NewHavenBIZ

4 n e w h a v e n B I Z | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Lyman Orchards' growing bakery operation moves to New Haven Lyman Orchards, known for its fruit pies, donuts and other baked treats, has moved its baking operations to New Haven. e Middlefield-based business need- ed room to grow its wholesale bakery business, according to Gary Jalbert, president and CEO. In December, the business purchased two manufacturing facilities in New Haven, one at 724 Grand Ave. and one at 240 Sargent Drive, also known as 106-108 Food Terminal Plaza, for $3 million. Workers started baking at the Grand Avenue location in December, and at Sargent Drive in January, the company said. Lyman Orchards indicated that the acquisition enables it to continue supporting the growth of its wholesale bakery operation, which it has been focusing on in recent years to reduce Lyman's dependence on good weather. In the past, the business had expe- rienced weather-related downturns, which adversely impacted its other divisions, particularly tourism, events and pick-your-own fruit. PHOTO | COURTESY LYMAN ORCHARDS G Café opens fourth location Owners and New Haven city officials cut the ribbon on the latest outpost of G Café at 1177 Chapel St. in January. Co-owner Christian Festa said, "We're bringing the European expe- rience of a coffee shop here in New Haven with great quality product." He and partner Andrea Corazzini hope to run "a good place to hang out with friends. at's what we strive for." Operating in the former Jojo's coffee shop at the corner of Chapel and York, the new G Café is the second location of the chain downtown aer its flag- ship on Orange Street. Another G Café opened late last year at Tweed New Haven Airport as part of the launch of Avelo Airlines service, and a fourth shop is open at 1008 Main St. in Branford. e company makes all of its breads and pastries at a facility on Hamilton Street in the Mill River district. A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n PHOTO | LIESE KLEIN Andrea Corazzini with his artisanal breads at the new G Café location on Chapel St. Simcha Therapeutics raises $40M, advances cancer drug study Simcha erapeutics, a New Hav- en-based biotech focused on fighting cancer, recently announced it has raised $40 million in a Series B financ- ing round. SR One Capital Management led the round, joined by investors BVF Partners, Samsara BioCapital, Rock Springs Capital, ArrowMark Partners and Logos Capital. Dr. Aaron Ring, an assistant pro- fessor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, founded the com- pany in 2018. e money will help with the ad- vancement of the company's anti-can- cer drug candidate, ST-067, through phase 2 clinical trials, according to the company. It will also help with build- ing its leadership team. In 2020, the company raised $25 million in a Series A financing. Hartford HealthCare expands footprint with new Milford location Hartford HealthCare opened a new urgent care center in January in Mil- ford, continuing its ongoing push into southern Connecticut. e opening of its latest GoHealth Urgent Care site brings its total number of centers in the state to 20. e new center is inside Milford Marketplace, at 1646 Boston Post Road. Patients seeking treatment for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries will be treated there. Workers at the Milford location will also provide on-site X-rays and COVID-19 evalua- tion and testing. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED CT hemp cultivation plan approved for 2022, applications now open The Connecticut Department of Agriculture's hemp production plan was approved by the federal government in January, state officials said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the "Connecticut State Plan for Hemp Production," paving the way for this year's cultivation. Applications are now being accepted, and state hemp officials recently met to go over some key information and statistics from last year's grow. Details about the program — like specifics about testing and crop cultivation and destruction — can be found on the state's website. Some changes to the USDA's program, which Connecticut had to align with, include requirements of applicants to: report the exact location and acreage of hemp plants; collect hemp samples for testing 30 days before harvest; and register with the USDA's Farm Service Agency. Any growers participating in Connecticut's program with licenses that expired at the end of last year need to reapply under the new program to grow hemp this year. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Oral CBD hemp oil. Channel-deepening project expected to boost New Haven Harbor cargo traffic New Haven's port saw a 35% bump in ship visits last year and is poised for more growth in coming years thanks to $63 million in infrastructure funding, state officials announced. The New Haven Harbor Navigation Improvement Project will use the $63 million to dig out and deepen the federal navigation channel within New Haven Harbor, along with the harbor's ship-maneuvering area and turning basin. The project will create 58 acres of new salt marsh, shellfish habitat and a rock reef, said John Henshaw, executive director of the Connecticut Port Authority. The work is expected to reduce delays as ships wait for favorable tides to call at New Haven, allowing the port to accommodate larger vessels and increased maneuvering of deep-draft vessels. PHOTO | COURTESY OFFICE OF ROSA DELAURO U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro announces New Haven Harbor improvements at the Sound School on Jan. 24, 2022. Berkshire Bank launches new 'socially responsible' investing portfolios Berkshire Bank customers can now make sure they save money for their future while also ensuring their invest- ments only go toward environmental and socially-conscious entities. Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc., the Boston-based parent company of Berkshire Bank, recently announced it has launched a new suite of investment products aimed at helping customers "align their investments with positive environmental and social outcomes." e bank indicated it has built its new socially responsible investment portfoli- os to include companies with solid track records in terms of the environment and social outcomes. In building the portfolio, Berkshire considered an array of factors such as carbon emissions, air and water pollu- tion, waste management, diversity stan- dards, human rights, workplace safety, transparency and accounting standards. Berkshire Bank operates 106 branch offices in New England and New York. Most of its Connecticut locations are in the central and northern parts of the state, but it has begun expanding to southern Connecticut, including with a loan production office in New Haven. PHOTO | MICHELLE TUCCITTO SULLO A Berkshire Bank branch in Farmington. Tweed-based Avelo Airlines boosts pilot pay to staff new planes With a goal of adding 120 new pilots this year, Avelo Airlines announced it would boost pay by nearly 50% for captains and 30% for first officers. Avelo, which has its East Coast base at Tweed New Haven Airport, said it would be offering the highest pilot pay rates in the nation for airlines in the ul- tra-low-cost carrier and regional sectors. e hike was slated to take effect Feb. 1. More pilots are needed for Avelo's B R I E F S

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