Hartford Business Journal

35 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 28, 2022 In his new role, Lavoie will be responsible for coordinating state and private- sector efforts that promote growth in Connecticut's manufacturing industry. One of his major tasks will be trying to figure out how to broaden the talent pipeline as the industry struggles to fill thousands of available jobs. "We will continue to engage, educate and enable our manufacturers to take advantage of the market opportunities, grow their businesses and solidify Connecticut's reputation as the Silicon Valley of Advanced Manufacturing," Lavoie said. Lavoie formerly served as general manager of Carey Manufacturing in Cromwell, a builder of catches, latches and handles, as well as electronic hardware. He made headlines in recent years by reshoring some of Carey's outsourced operations back to Connecticut. Prior to his job at Carey, Lavoie was vice president of sales, marketing and human resources at Bristol-based ETTEREngineering Co. In addition, Lavoie is a member of Connecticut's Industry 4.0 Working Group, the Governor's Workforce Council and other manufacturing- related state boards. Max Kothari & Julio Concepcion Max Kothari and Julio Concepcion are two of the city's biggest cheerleaders as leaders of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. Kothari, founder and CEO of Express Kitchens, is expanding his kitchen countertop and sink retail business in Hartford while also chairing the Hartford Chamber. Concepcion, executive director of the chamber, also advocates for Hartford in the General Assembly as representative of the city's 4th District. The pair have worked to build the chamber's clout and impact since its revival in 2018. In 2021 that included helping establish a $6 million grant program that will help cover startup costs for new retail tenants downtown and in other parts of the city. Last summer, Kothari completed a much-anticipated, $2.4 million purchase of the 183,000-square- foot former Veeder-Root property in Hartford's Asylum Hill neighborhood. In the year ahead, Lattimer said his firm's focus will be on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and making greater efforts to introduce high school students to the accounting profession. Lattimer has been a trustee and treasurer of the Mark Twain House for the past nine years and is active in the Windsor community through the school governance board, Windsor Diamond Club and Windsor Softball Booster Club. Drew Andrews Hartford accounting and consulting firm Whittlesey was founded in 1961 as a solo practice on Lewis Street, but it's grown significantly since then, expanding to Massachusetts and becoming a major regional, midsize player. Drew Andrews, the firm's managing partner and CEO since 2008, has led a lot of that recent expansion through acquisitions and organic growth. Case in point: In December Whittlesey announced that it absorbed Bova, Harrington & Associates, a CPA and financial consulting business in Northampton, Massachusetts. Whittlesey also has an office in Holyoke. Andrews is well-known in Hartford's business community. As managing partner and CEO he oversees the firm's business operations and provides internal leadership. During the pandemic he has helped lead Whittlesey's embrace of remote work while his firm, similar to others in the industry, saw increased demand for its services amid a lot of uncertainty for many businesses. Andrews said his firm will be eyeing more growth opportunities in the year ahead, as well as attracting top talent and broadening diversity efforts. Last year, Whittlesey established a diversity, equity and inclusion steering committee to work on policy and strategies. Andrews is a Hartford area native and Connecticut Business & Industry Association board member. He's also an active member of the MetroHartford Alliance, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce and Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. Paul Lavoie Gov. Ned Lamont recently named Paul Lavoie Connecticut's new chief manufacturing officer, taking over the post from the retired Colin Cooper. Rina Patel Rina Patel became the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's new board chair in December, taking over for Liberty Bank Senior Vice President and Regional Manager Jeff Hubbard. Patel has been involved in the manufacturing sector for decades and is currently vice president of operations at RSCC Wire & Cable, a maker of cables and wires for control towers. As part of her daily work for RSCC, Patel oversees plants in East Granby and Florida. She came to the company as executive director of operations in 2019 and was quickly promoted to vice president of operations, where she manages employees at the plants and maintains key client relationships. The CBIA board chair role is a one- year post, and Patel is helping lead the organization through the 2022 legislative session amid the still- ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. CBIA has identified addressing the labor shortage, economic development, small business relief, improving taxpayer return on investment and addressing infrastructure issues as key focus areas this session. Andrew Lattimer Minneapolis-based accounting and consulting firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA) made a big bet on Connecticut when it finalized its deal about a year ago to acquire blumshapiro. Now CLA is one of the largest tax, accounting and consulting firms in Greater Hartford, with about 100 CPAs and 300 employees in West Hartford, Marlborough and Shelton. Leading CLA's Connecticut offices is Managing Principal Andrew Lattimer, who has spent much of the past two years helping clients with the Paycheck Protection Program as well as assistance with the employee retention credits. A New York native, Lattimer has experience with tax planning, research and advising clients in a variety of industries including auto dealerships, aerospace, manufacturing, hospitality, consumer products, real estate, construction, technology service providers and health care. He specializes in federal and state tax returns for individuals, partnerships and privately-held businesses. 2022 POWER 50 The Bushnell — arguably one of the state's top arts-and-culture destinations — received a record $2.2 million in individual donations in fiscal year 2020. Fay told the Hartford Business Journal he anticipated a 25% hit in fiscal 2021, but the theater wound up raising another $2.2 million, a testament to the significant role the theater plays in Hartford's arts scene. A recent innovation included The Bushnell last fall unveiling 11 new outdoor digital display boards that aim to boost audience and public engagement. Fay was also one of six theater executives who formed a rare industry alliance, called The Connecticut Performing Arts Centers Coalition, that aims to promote the industry's needs. During the pandemic, Fay also married his longtime partner, Peggy Fay. It was a small gathering held at The Bushnell. Nicole Wagner Of all the bioscience companies now calling Connecticut home, Farmington-based LambdaVision may have one of the most ambitious long-term goals: development of a protein-based artificial retina that could restore meaningful vision for patients who are blind, or have lost much of their sight due to disease. The implant is expected to be less surgically invasive than competing products, and unlike electrode-based technologies, would not require external power or hardware. At the center of the mission is LambdaVision President and CEO Nicole Wagner, who as a Ph.D. student at UConn played a critical role in the early experiments and research that formed the underpinning for the company's work Since taking the helm, Wagner has secured millions of dollars in funding to help accelerate research and commercialization efforts, navigated the company through the COVID-19 pandemic and even expanded R&D work into outer space, where experiments can be conducted in weightless conditions aboard the International Space Station. Wagner has said her goal is to get the company's artificial retina to patients as soon as possible. Wagner currently serves on the board of the Connecticut Technology Council and New England Women in Science Executives Club, and is a member of the International Space Station National Lab User Advisory Committee. 44 46 48 49 47 45 Nicole Wagner Max Kothari Andrew Lattimer Rina Patel Drew Andrews Paul Lavoie

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