Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

2014 | Doing Business in Connecticut 95 call the space home. "We want a community of artists and en- trepreneurs and crasmen — the crazy people; the people that make things happen," he said. A drive to "make things happen" is also at the core of reSet Hartford, a co-working space in the heart of the state capital. But unlike the other co-working spaces in the state, reSet has a mission of impacting the community in a positive way, thanks to its founder Kate Emery. Emery is the owner and CEO of e Walker Group, a Farmington-based IT services firm. Back in the early 2000s, she decided to change her company into a social enterprise, or a company that puts doing good on equal footing with making profits. She was driven in this direction out of con- cern that once the company passed from her hands it would be run for profit only, with no concern for its employees and the surround- ing community. e result in this change of thinking was the formation of the nonprofit Social Enterprise Trust (SET), which has a golden share in e Walker Group and veto power. e birth of SET then snowballed into the creation of reSet, a co-working space and incubator for social enterprise, which opened in July 2013. Just 12 months later, reSet is growing. "We're looking at expanding the space this year due to demand," Emery said. As of March 2014, there were 26 people using reSet's coworking space full-time, 13 of whom are also taking part in the 14-week social enterprise accelerator program, which provides classroom learning and peer sup- port for social entrepreneurs. One of the great ironies of co-working is the fact that technology has enabled millions of Americans to work from home, yet now there's a movement for people to leave their homes and work in collaborative spaces. At the Stamford Innovation Center, it's the architecture that partly draws people in, according to its chief marketing officer, Peter Propp. at's because it's located in the former Stamford City Hall, which was built in 1907. "It's inspiring," Propp said of the facil- ity. "You walk in the door and you want to think big thoughts. at is really what it's all about." q For more informa on on co-working in Connec cut, visit www.coworkct.org. Co-working spaces in Connec cut Stamford Innova on Center (Stamford Workspace) Stamford Hackerspace Danbury Axis 901 Manchester The Grove New Haven B:Hive Bridgeport reSet (Social Enterprise Trust) Hartford Dale Johnston, ser vice manager, C-TeC Solar By Christina H. Davis T he state of Con- necticut has put in place several incentives that have made solar power a popular and financially viable option for resi- dential and commercial properties. e visible impact has been more and more solar panels popping up throughout the state. What may be less visible, is the impact it's had on the economy. One company that's benefited from the solar panel boom is C-TEC Solar of Simsbury, which, its service manager, Dale Johnston, says is growing 500 percent every six months. "e market for solar in Connecticut is very friendly for both residential and commercial," Johnston said. C-TEC was founded in 2011 and its initial investors included Gene Rosenberg, one of the founders of the Connecticut retailer, Bob's Discount Furniture. Fueling the growth for C-TEC is the Solarize Connecticut program. rough Solarize Connecticut, residents can par- ticipate in a town-by-town mass buying program. More than 30 Connecticut com- munities have participated in the program. C-TEC has competed and won to be the solar panel installer for several towns in the program. With better pricing and near grid parity, customers have been lining up, and the solar portion of the state's economy has boomed. Connecticut added 420 new jobs in the solar manufacturing and installation sector last year, bringing total employment to more than 1,100, according to a report from Environment Connecticut. As for whether the state's current love affair with solar is a passing fad or not, Johnston asserts it's here to stay. "Solar has really come of age," John- ston said, adding it's "probably the best way to hedge against inflation of electric- ity rates." q PHOTO/COUrTeSY PrOFILE

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