Hartford Business Journal

3 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 31, 2021 BIZ BRIEFS CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SERVING CT AND MA 1971-2021 Industrial manufacturing and distribution facilities, auto dealerships, medical offices, pre-engineered buildings, commercial buildouts, additions and renovations. COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL/INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING SERVICES COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL/INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING SERVICES SITE SELECTION – DESIGN – ENGINEERING – CONSTRUCTION – RENOVATIONS Berkshire Facial Surgery, East Longmeadow, MA 30,000 SF Under Construction Bloomfield, CT BUILDING BUSINESS. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. BUILDING EXCELLENCE. Associated Builders Inc. 4 Industrial Drive, South Hadley MA 01075 413-536-0021 | www.abuilders.com Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Quarry Ridge Golf Course in Portland. The owner of the former 116-room Homewood Suites in Hartford, converted to apartments last year, wants to renovate the lobby and add a second entrance using public financing. Bradley Airport to launch six new nonstop routes, four with new airline Breeze Airways Newly launched airline Breeze Airways will run nonstop routes from Bradley International Airport to Charleston, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Va.; and Pittsburgh, Pa. Additionally, Bradley has started a new nonstop route to Minneapolis with Minneapolis-based carrier Sun Country Airlines, and will establish a nonstop Bradley-to-Orlando route via Sun County in September. Breeze Airways flights from Bradley to Charleston started May 27, and routes to Columbus, Norfolk and Pittsburgh will commence July 22, according to the quasi-public Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), which oversees Bradley. CEO of central, northeastern CT United Way chapter to retire Paula S. Gilberto, president and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, will retire at the end of the year, the nonprofit organization announced. Gilberto, who joined United Way 23 years ago, has headed the affiliate since 2016. She earlier served as senior vice president, having been promoted to that role in 2007. United Way said it has begun a search for her replacement. American Eagle's Marchessault to retire; senior VP Brady named successor East Hartford-based American Eagle Financial Credit Union, the second largest credit union in Connecticut, announced that President and CEO Dean Marchessault will retire at year's end. Succeeding Marchessault will be Howard Brady, who has been senior vice president and chief lending officer at American Eagle since 2015, the credit union said. Marchessault has worked for American Eagle since 2003 and was named chief operating officer several years later. He was promoted to his current position in Jan. 2015, succeeding William J. Dokas. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | COSTAR PHOTO | CCOSTAR During the six-plus years Marchessault has been at the helm, American Eagle has grown its total assets from just over $1.3 billion to nearly $2.2 billion. Its membership count over that time has increased about 46%, from 107,507 to 157,426 as of the first quarter of this year. Owner of Hartford's Bond Residences plans $1M renovation A former downtown Hartford hotel that closed and shifted to apartment rentals last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic could be getting a $1 million face-lift. Paul Khakshouri closed his 116-room Homewood Suites by Hilton property at 338 Asylum St. last March, roughly two weeks after COVID-19 was first detected in Connecticut, as occupancy plummeted. Khakshouri later began offering the hotel rooms, which contain kitchens, as short-term rentals. Now, he has asked the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to approve a refinancing arrangement that would allow him to renovate the building facade and lobby. Portland golf course sells for $1.7M The Quarry Ridge Golf Course in Portland has sold for $1.7 million, according to town property records. The 18-hole golf course traded hands in April and was purchased by Nexus Golf Properties LLC, which is controlled by Timothy and Patricia Vale of Guilford, town records show. The 6,400 yard course plays to a par 72 and also includes a clubhouse, restaurant and banquet facility. Quarry Ridge opened in 1993 as a nine hole golf course designed by Al Zikorus and Joe Kelley, according to the course's website. Nine new holes were added in 1998 high on a hill with views of the Connecticut River, according to the course. The property last traded hands in 2006, when it was purchased by Michael J. Milano, Mark Milano and Brian Milano for $5 million. Santander to close 19% of its CT branches Santander Bank has notified its federal regulator it intends to shutter four of its 21 Connecticut branches, including three in Greater Hartford. Santander informed the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the pending closures last week, which include: • 85 East Main St., Plainville • 2 South Main St., Unionville/ Farmington • 96 Bridge St., East Windsor • 184 Chase Ave., Waterbury In a statement, Kerri Beliveau, Santander district executive, linked the closures with the growth of online banking. Alden closes purchase of Hartford Courant, other Tribune titles Hedge fund Alden Global Capital has officially closed its $633 million acquisition of Tribune Publishing Co., placing all of the Tribune-owned newspapers, including the Hartford Courant, under Alden's control. Tribune shareholders voted May 21 to sell the media conglomerate to Alden, a deal that had been in the works since early this year. Workers at various Tribune-owned publications, including the Courant, protested the merger and called on Tribune investors to turn down the offer, but over 80% of the shares not already held by Alden voted in favor. Alden has developed a reputation for buying out financially distressed newspapers and then implementing deep cuts, including layoffs, to produce profits. Former Hartford Courant distribution warehouse sells for $2.1M The Hartford Courant's former distribution and insertion warehouse on Wawarme Avenue has sold for $2.1 million, city records show. The 154,982-square-foot property at 121 Wawarme Ave. was sold in April by Tribune Real Estate Holdings, which is the former subsidiary of Tribune Media, now owned by media company Nexstar. The buyer was New Milford-based HMC Real Estate Partners, which invests in industrial properties in the Northeast, according to its website. The Hartford Courant formerly used the property as a distribution center, but it was leased space.

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