Hartford Business Journal

3 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 31 2022 BIZ BRIEFS HBJ FILE PHOTO Trattoria on Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford. The restaurant initially thrived, but the start of the pandemic in 2020 exacted a heavy toll on business. "I had to close up and walk away," Maffucci said. "Unlike many other cities, with Hartford, the people who had been commuting in all these years just did not come back." Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg. Hartford, Goodwin Univ. to open community manufacturing centers Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg announced a partnership that will lead to the opening of two community manufacturing training centers in the Capital City. Each training center will provide Hartford residents a hands-on chance to learn introductory manufacturing skills, the city said. The training centers' locations have not yet been identified, but they will be in the city's north and south end neighborhoods, equipped with desks, computers, white boards and tables, in addition to some manufacturing equipment, officials said. Each site will accommodate between 15 and 18 students. The effort is being funded with a $1 million state grant, officials said. Goodwin University will offer introductory manufacturing-related classes to students and Hartford residents. Some areas of training will include CNC machining and quality inspections, along with related skill sets like blueprint reading, measuring tools, shop math and computer-aided manufacturing and design, Goodwin officials said. NY developer to buy Children's Museum property in West Hartford; luxury apartments planned After a years-long search for a suitable buyer, Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford announced that it has reached an agreement to sell a piece of property adjacent to its campus on Trout Brook Drive — currently the home of the Children's Museum of Connecticut — to New York-based Continental Properties, which plans to build a luxury rental community there. Kingswood Oxford officials said the school began looking for a potential buyer last January, after the Children's Museum renewed its long- running search for a new location. Continental said it is still in the "early stage" of reviewing potential layouts and architecture for the property. A formal project application is expected to be submitted later this spring or early summer. Republican Bob Stefanowski officially announces second run for governor Republican Bob Stefanowski recently announced he is officially running for governor. Stefanowski, 59, was the GOP nominee for governor in 2018 when he was defeated by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont. Lamont was elected with 49.38% of the vote in a four-way race. Stefanowski was the runner up, with 46.21%. Lamont's ultimate margin of victory was 44,372 votes. Voters will go to the polls Nov. 8, to elect the next governor to a four-year term. Mark Pazniokas | CT Mirror Addressing labor shortage, tax relief among CBIA's top priorities for '22 The Connecticut Business & Industry Association is setting its sights on the labor shortage, economic development and tax relief for small businesses and individuals heading into the 2022 legislative session. In an outline of policy priorities, the business lobbying group said it will focus its energies on long-standing issues that have been exacerbated and made clearer by two years of pandemic-related tumult. Likely most pressing is the labor shortage, which has bogged down the state's recovery from COVID-19 and exacted a heavy toll on restaurants and retailers. The CBIA said it would encourage lawmakers to exempt workforce training programs from the state sales and use tax, expand the state's manufacturing apprenticeship tax credit program to include small and midsize manufacturers, and enhance workforce development efforts for incarcerated and returning citizens. On the economic development front, the group is asking the legislature to repeal the corporate tax surcharge, use pandemic- relief funding to decrease the state unemployment fund's $1 billion debt, and support the development of laboratory space for biotechnology companies. The CBIA is also proposing expanding the state's research and development tax credit to small businesses and exempting safety and personal protective equipment from the sales and use tax. Bob Stefanowski (From left) CEO John Schmid, business partner Joe Coppola and the rest of Propark's C-suite. The former Red Lion Inn at 100 Berlin Road in Cromwell. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER PHOTO | COSTAR Propark buys Houston parking management company Hartford parking operator Propark Mobility said it has expanded its southern presence with the purchase of a parking management company in Houston. Propark said it has acquired Sovereign Services for an undisclosed sum. The new acquisition ramps up Propark's presence in the Houston area: there will now be more than 90 Sovereign and Propark locations in the city. Nationwide, Propark offers its services to more than 500 hospitality, healthcare, commercial and off- airport locations in more than 75 cities. Farmington manufacturer Mott Corp. buys European company Farmington-based precision filtration manufacturer Mott Corp. said it has acquired ASCO Filtri, one of the company's longtime partners in Europe, as the company eyes international expansion. Mott said it has purchased Italy's ASCO Filtri, which designs and manufactures filtration products, for an undisclosed sum. Mott said the deal continues the company's expanding presence in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Mott filtration products include brands across the medical, computer power, clean energy and space exploration markets. Sr. Software Engineer position available with Hartford Fire Insurance Company located in Windsor, CT. Position will guide software development teams to instrument their code to generate relevant metrics for performance and quality, and implement and maintain a cost effective monitoring solution for all environments. Candidate may telecommute up to 10%. Apply online at (https:// thehartford.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/ Careers_Restricted/job/Windsor-CT/ Sr-Software-Engineer---Windsor-- CT-_R227062-1 ) referencing Req# R227062 /11474.314.Hartford Fire Insurance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Mixed-use development eyed for former Red Lion Hotel site in Cromwell Plans are in the works to transform the former Red Lion Hotel at 100 Berlin Road in Cromwell into a mixed-use development, including commercial space and housing. Representatives of Hartford development firm Lexington Partners LLC gave a synopsis of the company's proposal for the property at a Cromwell Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on Dec. 7, according to the meeting's official minutes. The new development would include 260 rental units, 24 townhomes, 31,500 square feet of commercial space and 542 parking spaces, an attorney for Lexington Partners told commission members, as well as 12,000 square feet for amenities. The Red Lion Hotel was closed abruptly by the state Department of Revenue Services in January 2020 for unpaid taxes.

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