Hartford Business Journal

30 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 4, 2024 POWER 50 of 101 College St., a 525,000-square- foot life sciences tower. New Haven has been gaining traction as a biosci- ence hub, helped significantly by the presence of Yale University. Prior to being elected mayor, Elicker was on the New Haven Board of Alders. He also served as executive director of the New Haven Land Trust. The married father of two was an elementary and high school teacher, and an adjunct professor of education policy at Southern Connecticut State University. Elicker has a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College in Vermont, an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a master's degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Environment. 15 Donald Allan Jr. S ince replacing former CEO Jim Loree in 2022, Donald Allan Jr. has led Stanley Black & Decker through some turbulent times in recent years, including a $2 billion cost-cutting effort in response to high inflation, slowing demand and a desire to simplify and streamline operations. The New Britain tool-making giant announced last March it was closing manufacturing facilities in South Carolina and Texas, and reducing its overall employment headcount. In December, the company announced it would be selling its attachment and handheld hydraulic tools business, STANLEY Infra- structure, to a Swedish firm for $760 million. It has sold off other busi- nesses in recent years, and closed its downtown Hartford innovation center. While he only became CEO a few years ago, Allan is a familiar name within the company and Greater Hart- ford's business community. He first joined Stanley in 1999, and worked his way up the corporate ladder, even- tually to president and chief financial officer before being named CEO. A year ago, Allan was named board chair of the University of Hartford's board of regents, a key post as the private college searches for a new president following recent financial struggles. Allan earned his accounting degree at UHart in 1986. Allan is also a lead director at window and door manufacturer Anderson Corp., a member of the Business Roundtable and a board member of Hartford HealthCare. He serves on several nonprofit boards, including Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Boy Scouts Connecticut Rivers Council and Advan- ceCT, the state's private nonprofit economic development organization. 16 Frank Reynolds F rank Reynolds is president and CEO of United Illuminating, an electric company based in Orange that serves more than 341,000 customers in Connecticut. Reynolds is the public face of his company's policy battle with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority over cuts to its recent rate increase request. UI has filed a lawsuit in New Britain Superior Court appealing PURA's decision, which approved a revenue requirement that was 22% less than the $131 million the utility requested over a three-year period. He says PURA's new perfor- mance-based ratemaking framework has prevented UI from recovering costs on current and future projects, which is creating a backlog. It's also affecting the company's margins. UI is also on the other side of a high-profile legal battle. The company is being sued by Attorney General William Tong, who is seeking $25,000-a-day in fines for each of six alleged violations involving UI's remediation of the English Station, a defunct power plant in New Haven that the company shut down in 1992. UI defended itself, arguing it "has gone above and beyond its obli- gations for the cleanup of English Station," and that Tong is simply engaging in "heated rhetoric." UI is a subsidiary of utility giant Avangrid, which is owned by the Spanish energy company Iberdrola. UI's revenue comprises about 15% of Avangrid's total. Reynolds was appointed president and CEO of UI in 2020. He began his career at Southern Connecticut Gas as part of a rotational program for new engineers. Born in Jamaica, he moved to the United States with his family when he was 4. He has a bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University and received his MBA in finance at the University of New Haven. He also spent 20 years in the Connecticut Army National Guard, retiring in 2004 with the rank of major. 17 Montez Carter M ontez Carter, the affable, sports-loving president and CEO of Trinity Health Of New England, is in his second year at the helm of the third-largest hospital operator in the state. Carter began his career as a pharmacist, then moved into lead- ership roles within Michigan-based Trinity Health's organization. He served as president and CEO of St. Mary's Health Care System in Georgia before starting in his current role leading the group's New England operations on Oct. 3, 2022. He took the reins amid challenging times for health care, which continued in 2023 as two top executives at Trinity Health Of New England departed — the chief financial officer and president of its largest hospital, St. Francis in Hartford. But, despite financial challenges, Carter told the Hartford Business Journal last November that he's proud of the organization's accomplish- ments, both for patients and staff. In April, the Catholic healthcare system partnered with national nonprofit RIP Medical to erase $32.76 million worth of liabilities for 22,300 patients — a move in line with what he calls the organization's "special affinity for those who are vulnerable and underserved." Also, Trinity has launched employee retention and recruitment efforts over the last year. One of those initiatives — a virtual nurse program — helps address both the worker shortage and patient experience. Experienced regis- tered nurses, stationed remotely, now appear virtually on screens in patients' rooms. They provide assis- tance to on-site care teams, while also mentoring and supporting new graduates. Carter said Trinity Health has made it a priority to reach patients in their communities, such as by opening an ambulatory access center in Bloom- field in August. The facility, at 852 Cottage Grove Road, has both urgent and outpatient care centers. Trinity also completed a $6 million renovation and expansion of its Enfield campus last year. Infrastructure improvements are coming to St. Francis Hospital, too. Construction of a new 554-space, three-story parking garage will be completed this year, he said, making it easier for patients and staff to access the facility. 18 Jay Williams S ince arriving at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in 2017, Jay Williams has signifi- cantly lifted the profile of the orga- nization, which sits on a $1-billion community fund. Williams himself has gained noto- riety as a key community leader. He was appointed in November to help lead Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulam- palam's transition team. A key program launched under Williams' leadership was the "Access Grants" initiative to support nonprofits aligned with the foundation's stra- tegic priorities: dismantling structural racism and increasing social and economic mobility for Greater Hart- ford's communities of color. Through five rounds of funding, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.2 million in Access Grants to 62 organizations. The latest funding round, announced in December, supported 11 organizations with nearly $370,000. One of the recipients was the Charter Oak Boxing Academy, which offers an array of programs, including one that promotes high school comple- tion, and technical career training or college among youth in Hartford. The Foundation is also promoting "get-out-the-vote efforts" in an important presidential election year. Since 2018, the Hartford Founda- tion has provided nearly $1 million in grants to encourage greater civic engagement and increase voter partic- ipation across Greater Hartford. This year, it will be providing grants of up to $25,000 to support nonpartisan efforts that engage underrepresented voters. Williams, a former mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, has served on the boards of the MetroHartford Alliance, AdvanceCT and is a member of the

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