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G r e at e r H a r t f o r d ' s B u s i n e s s n e w s w w w. H a r t f o rd B u s i n e s s . c o m for more B2B news visit February 9, 2015 Volume 23, number 11 $3.00 subscribe online Friday, March 20th, 2015 8:30am – 1:00pm Hartford Hilton L e a r n i n n o v a t e C o L L a b o r a t e S a v e SUMMIT ANNUAL 's Index ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ The List: PG. 10 ■ Deal Watch: PG. 12 ■ Reporter's Notebook: PG. 14 ■ Nonprofit Profile: PG. 17 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 20 ExEcutivE ProfilE Innovative Leader John Dempsey Hospital CEO Anne Diamond is a nuclear technologist by trade but her focus on innovation has helped her earn the respect of colleagues and a permanent chief executive title. PG. 5 Longevity in Health A Bloomfield health food store has been able to keep its doors open for nearly four decades, despite increased competition from much larger competitors over the years. Find out how Lim's Health Food has withstood the test of time. PG. 3 Property tax reform fight heats up By Brad Kane bkane@HartfordBusiness.com D emocratic lawmakers have fired preliminary shots in the state's long- discussed efforts to reform the property tax system with region- alization proposals that could pit cities vs. suburbs. A bill introduced by Demo- crats' two Senate leaders would aid urban centers that have high mill rates and huge swaths of tax-exempt property, but could add to the burden of surrounding towns, whose lower tax rates are key to attracting businesses and residents. Senate Bill 1 (SB1) still is in its early stages, but it broadly outlines several major reforms including creating a regional tax system for new development and Continued on page 16 House Speaker Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) is working with Sen. President Martin Looney (D-New Haven) to push regionalism initiatives through the legislature this year. P H O T O | P a b l O R O b l e s Insurance agents encounter rocky start selling Obamacare plans By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com C onnecticut's decision to use brokers as a key piece of its strategy to sell health plans through the state's insur- ance exchange has boosted enrollments and earned local insurance agents millions of dollars in commissions. That's the good news, but it doesn't tell the whole story, according to brokers interviewed by the Hartford Business Journal in recent weeks, as they were scrambling to com- plete signups for the second enrollment period. Some brokers say friction and frustration permeates their relationship with Access Health CT — the state's insurance exchange. Broker's gripes include IT and website glitches, lacka- daisical customer service from the exchange's call center Continued on page 16 Broker ' s Dilemma Newington health insurance broker Joe Massa gives Access Health CT credit for improving its website over the past year, but he said enrolling clients in exchange plans is still time consuming and not a high-margin business. P H O T O | P a b l O R O b l e s