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32 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 4, 2024 POWER 50 GO TO >> WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-EVENTS/FAMILY-BUSINESS-AWARDS CALLING ALL 2024 NOMINATIONS DO YOU KNOW A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS? Family businesses are an integral part of the social and business fabric of our state. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in family-owned businesses and tell the story of a select group of the region's most successful firms. Honorees will be recognized in a special issue of the Hartford Business Journal. NOMINATE TODAY DEADLINE 3/11 PRESENTING SPONSOR: SUPPORTING SPONSOR: 4 SCAN HERE TO NOMINATE! 21 Judy Olian A ll eyes were on Quinnipiac University when the school's men's hockey team won the 2023 NCAA Division I national cham- pionship. Judy Olian, president of the Hamden-based university, seized the opportunity to cast a positive spotlight on the small private college. Several large donations came from supporters and alumni following the victory, which will help the school with its ongoing growth plans. Olian this year will oversee continued progress on three new campus buildings, part of a $240 million investment. The work includes construction of a new School of Business, general academic building and 417-bed residence hall. These will be the first new stand- alone buildings on campus in 30 years. Quinnipiac also partnered with Hartford HealthCare to expand hands-on learning opportunities for students in health care and other industries, Olian said. As part of the partnership, Hart- ford HealthCare agreed to invest $5 million over five years into the university's medical, nursing and health sciences programs. Olian became Quinnipiac's ninth president in 2018. She oversees the college's three campuses in Hamden and North Haven. The school enrolled just under 9,000 graduate and undergraduate students in the fall of 2022. Olian previously served as dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She was also dean and professor of management at the Smeal College of Business Administration at Pennsylvania State University. Her business background was part of the reason she was recently named co-chair of AdvanceCT, the state's nonprofit business recruitment arm. Born and raised in Australia, Olian earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and her master's degree and Ph.D. in indus- trial relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 22 Michael Freimuth W hen city and state leaders gather to celebrate the launch of a large-scale development in Hartford, it's a good bet that Michael Freimuth is somewhere in the crowd — and that he played a big part in making it possible. Freimuth has headed the Capital Region Development Authority over the past decade, ably guiding it into the most impactful devel- opment engine in Hartford. The agency has also played a key role in East Hartford's recent redevelopment efforts. In Hartford, the CRDA has provided low-interest gap financing — and accompanying property tax breaks — that have led to the construction of roughly 3,000 new apartments in recent years. There are about 2,500 additional units in the development pipeline. CRDA also oversees some of Greater Hartford's most important venues, including the XL Center arena, Connecticut Convention Center and Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Freimuth and his staff are potentially close to securing a long-sought, $100 million renova- tion of the XL Center. The agency has managed to arrange financing from state lawmakers and venue management company Oak View Group. Freimuth and his staff are also deep into efforts to secure private redevelopment of roughly 20 acres south of Bushnell Park. This land is largely occupied by surface parking lots. The master plan guiding the development calls for a neighbor- hood mixing about 1,200 house- holds with parks, commercial space and parking structures.