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www.HartfordBusiness.com November 26, 2012 • Hartford Business Journal 57 Celebrating 20 Years of Business News PEOPLE the "Sleepy TV" and made it a station of compelling interest with growth in his first six years in viewership of 100 percent. Franklin was also instrumental in moving Connecticut Public Broadcast- ing from a rundown facility on the Trinity College campus to a modern, state-of-the-art broadcast center on Asylum Avenue in Hartford. lAwrence Gottesdiener Lawrence Gottesdiener, the head of Northland Investment Corp., has been a driving force behind many of downtown Hart- ford's biggest developments, among them Hartford 21, the luxury apartment building that rises above the Hartford Civic Center. According to his official bio, "Gottesdiener spearheaded North- land's contrarian market and valued-added investment strategy. Over a 24-year career, he has been responsible for more than $3 billion of real estate acquisitions and developments." Northland owns Hartford 21 at 241 Trumbull St., and The Stan- dard Building across the way at 242 Trumbull St., a mixed retail/ commercial complex actually comprised of three buildings. Northland was at one time Hartford's largest private prop- erty owner. In a 2007 New York Times article, Gottesdiener was described as "a glass-half-full kind of guy. [In 1997], with a recession hanging like smog over the city's downtown, he saw opportunity." Northland and Gottesdiener have not fared well lately. In the past year, Northland has lost three properties to foreclosure: the 280,000-square-foot Metro Center on Church Street; Goodwin Square on Asylum Street; and the 18-story CityPlace II office tower on Asylum. chAndler howArd When it comes to banking, Chandler Howard has worked his way from the bottom to the top. Since taking the helm of Liberty Mutual in 2007, he has seen it become Connecticut's third largest local bank, as well as being its biggest mutual bank. Before joining Liberty, he was the president and CEO of First City Fund Corp. in New Haven, which he helped form to serve middle- to low-income residents. He left shortly before it began operations. Prior to that, Howard was a senior executive with Bank of America in Connecticut and president and CEO of Connecticut Innovations, a quasi-public agency charged with promoting technology growth in the state, until he was recruited to the First City Fund Corp. How- ard's banking career spans 38 years, beginning as a teller at People's United Bank. He has served as chairman of the boards of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Charter Oak State College, and the Greater Hart- ford YMCA. r. nelson "oz" GrieBel R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel has had two successful careers as CEO of Bank Connecticut and president and CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance. In the past 20 years, he has seemingly been everywhere in Greater Hartford, including chairing the state's Transportation Strat- egy Board. His attempt at a third career — Connecticut governor – was derailed in May 2010 when, in a situation unusual for him, could not get Republicans to rally to his candidacy. Griebel's conservative politics serve him well at the alliance, where he has been a strong advocate for getting the state government's finances in order so it can attract more businesses and jobs. "We need to be able to convince the private sector to start, relocate and expand businesses here. You can't hire people, buy advertising or pay for products if you don't have money or jobs," said Griebel in a June 2012 HBJ interview. eileen KrAus Eileen Kraus culminated her years in Connecticut banking circles by becoming the first female regional CEO of former Fleet Bank- Connecticut, predecessor to Bank of America's Connecticut branch network. Kraus, an inductee in the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, formed her own human resources company in 1975. According to her Hall of Fame bio, in 1979, Kraus was recruited to be vice president of human resources planning and development at Hartford National Bank. After numerous promotions, in 1990 she was promoted to vice chairman of Shawmut National Corp. with responsibility for consum- er banking and marketing. Her 1992 appointment as president of Connecticut National Bank, Connecticut's largest bank and a subsidiary of Shawmut National Corp. (where she remained vice chairman), was widely hailed as a milestone in the history of America's women in financial services. Kraus was active in civic affairs. She served as chair of the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce, trustee of both Trinity College and of Kingswood-Oxford School, and as chair of the Community Eco- nomic Development Foundation. PAtriciA "PAddi" leshAne Paddi LeShane is co-founder of the powerhouse lobbying firm Sullivan & LeShane that opened its doors in 1983. (Her husband Pat Sullivan is the other co-founder.) LeShane may not be an instantly recognizable name outside of the halls of the State Capitol, but she has had her hand on some of the major issues in the last 29 years. She also is active in Republican politics. LeShane has been a close insider to Linda McMahon in her two races for U.S. Senate and Sul- livan & LeShane has been WWE's Hartford lobbyist for many years. (McMahon is the former CEO of the entertainment company best known for its wrestling TV productions.) LeShane has served on numerous civic boards, including the Har- riet Beecher Stowe Center, the Connecticut Women's Council, the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, and the Connecticut Chapter of the National Associa- tion of Women Business Owners. She serves as chairperson of the Hartford Parking Authority and as a board member for the University of St. Joseph, the Bushnell Park Foundation, the Connecticut Women's Council and the Rell Center for Public Service. worth loomis Worth Loomis was past president of the Dexter Corp., which at one time was the oldest listed company on the New York Stock Exchange before its eventual purchase by Ahlstrom. He served in that role from 1975 to 1988 before eventually retiring as vice-chairman of the spe- cialty paper manufacturer, based in Windsor Locks. After retirement from Dexter, he was president of the former Hart- ford Graduate Center, now known as Rensselaer at Hartford, until Eileen Kraus Eileen Kraus, third from left, celebrates a $1 million donation to the Science Center construction fund from the Hartford Courant and its parent, Los Angeles Times, in April 1999. Kraus was chair of Fleet Bank and also chaired the Science Center's capital campaign. Pictured, from left are R. Kelley Bonn, senior vice pres- ident of Fleet Bank's Private Clients Group; Linda Johnson, president and CEO of the Science Center; Kraus and Marty Petty, publisher and CEO of the Courant. "Oz" Griebel, president and CEO of the MetroHartford Economic Alliance. Chandler Howard has risen from teller to bank president. SInce he took the helm, Liberty Bank has become the state's third largest local bank. Worth Loomis P H O T O / I N D I A B L U E