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12 Hartford Business Journal•November26,2012 www.HartfordBusiness.com Celebrating 20 Years of Business News StorieS 20 Years of By KarenSackowitz "G ood evening from the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Connecticut." Those words, spoken by Pres- idential debate moderator Jim Lehrer on Oct. 6, 1996, brought Hartford into living rooms all over America. When President Bill Clinton and Sen. Bob Dole took to the stage that night, it was a moment of unprec- edented civic pride for the group of ideal- istic young volunteers whose efforts began the movement to bring the debate here, and for the countless supporters they gath- ered along the way. Hartford attorney Dan Papermaster remembers the initial resistance he and oth- ers faced in 1995 when they first formed a bi- partisan group, Hartford Debate '96, to raise the money needed for a presidential debate bid. "It wasn't simple to ignore the naysayers, but we had to," he recalls. "Then, as things picked up, those same people got on board." Between March and October 1995, Paper- master and his group pulled in every avail- able resource. A former aide to Sen. Christo- pher Dodd, Papermaster reached out to all of his political contacts, picking up momentum as the team garnered the support of the may- or's office, congressmen, state senators, and eventually, every governor in New England. The result was a movement in which all six states in the region were pushing for a debate to land in the struggling city. "We left no stone unturned during the application process," Papermaster says. "The local corporate community was a huge sup- port as well." By mid-October, with paperwork submit- ted, the now substantial group of supporters pulled out all the stops for a visit and city tour by Commission on Presidential Debates representative Janet Brown. In January, the commission announced its decision to bring a debate to Hartford. What was originally slated as a vice-pres- idential debate between Democrat Al Gore and Republican Jack Kemp, however, was switched to a presidential event due to sched- uling changes. Papermaster's team needed to up its game in a hurry. "People today don't remember that it was originally a vice presidential debate; planning for a presidential debate is tremen- dously more involved," he says. "We had 3,000 members of the media coming to town for an event that was going to pump millions into the economy." Papermaster says the combined effort of civic leaders, corporate sponsors, and vol- unteers was invaluable in shifting with the event's endless details. "I got a call two days before the debate saying the stage was getting too hot under the lights," he recalls. "One of our sponsors, Car- rier Corp., immediately brought in air coolers and solved the problem." Following its moment in the sun, Paper- master says, Hartford felt the positive effects of the 1996 debate well beyond that evening. "The benefit was the mindset it created, energizing people to recognize Hartford as a place that can handle large, world class events," he says. "Civic lead- ers began to say 'Let's make stuff happen.'" Papermaster points to other community efforts which grew from his group's grass- roots beginnings, such as the Millennium Project at Trinity College in the year 2000. That undertaking, which promoted an inclu- sive study surrounding issues of the new Mil- lennium, blossomed from the efforts of com- munity leaders who first worked together on Hartford Debate '96. Looking back on the 1996 debate, howev- er, he credits his own unapologetic inexperi- ence – and that of his counterparts – as the perfect catalyst for creating an historic event for the city. "Our collective naiveté was an enormous asset," he says. "We responded to everything with 'Why can't we do it? We'll figure it out.'" g L aunching a new Connecticut busi- ness in the early 1990s was not for the faint of heart. The state was descending into a deep recession from which, some would say, we have not yet — even 20 years later — fully recovered. Yet my part- ners, Pat Sullivan, Paddi LeShane and I, were undeterred. We were convinced that we had a new model for public relations that potential cli- ents yearned for – a pure public relations firm (not the weak step-child of an advertising agency) that was savvy enough, respected enough (and yes, connected enough) to man- age high profile public issues. We also knew that there was a market for a firm that was strategic enough to deal with a full-blown media crisis. We hit the ground with lots of energy, high hopes but no clients. Thankfully (for me and my young family) the model worked and clients came on board. Throughout the ensuing twenty years we have been in the thick of the action – helping to manage the communication issues of the crash of the CT State Lottery's online system, the stalled Iroquois Gas Pipeline, the intro- duction of casino gaming to Connecticut, changes to the state's healthcare system, the balance between affordable energy and the environ- ment, the success of aerospace manufacturing in Connecticut. It's been an exciting ride. At the same time, we have been on the front lines of some of the past two decades most difficult stories — sexual abuse of minors by clergy, a tragic nursing home fire, a horrific workplace shooting, misuse of public funds and others. At the center of all these activi- ties, is the need for those involved who deal with these issues to speak quickly, clearly and truth- fully to all of their audiences. As a result of the revolutionary changes that have occurred in the media, the importance of timely, accurate communication is more important than ever. Twenty years ago, the news cycle was still defined by daily newspapers. News developed slowly and wasn't "official" until the newspa- per deadline of approximately 10 p.m. The Internet coupled with social media has demol- ished that comfortable standard and smart phones have only added to the frenzy. Today, news is omnipresent and has become a beast that must be respected and tamed. The best in our business must now monitor the flow 24/7 to keep our clients in the loop and respond immediately to negative or erroneous coverage. A client's public reputation is more vulnerable than ever and must be protected in real time. It is indeed a brave new world. Fast forward 20 years, I still spend some time with the Hartford Business Journal print edition every Monday but I am laser focused on their daily e-mail alerts. My clients expect immediate notification of news that includes or affects them. I salute the HBJ for their ability to evolve and remain relevant through what has been two decades of rapid change and am thankful we have been able to do it together. Here's to 20 more. Gene Sheehan is managing partner at Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations in Hartford. Reach him through the website at CTPR.com. g Debate shows a city what can be done News cycle has changed but players remain same The marriage of public relations and lobbying has worked for, from left, Paddi LeShane, Pat Sullivan and Gene Sheehan, who have built Sullivan & LeShane into a force in shaping state policy, legislation and opinion. President Bill Clinton shakes hands with debate organizer Dan Papermaster at the 1996 Presidential Debate in Harford, the first event of its kind to be televised nationally from New England. C O N T R I B U T E D P H O T O C O N T R I B U T E D P H O T O S By Eugene Sheehan III "Remembrance"