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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | A u g u s t 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 5 A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n Seaplane service to link Bridgeport, NYC Southern Connecticut area travelers have a new way to get to New York City — via seaplane. Tailwind Air, a veteran-owned, New York-based seaplane business, announced recently it has launched a new route be- tween Bridgeport and Manhattan. e company is offering daily nonstop weekday service for summer and fall between Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR) and Manhattan's Skyport (NYS) seaplane terminal, which is at the Lower East River at the foot of E. 23rd St. For the launch, Tailwind is offering one- way fares on its Cessna Caravan amphibian seaplanes starting at $135. Service was slated to begin July 29. e company also offers flights be- tween Manhattan and Boston Harbor, and between Manhattan and Long Island loca- tions, including Shelter Island, Montauk and East Hampton. e Bridgeport-Manhattan seaplane flights will take just under 30 minutes. In the morning, the flights will depart Bridgeport at 7:30 a.m. and arrive in Man- hattan at 7:55 a.m. e return trip departs at 7:05 p.m. and arrives back in Bridgeport at 7:30 p.m. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED CT to reduce tax on beer Connecticut is planning to scale back its tax on beer in an effort to aid the state's expanding cra brewery industry. Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced that the biennial budget he signed into law will reduce state taxes on beer by 16.7%. e change will take effect in July 2023. According to the governor's office, taxes on a barrel of beer — equivalent to 31 gal- lons — will fall from $7.20 to $6. Taxes on one-half of a barrel will decline from $3.60 to $3, and the levy on a quarter of a barrel will drop from $1.80 to $1.50. e state expects to lose about $2 million in revenue from the tax decrease. A recent report from the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute found that Connecticut-based brewing generates $2.9 billion in economic output for the state and supports almost 18,000 jobs, ranging from agriculture to manufacturing to customer service. B R I E F S BY THE NUMBERS 7.9% Connecticut's unemployment rate as of June, according to the state Department of Labor. $300M Connecticut's share of a $26 billion settlement between a coalition of states and four companies that either manufactured or distributed opioid painkillers. $90M The amount of federal aid provided through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to 122 Connecticut entertainment venues and museums, according to the Small Business Administration. $29.4M The amount Foxwoods Resort Casino brought in via slot revenues in June. FDA OKs direct-to-consumer COVID-19 saliva test for people age 5+ Branford-based Wren Laboratories has secured an expanded emergency-use authorization from the FDA for its COVID-19 saliva test. e latest approval means the test will now be available directly to consumers and can be used to test for COVID in individuals ages 5 and up. e company first garnered FDA approval to sell the COVID saliva test in the fall. According to the company, this latest FDA approval will expand the reach of its test kits to both consumers and schools. Its authorized use for children ages 5 and up is particularly timely as many schools are preparing to fully reopen in the fall. e product is available over-the-count- er and can be purchased online without a prescription. e test requires the collection of a teaspoon of saliva, and is less invasive PHOTO | PIXABAY.COM PHOTO | PIXABAY.COM than nasal swabbing, according to Wren. e company said it can deliver digital results to customers within 24 hours of receiving a sample. After announcing layoffs, M&T says it will keep almost all People's United branch workers Aer announcing plans to cut 747 workers in Connecticut aer completing its pending acquisition of Bridgeport- based People's United Bank, M&T Bank said it will retain almost all customer- facing employees and give priority to laid off staff members in filling some open positions. Officials with the Buffalo-based lender said they will keep on "substantially all" People's United branch employees, seeming to indicate that the bank's corporate offices will bear the brunt of anticipated restructuring. M&T also noted that it has around 1,500 open positions and will give former People's United workers priority in hiring for those roles, with the option to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule. All employees who are ultimately let go will receive severance benefits, including career transition assistance, according to M&T. M&T and People's United provided advance notice of the job cuts to the state Department of Labor in late July. e companies said they expect to lay off 661 people in Bridgeport and several dozen in Hartford. n PHOTO | FLICKR/MARIT & TOOMAS HINNOSAAR PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Shelton fitness studio acquired as part of private equity deal Four Orangetheory Fitness studios in Fairfield County were recently acquired as part of a private equity deal with a New York-based franchiser. Empire Portfolio Group bought Orangetheory Fitness studios in Shelton, Fairfield, Norwalk and Westport in the transaction, terms of which were not disclosed. e company now owns 40 of the studios, which focus on heart-rate based interval training. Empire partnered with Revelstoke Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on health and wellness, in December 2020. Based in Denver, Revelstoke has about $2.9 billion of assets under management and has completed 99 acquisitions since its founding in 2013. Mohegan Sun, FanDuel partner to launch sports betting, online gaming e parent company of Mohegan Sun is partnering with fantasy sports and gambling company FanDuel to bring sports betting and digital gaming to the Montville casino. Taking advantage of the state's recent gaming expansion law, FanDuel said it will launch online and mobile products this fall allowing Connecticut residents to bet on professional football, basketball, baseball and hockey, among other sports. e firm will also set up an "online casino experience" in collaboration with Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and run a sportsbook at Mohegan Sun. MGE officials said the sportsbook will be temporary at first, featuring four live betting windows and 16 self- service betting terminals. A permanent sportsbook will be opened this winter, they said, pending regulatory approvals. MGE formed a new gaming division, known as Mohegan Digital, which will focus on the company's online products. Nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Ledyard, has already partnered with FanDuel rival DraftKings to operate its sports betting and fantasy sports offerings.

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