Hartford Business Journal

3 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 BIZ BRIEFS Kim Bushey Senior Vice President CT Commercial Market Head EQUAL HOUSING LENDER | NMLS#402947 | MEMBER FDIC Intimate knowledge of the local business community. "Putnam Bank… a division of Centreville Bank." Those words do more than describe a relationship between financial institutions. They give you confidence that our commercial lending team has the local experience and expertise to help your business succeed here in eastern Connecticut. Local knowledge is essential in developing the robust, flexible, and individualized banking partnership that will work best for your business. putnambank.com/commercialbanking | Kim Bushey at 860.753.8516 That's part of what it means to be a division of Centreville Bank. Centreville-38222 HBJ_Bushey_10x325_f.indd 1 Centreville-38222 HBJ_Bushey_10x325_f.indd 1 2/25/21 1:11 PM 2/25/21 1:11 PM HBJ Flash Poll 55.9% 22.6% 11.8% 5.4% 4.3% Stamford Hartford New Haven Danbury Bridgeport Each week Hartford Business Journal polls its 10,000-plus HBJ Today subscribers on a hot topic. Here's this week's results. Which CT city will see the most population growth over the next decade? TOTAL VOTES: 392 PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Richard Fichman, a pioneer of Lasik eye surgery and founder of Fichman Eye Centers. With mixed-use project in works, demolition of former New Britain bank complex begins Demolition of the vacant Burritt bank complex in downtown New Britain has officially begun, as developer Avner Krohn moves forward with plans to eventually construct a six-story mixed-use apartment building at the site. The project's ceremonial kickoff occurred late last month outside the two connected commercial buildings, at 267 and 277 Main St. One of the buildings housed the former Burritt Interfinancial Bancorp, which was seized and shut down by banking regulators in 1992. It had sat empty ever since. According to Krohn, "The Brit" will include 107 apartment units and 5,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space that will house one or two restaurants. AG, Healthcare Advocate call for close scrutiny of insurance rate increase requests State Attorney General William Tong and Healthcare Advocate Ted Doolittle are urging the state Insurance Department to carefully scrutinize health insurers' requests to raise rates next year, pointing to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic as a strong motivator to keep costs in check. In a joint letter to the department, Tong and Doolittle noted that healthcare utilization rates fell sharply during the early months of the pandemic, when most people were urged to put off appointments and stay at home. As a result, they said, health insurers "reaped windfall profits" in 2020, but still want to increase "already inflated" rates. The main driver behind the companies' requests — which on average would raise the cost of individual plans by 8.6% and small groups plans by 12.9% — is spending linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, including costs for testing, vaccination and other treatments, the letter states, but the federal government may have already offered those providers reimbursements for their services. Fichman Eye Center becomes SightMD Connecticut after merger Central Connecticut-based Fichman Eye Center and the Laser & Vision Surgery Center group will become SightMD Connecticut as New York-based ophthalmology provider Sight Growth Partners expands into Connecticut. Sight Growth Partners announced it will take over administrative services at Fichman's four offices in Hartford, Manchester, New Britain and Torrington after a merger of the companies. Dr. Richard Fichman, who founded the practice, will remain there, according to SightMD. Bloomfield's R&D Dynamics cho- sen for work on federal fuel cell project Bloomfield-based turbomachinery manufacturer R&D Dynamics Corp. has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop air management system compressors for fuel cell-powered trucks. Compressors, which supply fuel cells with a steady stream of pressurized air, are costly and constitute a considerable power drain on fuel cell stacks. R&D officials said they have been tasked with developing a system that is more reliable and efficient while also smaller, lighter and less expensive than existing compressor technology. Financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed. Vernon bowling alley, entertainment property sells for $8M A Vernon property anchored by bowling and entertainment business Spare Time has sold for $8 million, town records show. The 26,003-square-foot property at 350 Talcottville Road sold in July. The buyer was New Jersey- based Essential Properties, which, according to its website, acquires, owns and manages primarily single- tenant properties leased to middle- market companies operating service- oriented and experience-based businesses. The seller was the Corley Family Realty Limited Partnership of Vermont, town records show. The property was built in 1963 and sits on 7 acres. CT sends first $1K bonus payments to unemployed residents back at work The first round of $1,000 bonus payments have gone out to participants in the Back to Work CT program. Back to Work pays out bonuses to Connecticut residents who have experienced long-term unemployment, and are transitioning back to the workforce. The initial round of payments will reach about 1,500 eligible residents, Gov. Ned Lamont said. Payments are supported through the state Coronavirus Relief Fund, which utilizes federal funding obtained through the CARES Act that passed Congress last year.

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