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54 Hartford Business Journal • November 26, 2012 www.HartfordBusiness.com Celebrating 20 Years of Business News By Keith Griffin B arons of business, political kings and king-makers, the deal- makers and, yes, the odd felon all made headlines in the Hart- ford Business Journal across the past 20 years. Their accom- plishments and travails paint a picture of our times. They are presented here alphabetically. Arthur Anderson In 1973, Arthur Anderson founded Imagineers LLC, one of the largest property management companies for market-rate as well as moderate and low-income housing, with more than 14,000 units under management, 1,000 of which were low-income units. Imagineers was one of the very first firms to manage municipal Section 8 portfolios as a program administrator in Connecticut, and is responsible for more than 5,000 Section 8 vouchers assigned to the City of Hartford. In 2001, he sold the company. Anderson was also active politically and with nonprofit causes. He was co-chair of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission of Housing and chairman of the Capital City Economic Development Corp. Back in the late '90s, Anderson was instrumental in the "Six Pil- lars" project that sought the development of the riverfront, higher education in Hartford; housing and development; renovation of the Civic Center; and, most notoriously, bringing the New England Patri- ots to Hartford. Ben Andrews Ben Andrews was a community and corporate leader who ended up being ensnared in the payback scandal that saw former State Trea- surer Paul Silvester go to prison. Andrews, the former longtime leader of the Connecticut NAACP chapter, himself went to prison in the fall of 2007, almost nine years after Silvester's misdeeds were discovered. Andrews was convicted in October 2003 of bribery, fraud, money laundering and false-statement charges and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Andrews' con- viction in May 2007. The government said Andrews, a 1998 candidate for secretary of state in Connecticut, influenced Silvester's invest- ment of pension funds. In exchange, prosecutors said, Andrews col- lected $750,000 in fees to help steer a $150 million investment in 1998. rAmAni Ayer Ramani Ayer was perceived by most as a brilliant young executive when he ascended to the presidency of The Hartford in 1997. Yet it was during his tenure that the company would suffer some of its worst losses. Ayer, who was at The Hartford for 30 years and spent 12 years as chief executive, left in October 2009 as the insurer faced pressure from shareholders over record losses. Ayer was responsible for the company's push into riskier versions of variable annuities – life insurance contracts whose value fluctuates with that of underlying securities. Moody's 20 newsmakers who created headlines Investors Services downgraded The Hartford's long-term senior debt to one level above junk status. In doing so, Moody's cited the com- pany's exposure to these products. The company later received $3.4 billion in government aid. richArd BlumenthAl Richard Blumenthal made a strong impact on business in Connecticut in his 20 years as attorney general with a strong penchant to sue state and national corporate wrongdoers. As his official bio from his time as attorney general notes, "He helped lead the national fight against Big Tobacco to stop deceptive marketing aimed at chil- dren -- a victory significantly lowering youth smoking rates, and compelling a multibillion dollar settlement for Con- necticut taxpayers." He also joined with 20 other attorneys general from across the country to successfully sue Micro- soft for antitrust violations related to Microsoft 98 and its mandatory bundling with Internet Explorer. On the statewide level, Blumenthal joined with State Treasurer Denise Nappier to stop Stanley Works from a planned 2002 recorporation in Bermuda. The company had sought the move to slash its federal tax bill by up to $30 mil- lion, which it said would help keep jobs in Connecticut. Now, Blumenthal has opened a new chapter as a U.S. senator. Arthur Anderson was often at the center of debates over development, as he is in this photo from Nov. 16, 1998. Richard Blumenthal as attorney general in March 25, 2002 Ramani Ayer Section Sponsored By PEOPLE 20 years of