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4 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a r c h 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Foxwoods plans indoor water park, new bingo and expo spaces Foxwoods Resort Casino plans to undertake several major expansion projects, including the addition of an indoor waterpark, a new bingo hall and a new expo center, casino officials announced. Foxwoods said it has formed a part- nership with Wisconsin-based water- park operator Great Wolf Lodge to open "Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket" in 2024. e family resort chain is best known for its water-centered amusement parks but also offers accommodations, restau- rants, arcades and children's activities. It would be the company's first location in Connecticut, with the nearest currently being in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and Pocono Township in Pennsylvania. Foxwoods management also plans to unveil an over 30,000-square-foot, high-stakes bingo hall in what had been the Festival Casino space. Foxwoods' current bingo hall is being transformed into the "Rainmaker Expo Center," which will offer 75,000 square feet of space for events such as corpo- rate meetings, trade shows and sporting events. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED The Fox Tower pool at Foxwoods. Yale New Haven Health to buy trio of hospitals Yale New Haven Health has an- nounced plans to acquire two health networks, including three hospitals, from California-based for-profit hospi- tal operator Prospect Medical Holdings. Under the terms of an agreement signed in February, Yale New Haven Health would buy Manchester Memori- al Hospital, Rockville General Hospital in Vernon and Waterbury Hospital, along with all of their associated real estate assets, physician clinic operations and outpatient services. Manchester and Rockville operate under the banner of Eastern Connecti- cut Health Network, while Waterbury A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n Hospital is the flagship of Waterbury HEALTH. All three hospitals would switch to not-for-profit status under Yale New Haven's ownership. e proposed deal would have to be cleared by regulators before either of the health systems change hands. Yale New Haven Health and Prospect said they believe the transaction will be completed later this year. FILE IMAGE Black Business Alliance cuts ribbon on new HQ at CT Post Mall Celebrating a new space for training, networking and showcasing products, the Black Business Alliance (BBA) hosted the grand opening of its state headquarters inside the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford in February. e space features a lounge area, work stations and retail space spot- lighting African jewelry and clothing by local designers. With 200 members and hundreds more on its contact list, the BBA hopes to expand the network and economic power of Black businesses in the state from its new headquarters. e BBA operated offices across the state before deciding to centralize at the new Milford location. A New Haven outpost remains at 419 Whalley Ave., as a mailing address and meeting location. PHOTO | LIESE KLEIN The Black Business Alliance storefront in the Connecticut Post Mall. Biohaven to pursue epilepsy treatment via $100M deal New Haven-based Biohaven Phar- maceuticals has inked a $100 million agreement with a goal of pursuing a potential treatment for epilepsy, which impacts some 3.5 million Americans. e company said it has entered into a definitive agreement with Channel Biosciences LLC, a subsidiary of Knopp Biosciences LLC of Pittsburgh, to acquire its Kv7 channel target- ing platform. Biohaven will make an upfront payment of $65 million in common shares and $35 million in cash to Knopp Biosciences, for a total value of $100 million. Biohaven has also agreed to make additional payments if annual worldwide net sales ultimately exceed $3 billion. rough the deal, Biohaven is acquiring a lead asset known as BHV- 7000, which it plans to bring to the clinic this year with focal epilepsy as the lead treatment target. New document, website to help minority marijuana entrepreneurs A group of Connecticut legal pot ad- vocates has released a "cannabis mani- festo" that is meant to be a resource for minority business applicants looking to enter the recre- ational industry. e Alliance for Cannabis Equity (ACE), a group formed by the Connecti- cut Commu- nity Outreach Revitalization Program (Conn- CORP) and e WorkPlace, in February announced the release of the manifesto. e eight-part document, put togeth- er by Trumbull-based economic advi- sory firm BJM Solutions, provides an overview of what applicants will need when applying for cannabis licenses. ConnCORP Board Chair Carlton Highsmith said Connecticut's law aims to ensure Black and brown communi- ties aren't le out of the legal cannabis industry. e manifesto covers the legislation, frequently asked questions, resources and success stories. Visit www.acect. org/the-cannabis-manifesto for more information. Asset management firm to add 40 jobs in Greenwich Asset management firm Hudson Bay Capital is expanding its Greenwich offices, with plans to create 40 more jobs at the site. e announcement came through the governor's office, which said the state Department of Economic and Community Development will be supporting the company's hiring with a grant in arrears of up to $1.3 million, contingent upon Hudson Bay Capital creating and retaining those 40 new positions. Hudson Bay Capital, headquartered in New York City, has offices at 28 Havemeyer Place in Greenwich. With the new positions factored in, the Greenwich branch will eventually have around 50 employees, according to company officials. CEO and Chief Investment Officer Sander Gerber said the firm chose to expand operations in Connecticut because of the state's "infrastructure, proximity to metropolitan areas and commitment to business." FuelCell Energy wins funding for Canadian carbon capture project Danbury-based FuelCell Energy has secured $6.8 million in new funding for work on a carbon capture project in Alberta, Canada. e fuel cell manufacturer said the money was awarded through a low-emissions fuels and products com- petition organized by Canada's Clean Resource Innovation Network, which provides backing for green energy initiatives. FuelCell put forward proprietary technology that can capture carbon from power plants while producing cleaner electric power on its own, a process that could reduce the cost of carbon capture, which is environmen- tally friendly but oen expensive. e company is now set to supply that technology to the planned project in Alberta, which would capture carbon thrown off by an oil sand upgrader — which processes bitumen into synthetic crude oil — while generating "mega- watt-scale" power independently. M&T Bank, People's United extend merger agreement while awaiting federal approval New York lender M&T Bank and Bridgeport-based People's United Bank have extended the window to complete their $7.6 billion merger while they still await federal approval of the deal, the banks announced. M&T and People's United officials said they have extended their merger deal agreement — which was first an- nounced a year ago — to June 1. e banks are still waiting on final approval from the Federal Reserve, which has yet to rule on the deal. De- lays from the Fed's Board of Governors caused the would-be partners to miss B R I E F S Carlton Highsmith FILE IMAGE PHOTO | ANDREW VENDITTI Biohaven CEO Vlad Coric. People's United Bank headquarters in Bridgeport. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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