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Editorial Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139 gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Michelle Tuccitto Sullo | Managing Editor, ext. 127 msullo@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Health Care, Higher Education 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 Beats: Economic Development, Arts, Culture & Tourism Skyler Frazer | Staff Writer, ext. 145 sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Manufacturing, Cannabis, Technology, Transportation Stephanie R. Meagher | Research Director Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer Business Tom Curtin | Publisher, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com Jessica M. Quinn | General Manager, ext. 137 jquinn@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 Tracy Rodwill | Human Resources Manager trodwill@nebusinessmedia.com Production Bartosz Zinowko | Production Director, ext. 147 bzinowko@hartfordbusiness.com HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 2, 2023 3 Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O'Leary in front of the Anamet factory. Negotiations to sell 17.4-acre former Waterbury manufacturing site to aquaculture company fall apart W aterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary has pulled the plug on negoti- ations to sell or lease the city's 17.4-acre Anamet manufac- turing site to local aquaculture business Ideal Fish, and will soon begin angling for a new tenant/development partner. O'Leary said Ideal Fish failed to produce information needed to move forward with a deal, prompting him to halt negotiations. Anamet closed its complex at 698 South Main St., in 2000. Neglected, the complex's buildings began to fall into disrepair A redevelopment company formed by the city bought the property in 2017, and officials have since spent millions in city and state dollars demolishing most buildings on-site and repairing the roof of a single, 220,000-square-foot industrial building kept for reuse. In April 2022, the city issued a "request for proposals" for potential buyers and tenants of the surviving property. Only two respondents were deemed viable. A selection committee opted to focus on Ideal Fish, an aquaculture company launched in a 65,000-square-foot leased industrial space in Waterbury's East End in 2018. There, Branzino, a European sea bass, are grown in massive tanks until they are ready to be harvested and sold. O'Leary said another respondent to the 2022 RFP continues to be inter- ested in the property and is expected to respond to a new RFP. $175M wagered on retail sports in CT over two years Hartford officials recently cele- brated the grand opening of a sports bar and sportsbook at the XL Center in downtown Hartford. It's the 10th sportsbook in the state out of the 15 authorized by law. Next up, construction is expected to begin on a new 2,500-square-foot sportsbook at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, according to the CT Lottery Corp., which will operate the site. Since October 2021, when sports betting was officially allowed in Connecticut, about $175 million has been wagered in retail sports, a monthly average of $7.6 million, according to data compiled by the Department of Consumer Protection, which regu- lates gambling. About 89% of the total money wagered, $156 million, was paid out in patron winnings, while 1.65% was used toward federal excise taxes and payments to the state's general fund. The state's general fund has received an average of about $107,000 each month from retail sports. José Luis Martínez | CT Mirror Bank of America to increase minimum wage to $25 by 2025 Bank of America is increasing its minimum wage to $23 an hour starting in October, which equates to roughly $48,000 a year for full-time employees, the company said. In addition, Bank of America, which is Connecticut's largest bank by deposits, plans to raise its minimum hourly wage to $25 by 2025. Bank of America raised its minimum wage to $15 in 2017, $17 in 2019, $20 in 2020, $21 in 2021 and $22 in May 2022. In Connecticut, Bank of America had $44.7 billion in deposits, as of June 2022. BioCT to move into new 101 College St. building in New Haven BioCT, an industry trade group for Connecticut's bioscience sector, announced it plans to move into the new 101 College St. building in New Haven by February. Jodie Gillon, president and CEO of BioCT, said the building appealed to the organization because of its state- of-the-art event space. BioCT manages two incuba- tors, one in Groton and one in New Haven, with the latter at the John B. Pierce Laboratory on Congress Avenue. BioCT currently has no office space. Gillon said 101 College St. will have event space to accommodate between 10 and 400 people, and access to these spaces will enable more programming. Developer Carter Winstanley, principal of Winstanley Enterprises, said construction of the 101 College building will be complete this fall, with the first tenants moving in sometime after Jan. 1. Cannabis entrepreneur secures permit for New Haven retail location A longtime registered nurse and entrepreneur has secured a special permit to open a new cannabis dispensary in New Haven. Acreage Connecticut Retail JV LLC has gained a city permit for The new sportsbook in downtown Hartford's XL Center. Rendering of the 101 College St. tower in New Haven. HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER Kebra Smith- Bolden