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Editorial Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139 gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Drew Larson | Web Editor, ext. 121 alarson@hartfordbusiness.com Michael Puffer | Staff Writer, ext. 145 mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Real Estate, Economic Development, Banking & Finance Hanna Snyder Gambini | Staff Writer hgambini@hartfordbusiness.com Beat: Economic Development Robert Storace | Staff Writer, ext. 127 rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Health Care, Higher Education, Arts & Culture Skyler Frazer | Staff Writer, ext. 145 sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Manufacturing, Cannabis, Technology, Transportation Stephanie R. Meagher | Lead Researcher Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer Business Tom Curtin | Publisher, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Daniel Schilke | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 135, dschilke@HartfordBusiness.com Emily Paskind | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 133, epaskind@hartfordbusiness.com Matthew Anzolletti | Senior Accounts Manager manzolletti@Hartfordbusiness.com C.203.886.8588 Tracy Rodwill | Human Resources Manager trodwill@nebusinessmedia.com Production Bartosz Zinowko | Production Director, ext. 147 bzinowko@hartfordbusiness.com Torigen CEO Ashley Kalinauskas in the biotech company's new Farmington headquarters. HBJ PHOTO | ROBERT STORACE Torigen unveils Farmington HQ with eye on new animal cancer vaccine Torigen Pharmaceuticals Inc. – which is developing new cancer vaccine products for pets – has settled into a new 9,090-square- foot headquarters in Farmington as it continues its growth trajec- tory. Torigen had been a member of UConn's Farmington-based Technology Incubation Program at 400 Farmington Ave., before recently relocating to its new leased headquarters at 6 Exec- utive Drive, according to CEO Ashley Kalinauskas. Torigen's new facility includes 3,000 square feet of manufac- turing space. The company has grown from a one-person opera- tion, Kalinauskas, to 25 full-time employees today, including a chief innovation officer, chief financial officer, quality scientists, and production technicians. Torigen has eight patents for VetiVax, a pet cancer vaccine. The vaccine is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center of Veterinary Biologics as an experimental therapy with unproven safety and efficacy, but the company is working toward obtaining a condi- tional licensure, which Kalinauskas said could come within 18 months. "It would allow us not to have the experimental label and to expand our market," she said. The company hopes to unveil several new products over the next several years, Kalinauskas said, including a second version of VetiVax, and treatments for dogs and cats with immune-medi- ated diseases, including dry-eye and lymphoma. Liberty Bank launches new digital bank for small business owners Liberty Bank has announced the opening of Owners Bank, a new digital bank focused on small businesses. Owners Bank, which will operate as a separate brand but under Liberty's charter, will offer online banking and finance management services tailored to small business owners. The new digital bank is available only to small business owners in Connecticut, Massachu- setts, Rhode Island and Pennsyl- vania right now, but Liberty said it plans to expand the bank nation- ally at some point. Liberty Bank Executive Vice President, General Manager and Chief Digital Officer David Mitchell leads the new bank as CEO. Harry Gunsallus serves as chief oper- ating officer and Lizette Nigro as chief product officer. Mitchell said the goal for Owners Bank is to expand into other states digitally without opening up phys- ical branches. The target market is businesses with less than $1 million in annual revenue and 10 or fewer employees, he said. Hartford company launches luxury furniture line made of recycled materials A Hartford-based company, Ecogensus, has launched a line of sustainable furniture and home goods made of recycled materials. The brand, called House of Ecologie, is a partnership with New York City architect and inte- rior designer, Campion Platt, and includes luxury furniture created from repurposed waste materials. Ecogensus, a sustainable resources technology company, will build the furniture using waste-derived advanced composite materials in lieu of wood and also incorporate other recovered and recycled materials. The concept is the brainchild of Ecogensus founder and CEO Bjørnulf Østvik, who designed the first product for House of Ecologie, called the "Eco-Table," which is made from U.S. household solid waste. CVS-owned Hartford health insurer Aetna gets new president CVS Health has named a new president of its Hartford-based Aetna health insurance unit, effective Sept. 1. Brian Kane, an executive vice president with CVS Health and former Humana executive, will replace Daniel Finke, who is step- ping down as Aetna's president for health reasons, the company said. Kane will report to CVS Health President and CEO Karen S. Lynch. "Brian has a track record of bringing customer-driven innovations to the market and delivering strong operating improvements," Lynch said. "His passion to simplify the healthcare experience will advance our strategy to improve health, lower costs and drive higher levels of engagement among our members." Aetna is the healthcare benefits arm of CVS Health that provides benefits and insurance to employers, individuals and government enti- ties. It serves nearly 35 million customers. CVS acquired Aetna in 2018 for $70 billion. UConn to spend $2.5M gift converting former Freitas ice hockey center into new home for women's volleyball The UConn Board of Trustees has signed off on $2.5 million in funding for the conversion of the Freitas ice center into the new home for the women's volleyball program. The men's and women's ice hockey teams, which formerly played at Freitas, began playing this year at the new $70 million Toscano Family Ice Forum. The women's volleyball program David Mitchell is the CEO of Owners Bank. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Connecticut entrepreneur Bjørnulf Østvi.