Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 3, 2023 29 To attract and retain the next LEGO, we need to think small By Onyeka Obiocha W hat are companies like LEGO seeking in higher-cost, higher-tax Boston that they aren't finding in Connecticut? LEGO's announced departure from Enfield sparked a public tour of self-reflection for Connecticut leaders. Statewide, Connecticut has advanced sectors, robust college pipelines, and a surge in new residents since the pandemic, but as Susan Bigelow wrote in CTNewsJunkie, LEGO's corporate departure from Connecticut is part of a larger trend of companies leaving suburban corporate campuses in favor of offices embedded in vibrant urban settings. Even in the age of remote work, these companies are seeing cities as the best way to connect to dense networks of talent for their future hiring. As state, regional and community leaders, it is our responsibility to adjust to these shifting trends and re-examine the way we engage with the professional vibrancy throughout Connecticut. Approaching this challenge requires a change in the narrative. Our communities are so much more than "conveniently located halfway between" two global cities. The appeal of Connecticut's lifestyle is more than quiet greenery, it is also the close connection to world-class talent. Connecticut artists are nominated for Grammy Awards, our scientists win Nobel Prizes, our corporate offices steer global companies. The past five years have shown that dynamic innovation ecosystems are inseparable from the social econo- mies of their place. Our small size can mean faster connections and personal relation- ships with community leaders, if we invest in making these our strengths. If we support our local entre- preneurs with the resources they need, they will fill our communities with activity: Access to shared kitchens and mentorship through New London's RD86 and Hartford's Culinary Collective and Swift Factory have supported new food establish- ments throughout each city. Street markets in New Haven and Hartford feature new vendors. And new spaces have become commu- nity hubs, like the local artists and businesses launched at New Haven's State House, or the way Stamford's Third Place at Half Full Brewery gathers and connects aspiring entre- preneurs and the city's corporate management leaders. We are fortunate to have state leaders who share this vision. Governor Lamont is investing in Connecticut's cities as our economic engines, with new initiatives like the Department of Economic and Community Development's Commu- nities Challenge and Innovation Corridor programs shaping urban infrastructure for inclusive growth, and the Small Business Boost fund capitalizing businesses to expand into those spaces. Our state legislature created the Community Investment Fund, which addresses decades of structural ineq- uities and charts a pathway forward for our state economy. These investments show a shared vision between our cities and suburbs of regional economies anchored and powered by their urban centers, which attract new jobs and keep our next generation in Connecticut as they start their careers. Last year, I started as the executive director of CTNext, a quasi-public economic development agency focused on supporting the ground- breaking entrepreneurs that call Connecticut home, both high-tech and community-based. Our programs reflect our belief that, as a state, we must foster the condi- tions for sites of cultural collision and vibrancy to flourish. At CTNext, we are approaching our cities as the backbone of our efforts to create accessible opportunities for Connecticut's innovators to develop regional innovation ecosystems. Editor's Take Ignored ship bell reflects need to better embrace Hartford's history T he Capital Region Develop- ment Authority — the quasi- public agency responsible for helping finance major downtown Hartford apartment projects — has a full plate on its hands. It recently unveiled a $107.2- million plan to renovate the aging XL Center and is negotiating with Los Angeles-based sports and live enter- tainment company Oak View Group to help fund the much-needed investment as part of a public-private partnership. It's also overseeing the continued construction of a sports betting lounge within the XL Center, a project beset by supply chain-related delays. CRDA is also negotiating a number of new apartment development deals amid a challenging economic environment, in which rising interest rates and supply chain bottlenecks have made financing harder to close and budgets more challenging to predict. Given that significant project pipeline, it may leave some to ques- tion why CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth during a recent board meeting raised a new priority: moving a bell once attached to USS Hartford, the flagship of famous Civil War Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, to a more prominent place in the Capital City. Freimuth told his board, according to HBJ reporter Mike Puffer, he recently stumbled upon the bell — located in a lonely corner of Hartford's Constitution Plaza office park — during a walk and is now on a mission to move it to a location where it can serve as an identifiable city landmark. One place under consideration is the nearby Connecticut Convention Center, which, according to a recent study, needs more "Instagramable" spaces — places that could identify Hartford in social media posts. Should the CRDA spend time worrying about the proper location for an old ship bell? That's not for me to judge, but the fact that a historic artifact largely remains ignored in downtown Hartford is a missed opportunity. The city should do more to promote its vibrant arts and culture scene, which includes showcasing its ties to American history. That's how popular cities and towns create a "cool factor" that makes them desired places to live, work and play. The city of Boston, which I've written about in several columns recently, is a perfect example. It doesn't just embrace its history, it gives it a bear hug. This month Boston will celebrate its annual Patriot's Day, which commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary War. The city marks the day with the running of the Boston Marathon and a rare morning Boston Red Sox game — celebra- tions that inject even more activity into a normally bustling city. Part of the reason Boston is a tourist attraction is because it markets its place in American history. It's part of that city's charm and appeal. Hartford should do more of that. Hartford's competitive advantage On March 14, Hartford Business Journal hosted a real estate forum where a major focus was discussing ways to boost the city's vibrancy. One discussion topic was how to make Hartford's nightlife scene as vibrant as West Hartford's. The neighboring suburb of more than 64,000 residents has become one of the region's premier foodie desti- nations. Many of its restaurants are crowded, no matter which night of the week. One panelist pointed out that Hartford's competitive advantage is its strong arts and culture base, including a wide range of theaters and museums that serve as economic drivers. It dawned on me at that point that we should have had a theater or museum executive on the panel — again, another missed opportunity to make that industry a key part of the conversation. Moving an old ship bell won't change Hartford's trajectory. It might not even create the Instagrammable space the Connecticut Convention Center desires. But any efforts to promote and showcase the city's history and build up its arts and culture bona fides, should be welcomed, no matter how small. Greg Bordonaro Onyeka Obiocha OTHER VOICES

• Cover