Hartford Business Journal

Aquila's Nest Vineyards INDUSTRY: Farming TOP EXECUTIVES: Neviana Zhgaba, Ardian Llomi HQ: Sandy Hook (Newtown) ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.8 million EMPLOYEES: 40 WEBSITE: www.aquilasnestvineyards.com CONTACT: info@aquilasnestvineyards.com; 203 321 5648 Q&A talks to Neviana Zhgaba, owner of Aquila's Nest Vineyards. Can you describe your business? Aquila's Nest Vineyards is an experience- and impact-focused vineyard, and a climate neutral certified winery, providing visitors with immer- sive events that embrace each of the five senses. Aquila's Nest was inspired by mythological tales and our love for astronomy. All our wines are branded with the image of a constellation, the name of a woman drawn from an ancient Mediterranean myth, the inscription of a wisdom Latin phrase translated in English in the back of the label, as well as a unique wine cup design of the story that brings all these elements together. How did you get into this business? When our older son was 2 years old and our younger son was 3 months old, we found a 40 acre farm in the Sandy Hook area that had been in the local family for the past three generations. Even though we had our hands full with our two very young sons, we fell in love with the property and wanted it to become our family's nest in the near future. But our first goal was to plant the vineyard and build the winery. We wanted to create a unique place where we could bring the community together. How has your business grown in the past year? In 2023, we experienced a 30% growth from 2022. One of our biggest accomplishments has been our partnerships and community support. We have partnered with and empowered 80-plus women-owned businesses and 100-plus local small businesses to create unique wine and crafts/arts/food experiences for their guests. Since October 2020, we have hosted over 580 music performances Thursday through Sunday, promoting local musicians. We have supported the arts by hosting outdoor sculpture exhibits during COVID-19 years, partnering with the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut. Aquila's Nest Vineyards has also been Climate Neutral Certified for the past two years, having offset all operating carbon emissions. What's a major challenge your business has overcome in the past year? Given our rapid growth from the prior year, in 2023 the biggest challenge was to balance our staffing and infrastructure needs with the increasing number of visitors, while pivoting with the ever-unpredictable change in weather. What we anticipated to be a steady summer season turned into the busiest part of the year, which required us to expedite a few infrastructure projects and hiring processes that were planned to be ready for our official peak season, the fall. When the fall season came around, the weather gods decided to give Connecticut rain six weekends in a row, which in turn impacted our staff and guests. The Green Teahouse Inc. INDUSTRY: Food & Beverage TOP EXECUTIVE: Ting Luo, Owner HQ: 500 W. Farms Mall, Farmington ANNUAL REVENUE: $678,000 EMPLOYEES: 18 WEBSITE: thegreenteahouse.com CONTACT: tingluo@thegreenteahouse.com Q&A talks with Ting Luo, owner of The Green Teahouse Inc. Can you describe your business? The Green Teahouse is a retail establishment that offers custom blended, loose-leaf teas, specially curated gifts, and beverages on-site. We also offer education surrounding the culture and preparation of teas through tea ceremonies, special events and catering. Our customers are health conscious with an interest in high-quality teas, and with our bubble tea offerings, we attract many custom- ers young and old looking for a fun drinking experience. Our customers range from tea novices looking to expand their horizons, tea enthusiasts interested in new flavors and combinations, and tea experts looking for premium quality teas sourced globally. How did you get into this business? I was influenced by my brothers who operate traditional tea shops and restaurants in my hometown of Chengdu in the Sichuan Province of China. During my study at university, many of my peers were intrigued by my teas, and I realized that in the United States many people have only been exposed to tea bags and mass-produced, processed teas. I was motivated to open The Green Teahouse to bring my culture and family's passion to the United States to share the love of tea here. How has your business grown in the past year? In moving to a newer and larger physical loca- tion, we have been able to influence a younger crowd to visit our teahouse with exciting bubble tea offerings, while also retaining our long-time customers. We strive to maintain a customer-oriented, friendly environment that provides a pleasant experience for first-time and returning tea lovers. In the past year, our revenue has grown approximately 20%, which is a testament to our quality in all areas. What's a major challenge your business has overcome in the past year? Our biggest challenge has been retaining employees. In the current employment market, we realized that being employee-oriented is just as important as being customer-oriented to the needs and operation of the business. We were able to overcome this challenge by encouraging and focusing on our core values of integrity, trust, respect and unity. We value the health and wellness of our employees and have attracted a staff that values tea just as much as we do. What major strategic plans do you have in the next few years? With this being the only location in the United States, our major strategic plan is to expand our online presence to reach customers nationwide. In the future, we would also like to introduce a greater influence of Chinese traditional herbs. Shady Oaks Assisted Living INDUSTRY: Health Care TOP EXECUTIVE: Tyson Francis Belanger, Owner & Director HQ: 344 Stevens St., Bristol ANNUAL REVENUE: $3.8 million EMPLOYEES: 45 WEBSITE: www.shadyoaksassistedliving.com CONTACT: info@shadyoaksassistedliving.com; 860-583-1526 Q&A talks with Tyson Francis Belanger, owner and director of Shady Oaks Assisted Living. Can you describe your business? Shady Oaks Assisted Living is an assisted-living facility that provides nursing care in a home- like setting. We help 42 disabled seniors — 60% of whom use wheelchairs. Ninety-five percent of our clients never need nursing homes. We are more affordable than 24/7 home care, better staffed than other assisted-living facilities, and more home-like than nursing homes. How did you get into this business? America has a senior-care crisis — 24/7 home care is unaffordable; most assisted-living facilities are overwhelmed and understaffed; nursing homes feel too much like hospitals. America's seniors need an affordable, strongly staffed, home-like alternative. This 'trinity of need' defines the moral and professional mission of Shady Oaks Assisted Living. My parents built Shady Oaks in 1976. My grand- mother lived and worked here for 25-plus years. My aunt served 21 years as a supervising nurse. My brother and his wife led major improvements. Seven of my family members lived here. I bought the home in 2016. I feel a duty to help. What's been your biggest accomplishment? Our biggest accomplishment was protecting our residents from COVID-19. During spring 2020, 17 staff and I lived and worked here, bubbled on-site, for 10 weeks. Meanwhile, COVID killed 59 residents in Bristol nursing homes. After our bubble, we used KN95 masks, air purifiers and frequent testing. Only eight residents ever caught COVID here. Another accomplishment was strengthening our staff. We grew from three full-time nurses to five. We increased nurse-aide staffing 33%. No other assisted-living facility has our quality and quantity of staffing. We excel at lift, memory and hospice care. While many homes struggle with high care, we thrive. What's a major challenge your business has overcome in the past year? Wage inflation was a tough challenge. In 2020, our nurse aides began at $15 per hour. They now start at $24. Nurse wages increased more than 30%. We tried hiring at lower wages, but we saw lower quality, so we kept pushing wages higher. We also had difficult costs from COVID safety. Seventy percent of our staff has had COVID. We paid COVID-positive staff to stay home, and covered shifts by giving bonuses to healthy staff. All this strained our home's affordability. Never- theless, we found ways to help at-risk residents. Category Winner MINORITY OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Category Winner MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR Category Winner JEFFREY BUTLAND FAMILY-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Ardian Llomi Neviana Zhgaba 28 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 13, 2024

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