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13 Hartford Business Journal | April 19, 2021 | HartfordBusiness.com traffic is currently down about 65% from pre- pandemic levels, an improvement from about a 75% decline just a few months ago. Dillon said he thinks leisure travel will begin a significant recovery starting this summer, and some recently introduced nonstop routes — like a JetBlue direct flight to Miami starting in June — reflect that. He's also courting airlines for a route to Jamaica, calculating there could be pent-up demand for travel there among Greater Hartford's large Jamaican population. Other Greater Hartford businesses whose customers skew mostly toward business travelers will likely feel the pinch as well, said Michael Freimuth, executive director of the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which oversees the Connecticut Convention Center. "This all leads to a slower recovery for jobs within hotels, restaurants and ancillary services (vendors delivering food, laundry cleaning, etc.)," Freimuth said. "Corporate spending for entertainment will also take a while to recover as will convention/conference business and trade shows." The Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford hasn't hosted an event since a wedding on March 14, 2020, General Manager Michael Costelli said. The building is currently hosting COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts, and is scheduled to reopen for events on Sept. 1, with its first — ConnectiCon — planned for the weekend following Labor Day. Costelli said he expects the Convention Center this year to generate about half the revenue it did pre-pandemic, with the slowdown lasting for another 12 to 18 months. "Things are ugly," Costelli said. To make up for large industry shows like the Northeast RV & Camping Show and Connecticut Home & Remodeling Show, Costelli is looking at smaller regional and educational events that cater to school groups, like a dinosaur exhibition, he said. In addition to the Convention Center, hotels and other venues that host large events have suffered throughout the pandemic, and that will likely continue for a while, said Robert Murdock, president of the Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau (CCSB), which markets the state's venues for conventions, meetings, sports and other attractions. "We do see some conventions and business meetings scheduled for the fall of this year… but more people are waiting until 2022," Murdock said. "For Hartford they definitely relied more on the corporate travel, so the city has been hit harder from COVID losses than the shoreline, for example." For now, CCSB is mostly marketing Connecticut venues to business groups from regions within driving distance like Albany, New York and northern New Jersey. Companies are more likely to feel comfortable sending employees to an event they can get to by car rather than air travel, Murdock said Technology pivot As of December, business at Connecticut hotels was down by 57%, said Ginny Kozlowski, executive director of the Connecticut Lodging Association, a trade group that represents and promotes hotels in the state. Hotels in large urban centers like Hartford are experiencing some of the most significant financial hits because they rely more heavily on business travel, including hosting events and meetings. Federal support programs like the Paycheck Protection Program have helped and been critical to keeping these hotels in operation, Kozlowski said. But some haven't made it through. Last year, Downtown Hartford's Homewood Suites and Red Lion hotels both permanently closed. In a normal year the Hilton Hartford Downtown would be hosting the CT Barber Expo this month, in addition to numerous meetings and training sessions for corporations, General Manager Nick Lorusso said. However, none of those things are happening right now and the hotel isn't hosting guests in town for conventions or meetings at other Hartford venues. "You have no conventions, you have nothing from the corporations in downtown, you don't have any training right now," Lorusso said. Last summer the Hilton's owner, the Waterford Group, warned the hotel might close due to the drop off in corporate events and bookings amid the pandemic. The property was put up for auction a few months later, but didn't receive an acceptable bid, according to Waterford Group. The starting price was $5.5 million. Anticipating a long period of fewer large gatherings, the Hartford Hilton is investing in technology so that it can put on high-level hybrid events, Lorusso said. The hotel is optimizing its internet service and rethinking its meeting spaces to feature numerous cameras that can livestream events to make them more engaging for remote attendees. In the coming months and possibly years, these kinds of offerings will probably be necessary for hotels that host business events, Lorusso said. "It's not something we can do as an amenity now," he said. Patrick McHale Ginny Kozlowski Mike Freimuth Stephen M. Mulready, interim dean of the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford since last August, has been named the school's permanent dean. Mulready, who has served in several roles at the school, including adjunct instructor and executive in residence, is the first Barney School alum to hold the position. He was most recently executive vice president and chief operating officer at Crum & Forster, a property and casualty insurance company. Michael O'Brien, president and CEO of Bloomfield nonprofit Duncaster Retirement Community, will retire in July, with current Vice President of Strategy and Community Life Kelly Papa stepping in as interim CEO. O'Brien led Duncaster for 14 years, during which time the nonprofit added independent living apartments, a memory care "neighborhood" and expanded memory care services at Duncaster's Caleb Hitchcock Health Center, the company said. Papa, who will step into the corner office job in July, joined Duncaster in 2019. She previously worked as corporate director of learning at Masonicare, a Wallingford-based group of assisted living, independent living and memory care facilities. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) in East Hartford announced new hires for five senior- level positions. ■ Jacquelynn Garofano is now CCAT's chief technology officer, responsible for developing and directing new technology projects and programs in collaboration with partner organizations. ■ Donna Fusco was hired as operations specialist, responsible for providing operational and programmatic support to CCAT's technology, workforce and educational initiatives. ■ Denise Gordon will serve as marketing and communications lead, responsible for driving awareness to CCAT and its partners, programs and events. ■ Eileen Candels has joined CCAT as an advanced technology outreach coordinator, responsible for connecting manufacturers and associations with funding for advanced manufacturing efforts. ■ Joseph Wysocki is now CCAT's senior manager of advanced technology centers, responsible for operational effectiveness for CCAT's Advanced Technology Center and its Advanced Composite Technology Center, both in East Hartford. Colleen Cone has been appointed vice president of human resources for the Western New England region at Comcast. Cone previously served as Comcast's senior director of human resources for Comcast's Greater Boston region. In her new role, Cone will oversee the region's human resource functions including talent management, career development and employee benefits. Bret DeRosa was promoted to the position of general manager at the New Britain Bees, an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain. DeRosa previously worked as the team's assistant general manager and business manager. Lynn Rossini was named vice president of philanthropy at Hartford Hospital. Rossini previously served as Trinity Health of New England/St. Francis Foundation's regional vice president and chief development officer. Simsbury architecture and interior design firm Phase Zero Design has hired Jessica Dziob for the newly-created position of business development manager. With almost 20 years of experience in retail banking and financial services, Dziob has experience developing and maintaining business relationships. She's held previous roles in management, business development, sales and marketing. Wethersfield engineering firm VHB has hired Andrew Harris as a senior project manager/senior geologist for its Connecticut site investigation and remediation (SI&R) practice and the Southern New England markets. Harris brings extensive experience working with industrial and commercial clients to assess and remediate brownfield and legacy properties across the upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England. Stephen M. Mulready Michael O'Brien Jacquelynn Garofano Donna Fusco Denise Gordon Eileen Candels Joseph Wysocki Colleen Cone Email your Movers & Shakers announcements to gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Movers & Shakers