Hartford Business Journal

8 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 20, 2025 DE AL WATCH A rendering of MB Financial's proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the former MassMutual office complex in Enfield, at 100 Bright Meadow Blvd. Contributed Image Building Momentum Branford developer MB Financial expands across CT with ambitious redevelopment projects Boston's Wentworth Institute of Tech- nology. After graduation, he partnered with his brothers, Anthony and Mario. Today, MB Financial and its affiliates employ about 50 people, with projects in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. With its development load picking up, the firm will shortly hire 10 more marketing, sales and leasing staff, Massimino said. Project pipeline In Clinton, MB Financial is pursuing a multiphase redevelopment of the former Unilever cosmetics campus — a 25-acre site with about 300,000 square feet of manufacturing, office and warehouse space. The project, called The Station for its location next to a passenger rail stop, will feature build- ings named after famous train stations. The 45-unit luxury "Grand" building was completed in 2023 and is fully occupied. Massimino plans to convert at least one additional building and is considering demolishing an existing warehouse. Design work is underway, and he expects to add at least 250 more apartments. MB Financial is also working with the town to improve traffic flow and pedestrian access downtown. In Stratford, the firm paid $1.6 million in 2020 for the 148,616-square-foot former Dictaphone Corp. office building and its 9.7-acre property. Within the next three months, MB Financial plans to submit plans to convert the 1956-era building into about 100 apartments and add three new structures with another 138 units. The project, to be called The Summit, will feature a pool, dog park, fitness center and pickleball courts. MB Financial closed on the former WWE property in Stamford in December. The four-story, glass-en- cased office building sits atop four levels of parking with 318 spaces. Massimino hopes to begin the conver- sion early next year. Plans for Titan Tower call for 84 By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com E arly this year, Branford-based developer MB Financial Group approached Enfield town officials with tentative plans to convert the massive, vacant MassMutual office complex on the town's northern edge into apartments. The biggest question on Economic and Community Development Director Aaron Marcavitch's mind was whether the group had the capability to pull off such a large-scale repositioning. The 65.5-acre property includes 472,000 square feet of office space, a 452,000-square-foot parking garage, day-care building and even a helipad. Shortly before reaching out to Enfield, MB Financial paid $3.75 million for the former WWE headquar- ters in Stamford, where it plans to convert the 94,000-square-foot office building into luxury apartments. That project signaled to Enfield officials that the company is no stranger to ambitious undertakings. "Almost on the heels of that, they came knocking," Marcavitch said. "It was like: if these are the guys who are doing that project, these are guys who can get it done." Marcavitch said follow-up inter- actions have reinforced his early confidence. The developer has been punctual and detailed in its plans, he said. "This is a group that has experience and knowledge and comes with some good ideas," Marcavitch said. MB Financial has become one of the busiest developers in the state, lining up an array of projects across Connecticut and beyond. In May, after early conversations with Enfield officials, MB Financial paid $3.99 million for the MassMutual complex. The developer plans to convert the existing office buildings into 178 apartments, add a new 129-unit building, and construct 157 townhomes. The plan calls for reusing the existing parking lot and reopening the day care, while also adding 12,000 square feet of commercial space and amenities including a dog park, clubhouse, pools, pickleball courts and walking trails. "It's a prototypical deal we have been going after," said MB Financial Pres- ident and CEO Michael Massimino. "Over the past decade, we have been repo- sitioning a lot of older buildings." Massimino learned construction from his father, a New Haven-based framing contractor, starting at age 9. He launched his first construction company as a college freshman studying construction management at A rendering of MB Financial's planned conversion of the former WWE headquarters in Stamford into luxury apartments. Contributed Image Michael Massimino

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