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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 5 $ A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n Chip City cookie business plans first Connecticut locations Chip City, a cookie-focused bakery business, is planning to expand into Connecticut this year with new loca- tions in Fairfield and Darien. e company launched in Queens in 2017 and has grown to 18 locations throughout New York and New Jersey, with additional East Coast expansion in the works. e Fairfield store is slated to open at 1125 Post Rd. in the third quarter of 2023. e Fairfield space is cur- rently vacant, but previously housed a T-Mobile. e Darien location will be in Darien Commons on Heights Road, and that site is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2023. e business' menu features an ar- ray of cookies, from staple flavors like chocolate chip to blueberry cheese- cake, chocolate peanut butter, confetti, oatmeal apple pie, s'mores, lemon ber- ry and cannoli cookie. e business makes approximately 50 flavors. PHOTO | COURTESY CHIP CITY The interior of a Chip City business. Hamden counseling business must pay $234K settlement A counseling business serving the greater New Haven area will pay $234,000 to resolve allegations that it violated federal and state false claims laws. Kelly Stutzman and her business, K-Assist LLC, reached a civil settlement agreement to pay the amount, according to announcements from both the state Attorney General's office and the U.S. Attorney's office. e company provides in- home counseling services and psychotherapy and is based in Hamden, its website shows. It lists addresses in both Hamden and in Rindge, N.H., according to the Secretary of the State's office. Officials said most services were provided in clients' homes. e government claimed Stutzman and her company repeatedly billed the Connecticut Medicaid program for thousands of hours of services she claimed to have provided but were instead provided by unlicensed individuals. According to Stutzman's defense counsel, the individuals who were hired were in the process of obtaining their licenses at the time. Liberty Bank launches new digital bank for small business owners Liberty Bank in April 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. e new digital bank is available only to small business owners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania right now, but the company said it plans to expand nationally. e digital bank can help companies manage invoicing, bill payment, cash flow and other accounting functions, in addition to offering business interest checking and savings accounts. e bank's digital platform will allow small business owners to create a personalized dashboard that consolidates all of their accounts. Business loans and credit opportunities for small businesses will be available at Owners Bank starting in mid-2023, the company said. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Liberty Bank Chief Digital Officer David Mitchell said the goal of launching a digital bank is to expand in other states without opening new branches. CT commercial furniture company acquired by Boston firm Hartford-based De Clercq Office Group, a commercial furniture company, has been acquired by a Boston firm. Creative Office Resources, a Boston-based commercial furniture dealer, closed on an acquisition of De Clercq Office Group on April 4. De Clercq Office Group has locations in Hartford, New Haven and Norwalk, which Creative Office Resources officials said would further strengthen the company's position in Connecticut. De Clercq Office Group has been a MillerKnoll dealer in the Connecticut market for more than 23 years. Now, the existing locations will be rebranded as Creative Office Resources. Creative Office Resources also has an existing office in Stamford. n $ 5 M The amount of grant money that the Connecticut Port Authority in April designated to support waterfront improvement projects in Branford, Stamford, Norwich, Stonington, Stratford and Norwalk. B Y T H E N U M B E R S 1,1 0 0 The number of jobs that Connecticut employers added in March. $ 9.6 M The amount of Connecticut's March adult- use cannabis sales, according to the state Department of Consumer Protection. print ad print ad Looking for a commercial lender who's as committed as you? At GE Credit Union, we have a suite of solutions that will work for you so you can get down to business. • Vehicle purchase and refinancing • Commercial real estate lending • Great rates and flexible terms We are GE Credit Union. Committed to New Haven. Committed to your business. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LENDER. 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