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6 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m F eb. 1, 2020, will stay etched in Richard Street's mind. On that fateful day about six weeks before COVID-19 hit Connecticut, Street became managing partner at Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP, a 100-year-old New Haven-based law firm with a team of over 75 attorneys scattered across the state. When he began practicing law in Connecticut 27 years ago, Street remembers many lawyers feared the glow of an unprotected computer screen. "Attorneys were resistant to even having a computer on their desk. It was unheard of," Street said. ese days, many of the attorneys at Street's firm present evidence by screen sharing. ey video chat, sometimes all day long. Since COVID-19 started, Street works on average 80 hours a week. He also finds time to be a father of three sons nearing college age. Prior to becoming managing partner, Street was one of six attorneys at the firm named "Local Litigation Stars" by Benchmark Litigation's Guide to Leading Business Litigation Firms and Attorneys. His job includes managing the firm's day-to-day activities, which are 50 percent litigation based. He's also an active trial lawyer with experience working for electric and hydroelectric companies, as well as large and small businesses specializing in land use. Since the beginning of COVID-19, lawyers and staff at his firm have learned how to adapt in what he called "extraordinary" ways. e firm's Director of IT David Orschel said many obstacles had to be overcome including device shortages and support services. "COVID-19 greatly increased the speed of transformation from a workforce that had to be in the office to be productive to a workforce that was able to be productive regardless of where they were working. We were fortunate to have many of the key technology solutions already in place for attorneys that we were able to focus on providing that same level of access to the staff, drastically reducing the business impact to the firm," Orschel says. "We did encounter hurdles along the way, from device shortages, ability to train employees on new services and providing remote support, but the firm was able to overcome those obstacles to quickly adapt and maintain productivity and most importantly keeping our workforce employed and safe during the pandemic." Street brought his staff back to 50 percent capacity in June, but had to enact changes to the workplace that included strict limits on conference rooms, along with a mask mandate unless employees sit at their own socially distanced desk. He also credits the "excellent" cleaning company that upped its services to come in during the day and again at night. e company, Performance Environmental Services, is a 30-year-old commercial cleaning and maintenance firm based in New Haven. "Our number one priority was safety for our staff, it didn't matter to me what the extra cost was," Street said. Strategic expansion COVID-19 isn't the first time Street's firm has overcome a crisis. "In boom times, mid-2004, 2005, 2006 we stayed conservative while other firms didn't. As a result, when 2008, the Great Recession hit, we didn't have to lay off any of our lawyers," Street said proudly. He believes a focus on making conservative business decisions has enabled him to succeed even in unprecedented times. In late 2013, Fairfield County-based Sandak Hennessey & Greco joined Carmody & Torrance to create Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP. The merger was an important strategic expansion that combined both firms' C o r n e r O f f i c e strengths in litigation and commercial real estate. It also expanded high-growth practice areas such as real estate, labor and employment, all of which Street said have seen upticks during COVID-19. With emergency laws and legislation changing at what can seem like a "rapid fire" pace, Street noted his firm has been able to step in and advise companies on how to decipher these new laws and what their impact is to businesses. He said many companies need more guidance right now than the law currently provides. In particular, several of his clients need help with their HR departments when it comes to navigating COVID-19 and their employees. "At this point, employers cannot require vaccines," Street said. "Having said that, I really hope as many of our employees as possible get vaccinated." A mid-March blog post on the firm's website analyzes this important issue: "As the state and national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues, some large employers have already stated their intentions to provide employees a few hours of PTO, or modest cash bonuses, to allow and encourage employees to get vaccinated. While certainly well intended, employers and HR departments should be mindful of certain legal traps surrounding these types of incentives." For Street and his staff, the bright side of COVID-19 isn't just surviving, it's about thriving. "I think there is hope. I've seen large and small businesses that have managed to work through this," he said with a smile. n By Joanna Smiley Richard Street Managing Partner Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey Education: Duke University School of Law Street's managing partner reign defined by overcoming, managing through pandemic B R I E F S Around the Region Miss America will stay at Mohegan Sun through 2023 e Miss America Organization has committed to holding its annual competi- tion at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville for the next three years. e pageant, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary later this year, previ- ously selected Mohegan Sun as the host of its 2019 ceremony. e 2020 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandem- ic, and Camille Schrier of Virginia, the 2019 winner, remains the reigning Miss America. Organizers said this year's competition will be broadcast live in December. An exact date was not announced. Wallingford's Amphenol wraps $1.7B MTS acquisition Wallingford connector and cable manufacturer Amphenol Corp. recently completed its $1.7 billion acquisition of Minnesota sensor-technology company MTS Systems Corp. According to Amphenol, the acquisition will allow it to add MTS' sensor-based products as the company continues its strategy of leaning into sensor technology. As part of the deal, first announced in December, MTS will sell off its testing and simulation business for $750 million to Illinois Tool Works Inc., pending regulato- ry approval. New Haven patient-billing tech startup raises $15M A New Haven soware startup that helps medical billing companies communicate better with patients recently raised $15 million in a Series A round. Inbox Health, based at 55 Church St., said the latest funding, led by San Fran- cisco-based Commerce Ventures, brings its lifetime venture capital raise to $22.8 million. e company, which was founded in 2014 and has 38 employees, said it will use the latest funds to expand the business, which helps automate and personalize billing transactions and communication with patients. Using Inbox Health's platform, billing teams can respond to patient messages about their bills through texts, email or real-time chats that comply with HIPAA privacy laws, according to the company. Inbox Health said 14 million patients in 2,400 practices nationwide have used the soware, and it manages several billion dollars worth of healthcare spending. e startup said it wants to reach half the U.S. population in the next five years. n (Continued) PHOTO | MOHEGAN SUN Mohegan Sun will host the Miss America competition for the next three years.

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