Hartford Business Journal

4 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 27, 2026 BIZ BRIE FS collegiate athletics. The new Profes- sional + Collegiate Sports team includes lawyers specializing in labor and employ- ment, litigation, immigration, educa- tion, real estate, intellectual property, data privacy and artificial intelli- gence, among other practice areas. Led by Robert C. Seiger, the group will advise sports leagues, teams, colleges and universities, athletes, coaches and investors on issues including name, image and likeness rights, Title IX compliance, media rights, venue development and private investment, the firm said. West Hartford brewery to close WeHa Brewing & Roasting Co. in West Hartford will close at the end of July, with its owners citing ongoing challenges in the craft beer industry, rising costs, stag- nant sales and "unexpected litigation." The brewery and cafe at 141 Shield St. announced the decision in a Facebook post. Founded by Cody McCormack, WeHa Brewing opened in 2021 after raising about $88,000 through an equity crowdfunding campaign. The company also has been defending a copyright infringement lawsuit filed last year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which alleges the unauthorized public performance of copyrighted music. Wood supply tech company acquires New London distributor Washington, D.C.-based Cambium has acquired New London specialty wood products distributor General Woodcraft, expanding its national wood supply services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 1949, General Woodcraft supplies specialty wood products, architectural materials and custom millwork to the architecture, design and construction industries across North America. Cambium operates a digital marketplace that connects buyers and suppliers across the wood supply chain and manufactures building materials made from salvaged trees. The acquisition is Cambi- um's fifth in the past five years, the company said. Robinson+Cole launches sports law practice Connecticut law firm Robinson+Cole said it has launched a sports industry practice that combines attorneys from multiple disciplines to advise clients across professional and and corn whiskey, has moved into a 4,000-square-foot facility at 625 Day Hill Road. The new location includes a retail store and expanded distilling equipment that will allow the company to add products such as brandy, vodka and rum. Frank Lucca and his son, Vince, own Powdermen Spirits. Hartford Sprinkler acquired by national fire safety company Bloomfield-based Hartford Sprinkler Co., a family-owned fire protection contractor that has operated for more than 90 years, has been acquired by Georgia-based Pye-Barker Fire & Safety. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hartford Sprinkler installs, inspects and maintains commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems across Connecticut and also provides fire alarm, suppression and related life-safety services. The company said its technicians will continue serving customers statewide following the deal. Pye-Barker operates more than 250 locations and employs about 9,000 people nationwide. What's Trending Connecticut climbs in CNBC rankings, but high costs remain a drag By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com C onnecticut moved up five spots in CNBC's annual America's Top States for Business rankings this year, but the state's latest report card shows a familiar pattern: It continues to excel in education and quality of life while struggling with the high costs that have long challenged employers and residents. The state ranked 23rd overall in CNBC's 2026 study, up from 28th a year ago. CNBC evaluated all 50 states using 138 metrics across 10 categories that companies commonly consider when making site-selection decisions, from infrastructure and workforce to taxes, education and quality of life. The improvement comes as the business news network revised its methodology, giving infrastructure more weight than any other category to reflect what companies increasingly prioritize when choosing where to locate or expand. CNBC said businesses are placing greater emphasis on access to transportation networks, reliable utilities, energy capacity, water resources and shovel-ready development sites. For the first time, the rankings also factored in states' permitting processes. Connecticut's biggest strengths remained largely unchanged. The state ranked fourth nationally for education and fifth for quality of life, continuing to perform well in areas that help attract and retain workers. It also finished in the top half of the rankings for technology and innovation (19th), business friendliness (21st) and access to capital (23rd). Several category rankings improved from last year. Connecticut climbed four spots in infrastructure, from 33rd to 29th, and four places in the economy, from 38th to 34th. Its business friendliness ranking improved even more dramati- cally, jumping from 35th to 21st. At the same time, some rankings moved in the opposite direction. Connecticut's workforce ranking fell from eighth to 25th, while its access to capital ranking slipped from 16th to 23rd. The state's cost-of-living ranking also dropped from 37th to 44th. High costs remain one of Connecti- cut's biggest competitive disadvan- tages. The state ranked 40th for cost of doing business and 44th for cost of living, reflecting concerns employers have long raised about housing afford- ability, utility costs and other expenses that make it harder to attract workers and grow businesses. On the other hand, Connecticut continues to benefit from assets that have helped attract investment in recent years. A highly educated work- force, strong colleges and universities, proximity to New York and Boston, and strengths in industries including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, financial services, bioscience and insurance have supported economic development efforts across the state. Ohio claimed the top spot in CNBC's 2026 rankings for the first time, buoyed by the nation's highest-rated infrastruc- ture and lowest cost of doing business. North Carolina, 2025's top-ranked state, finished second, followed by Virginia, Texas and Minnesota. Within New England, only Massachu- setts ranked higher than Connecticut, placing 15th overall. Connecticut finished ahead of New Hampshire (34th), Maine (35th), Vermont (40th) and Rhode Island (48th). Note: Rankings compare all 50 states. Lower rankings are better (No. 1 is best). Source: CNBC, America's Top States for Business 2026 Continued from page 3 Robert C. Seiger WeHa Brewing & Roasting Co. is closing its location at 141 Shield St. Contributed Image | West Hartford How CT ranked in CNBC's TOP STATES FOR BUSINESS CATEGORY 2026 RANK 2025 RANK CHANGE Overall 23 28 +5 Education 4 5 +1 Quality of Life 5 5 — Technology & Innovation 19 19 — Business Friendliness 21 35 +14 Access to Capital 23 16 -7 Workforce 25 8 -17 Infrastructure 29 33 +4 Economy 34 38 +4 Cost of Doing Business 40 44 +4 Cost of Living 44 37 -7

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