state would be a game-changer. But when you're talking about the pandemic-struck hospital sector in Connecticut, that $40 million — announced by the governor in February — doesn't go very far. That's part of the challenge faced by Connecticut Hospital Association President and CEO Jennifer D. Jackson as 2021 barrels ahead. With $13 billion in annual revenue and more than 52,000 full-time employees, the state's hospitals are reeling not only from lost revenue but the death, illness and trauma seen and experienced by frontline workers. In recent months, Jackson has pressed lawmakers for state and federal funding to make up for pandemic losses. With 20 years of experience at the CHA, Jackson has also the region's largest — the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, led by Larry McHugh, and MetroHartford Alliance, led by David Griggs. McHugh has long had one of the most active chambers in Connecticut with more than 2,200 members as of March 2020, and his monthly meetings are typically headlined by top statewide or even nationally-known business, political and other leaders. A former high school teacher and football coach, McHugh is also known as one of UConn's biggest boosters, having served as the school's board of trustees chairman from 2009 to 2017. Griggs has also made his mark since taking over the Alliance in 2018. Since then, he's completely reshaped the organization, turning it more into an economic- development entity that is playing a larger role in recruiting companies and talent to Greater Hartford. Griggs' also recently helped lead the business community's opposition to a major fee hike on downtown parking-lot operators. Mark Scheinberg At the beginning of 2020, what was Goodwin College became Goodwin University. A year later, Goodwin President Mark Scheinberg is expanding Goodwin's reach to Bridgeport. In December, New England's regional higher education accreditation board approved Goodwin University's plan to buy the University of Bridgeport, putting the East Hartford school on track to create a new institution in Bridgeport by July 1. Under the deal, Goodwin will buy UB's buildings and programs, while Hamden-based Paier College of Art plans to offer courses on the campus. Additionally, tenants have begun to move into Goodwin's new $8 million commercial building on Main and Ensign streets, including East Hartford-based American Eagle Financial Credit Union and Rebel Dog Coffee. Scheinberg, who essentially built Goodwin from scratch, has also emerged as an authority on adult education and workforce Consolidation is a reality in most industries, including Connecticut's banking sector, where a steady stream of mergers and acquisitions has led to ever- growing clout for national out-of- state lenders operating here. Amid that landscape, Jack Barnes and John Ciulla are local titans in the sector. They lead, respectively, People's United Bank and Webster Bank, which hold the top two spots for deposit market share among Connecticut-based banks, while Bank of America leads the market overall. Barnes, based in Bridgeport, and Ciulla, based in Waterbury, each oversee branch networks that span Connecticut and several other states. Their combined in-state deposits amount to nearly $60 billion (Bank of America has just over $40 billion), while their overall assets combined exceed $90 billion. The two leaders have been consolidation catalysts, with each acquiring multiple banks and companies in Connecticut and elsewhere over the past 20 years. Most banks have seen profits fall during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to economic contraction and near-zero interest rates, but both Webster and People's United have held up relatively well, with each posting profits that beat Wall Street expectations in the final two fiscal quarters of 2020. Barnes, who is also People's chairman, joined the bank in 2008 following the acquisition of Chittenden Corp. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and received his MBA from the University of Vermont. Ciulla, who is also Webster's chairman and president, previously worked for The Bank of New York, earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history from Williams College, an MBA from the Columbia Business School and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law. David Griggs & Larry McHugh Chambers of commerce have struggled amid the pandemic but they've also been a lifesaver for many small business members, providing invaluable information via webinars and other tools on how to access emergency government aid, maintain a safe workplace and Gov. Ned Lamont's executive orders. Two chambers that have stood out in helping their members are Bunnell is the chief of staff of the Mohegan Tribal Nation, owner of Mohegan Sun. The tribes, which have faced increasing financial pressures with the proliferation of Northeast casinos and the pandemic, have argued in recent years they should be the sole operators of sports betting in the state as a result of a pact they signed with former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, which gave them exclusive rights to casino games in return for 25% of their slot revenues. Lamont has faced pressure from other interest groups that want in on the emerging industry, should it become legalized here. During a January information session on the topic, Butler and Bunnell said they were more confident than ever that a deal could get hashed out this year. Joanne Berger-Sweeney Over the past year Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney has navigated COVID-19 and its impact on higher education, which forced a re-thinking of how to conduct courses and host residential students. Last spring, Berger-Sweeney said the school was facing a $7-million loss in fiscal 2020, and a potentially worse outcome in fiscal 2021. Amid the issues COVID-19 has caused Trinity and all other colleges and universities, Berger-Sweeney has been an important voice in how Connecticut higher-education institutions have responded. A trained neurophysiologist who's contributed to more than 60 scientific publications, Berger- Sweeney has been uniquely adept at studying the virus closely and making decisions that weigh health concerns against financial implications. Berger-Sweeney also continues to be an innovator in Connecticut higher education. The Trinity-Infosys Applied Learning Initiative she helped get off the ground in 2019 is still providing training to new employees of tech giant Infosys who are starting out as entry-level business analysts. The program incorporates elements of liberal arts and tech training. Jack Barnes & John Ciulla Rodney Butler Joanne Berger- Sweeney Jack Barnes John Ciulla David Griggs Adam Winstanley Larry McHugh Carter Winstanley David Winstanley Mark Scheinberg Chuck Bunnell 27 28 30 31 32 29 2021 POWER 50

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