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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 30, 2023 B3 C-SUITE | 2023 AWARDS A hands-on leader, Peter Arn co-founded ROMTech, a telehealth technology company, and drives its core initiatives. ese include gathering intelligence from tens of thousands of physicians and business leaders to ascertain where medicine wants to go, and from that, shaping the compa- ny's product and business strategy. Arn has spearheaded capital raises totaling over $200 million with no venture capital, recruited a world-class management team, and is the inspira- tional force that drives all ROMTech employees. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments over the past year? My greatest achievements include the continual expansion of our thou- sand-physician collective that advises on product development, market devel- opment, and new opportunities. We have leveraged this insight to enter hyper-growth, with 2023 sales expected to reach 300% year-over-year growth. In what ways are you involved in the community? We have success- fully aided over 45,000 patients using technol- ogy delivered in-home, expediting their recovery, enhancing their mobility, and returning to their activities of daily living in half the time and with far less pain and narcotic consumption. Many patients would have been unlikely to survive without our technology. On the job Guiding business prin- ciple: Integrity, do right to others. Best way to keep your competitive edge: Take a scorched-earth approach to gathering feedback and using it to optimize. Best business decision: Focusing on delivering healthcare technology in the home. Worst business decision: Saving money by hiring less-expensive team members. Biggest missed opportunity: Settling for and/or keeping underperforming team members cost us many months or more in the race to market. J eff Bravin is the executive director at the American School for the Deaf, the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and the birthplace of American sign language. Bravin is responsible for carrying out the mission of ASD, which serves over 500 students globally through its on-campus academic, therapeutic and birth-to- three programs, Camp Isola Bella and Interna- tional Online Academy. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments over the past year? Over the past year, ASD experienced incredible growth in both enrollment and program devel- opment. Our birth-to-three program expanded to become a comprehensive statewide provider, which resulted in an increased admission of pre-K and elementary students for the 2023-24 school year. ASD's Online Academy also tripled its numbers served while providing access to education for deaf and hard of hearing students across the globe. ASD also recently launched a new three-year strategic plan focused heavily on enhancing our campus facilities to meet the evolv- ing needs of our students and continuing our tradition of educational excellence. In what ways are you involved in the community? I am currently the president of the Confer- ence of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD). I also serve on the governor's statewide advisory board that advocates on behalf of Connecticut's deaf, hard of hearing and DeafBlind communities. On the job Guiding business principle: Leading with integrity while ensuring equitable access to education and communi- cation for deaf, hard-of-hearing and DeafBlind students. Best way to keep your competitive edge: Staying involved locally and nationally to maintain a pulse on emerging trends in deaf education. F oster Charles' role as founder and CEO is to provide strate- gic vision for the company, driving toward customer service excellence and operational transparency. Charles is growth-driven and focused on holding the team accountable to best-in-class standards. "Work hard, play hard" is a motto that he infuses into the company culture, resulting in a dynamic work environment that is continuously voted as one of the region's "Best Places to Work." What have been your biggest professional accomplishments over the past year? We've successfully maintained our 20% growth rate in terms of revenue and team size from 2022 through 2023, and completed the build-out of our Virtual Chief Information Security Offi- cer team. I'm excited about the success of our professional development program, providing development paths for every employee in the company. In what ways are you involved in the community? I'm actively involved in the MSP community through IT Nation Evolve, assisting peers in tech businesses' advancement. rough my company, I actively participate in local initiatives and fundraisers, includ- ing the Middletown Car Cruise for YMCA Youth Programs and Pride events, reflecting our commitment to cultivat- ing community growth and inclusivity. On the job Guiding business prin- ciple: Be epic. I never want to be just average. Best way to keep your competitive edge: Never stop growing. Personally, professionally, or the business. Best business decision: Hiring people who are either smarter than I am, or who are my opposites. Worst business decision: Taking too long to hire or fire people. I took too long to hire some of the people I needed and took too long to fire the people who were holding the team back. Biggest missed opportunity: I don't look back – we can only change or impact what's ahead of us. Goal yet to be achieved: Have five Charles IT offices throughout the Northeast region of the United States. Personal touch in your office: Dogs. Every office we open is, and will be, dog friendly. C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S , P E T E R ! Peter Arn ROMTech ® CEO 2023 C-Suite Award Winner We celebrate Mr. Peter Arn, dedicated leader and creator of the PortableConnect ® Adaptive Telemed Technology for at-home orthopedic and cardiac rehabilitation. Visit ROMTech.com. Jeff Bravin Executive Director AMERICAN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF (ASD) Size of organization: 294 employees Education: Master's degree in deaf education, McDaniel College Foster Charles Founder and CEO CHARLES IT Size of organization: 100 employees Education: High School Peter Arn CEO, Founder, Chairman ROM TECHNOLOGIES INC. (ROMTECH) Size of organization: 400-plus employees WINNER CATEGORY | CEO, LARGE COMPANY, 200+ EMPLOYEES WINNER CATEGORY | CEO, LARGE NONPROFIT, 200+ EMPLOYEES WINNER CATEGORY | CEO, MEDIUM COMPANY, 76-199 EMPLOYEES