Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 23, 2026 Business' Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans program. In 2016, he joined the U.S. Depart- ment of Defense as a senior project manager overseeing an average $40 million annual portfolio of construction projects. He later earned an executive MBA from the University of New Haven before leaving the DOD in 2020 to join BlackHorse. Sweat equity A few months before meeting Eastman, DiSilvestro was promoted by the Air Force to senior master sergeant — the second-highest enlisted rank — and named operations superintendent for the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron, a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard. That role involves training for and handling the logistics of being deployed for crises or emergencies, whether at home or overseas. "No matter where we go, there's always a need for infrastructure to be either maintained, built or renovated," DiSilvestro said. "That's why my squadron is one of the most deployed units in the military." His military experience, education and background in government contracting made him well suited to help revive AmeriTech. When he first reviewed the company in August 2022, he found that it already had a two-year track record working with the federal government. "Some of the legwork was already done, and I was able to take the company and actually generate sales," DiSilvestro said. In the first two months, he generated $10 million. At the same time, he said the company lacked basic systems and structure. DiSilvestro — who lives in Hamden with his wife and two stepchildren — said he embraced the challenge and the chance to help Dahl and his family. He eventually bought into Ameri- Tech using money from refinancing his home and liquidating his Thrift Savings Plan, the military's retirement savings program. "I became a 10% partner, then a 30% partner," DiSilvestro said. By the end of 2023, he became the majority owner, allowing Dahl to retire. "Drew's initial investment in the company came through a combination of personal capital and sweat equity," Eastman said. "He worked hard to earn his place as a partner and was fully committed to the opportunity." Dahl's legacy Dahl, 51, died in February after a four-year battle with cancer, but the company he founded lives on through DiSilvestro. The federal contracts AmeriTech is currently working on include a $23 million project to add a pharmacy at the West Haven VA Medical Center, and a $20 million project to install under- ground ducts and fiber-optic cable for computer servers at the Newington VA Medical Center as part of a nationwide electronic health records modernization effort. DiSilvestro, 38, said AmeriTech almost lost the West Haven project last year because the funding was delayed due to the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "We said we were willing to extend our price for an additional amount of time, … and like 15 days later we ended up getting the award," he said. He also noted that AmeriTech's staff is about 40% veterans. He prefers to hire either former college athletes or veterans, because they share a disci- pline and regimen and are similarly process-oriented, DiSilvestro said. And, unlike his former home reno- vation business, AmeriTech is much better prepared, DiSilvestro said, should he face another call-up with his unit — something he's concerned about because of the conflict in Iran. "The good thing is, as we grew this organization, we grew it so that it's not relying on one person," DiSilvestro said. "It's relying on the systems, and that's what's been the biggest success here." ConnectiCare continues slow withdrawal from CT market By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com F armington-based ConnectiCare continues to slowly pull back its insurance offerings in the state, even as officials with parent company Molina Healthcare say they remain committed to Connecticut. California-based Molina notified insurance brokers in February that it plans to exit Medicare Advantage Part D plans — private Medicare Advantage policies that include prescription drug coverage — for the 2027 plan year. The publicly traded company cited "under- performance" in the Part D business in its fourth-quarter earnings report. "This decision reflects a strategic shift to focus on Dual Eligible products that align with Molina's core Medicaid platform," the email states, referring to consumers who are eligible for both ConnectiCare is headquartered in Farmington at 175 Scott Swamp Road. HBJ File Photo Medicare and Medicaid. The email adds that plan members will not be informed about the change until the next enrollment period, which begins in October. According to Molina's earnings report, the Medicare Advantage prescription drug product line represents about $1 billion in annual premiums nationwide. Connecticut insurance brokers who spoke with the Hartford Business Journal said ending the plans will affect about 48,000 people in the state, all age 65 or older. Jason Gutcheon, a partner at West Hartford-based Professional Business Insurers, said Molina's decision is partly driven by low Medicare reim- bursement rates that are not expected to increase significantly. Gutcheon said he's surprised Molina has not attempted to sell its book of existing Part D plans to another company. Former ConnectiCare subsidiary WellSpark was awarded $1.5M in grants, but never received the money L ess than three months after EmblemHealth sold Connec- tiCare to Molina Healthcare Inc., the New York-based insurer also sold WellSpark Health, a Farm- ington-based provider of corporate wellness programs. WellSpark was sold in November 2024 to Chicago-based Vitality Group LLC for an undisclosed price. WellSpark, located at 195 Scott Swamp Road, was formed in 2013 as a subsidiary of ConnectiCare. In March 2021, the state announced it would provide WellSpark up to $1.5 million in grants if the company added 287 jobs by 2026. A spokesperson for the state Department of Economic and Community Development said earlier this month that WellSpark never filed the paperwork necessary to claim the grants, so the company did not receive any state money. Chance Encounter Continued from page 15 "Why wouldn't you look for a buyer, even if it's just 50 cents on the dollar?" he asked. Gutcheon added that what makes Molina's decision worse is that his clients like ConnectiCare's Part D plans, citing a high client satisfaction rate. "I've been doing business with ConnectiCare for 25, 30 years," he said. "They were a significant part of the market. They were a player, in terms of member satisfaction and their reputa- tion. … Molina is rotten to do this." Shrinking presence The decision to end Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in Connecticut follows ConnectiCare's earlier moves to exit other business lines in the state. In November 2022, when Connec- tiCare was still owned by New York- based EmblemHealth, it announced Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 500K 400K 300K 200K 100K 2014 2013 2017 2020 2015 2018 2021 2016 2019 2022 2023 2024 ENROLLMENT Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan enrollment in CT

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