Hartford Business Journal

CFO - 6 Hartford Business Journal•November10,2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com CFO of the Year 2014 By Kathryn M. Roy Special to the Hartford Business Journal R obin Barrett was already serving as chief financial officer, vice president and head of human resources for Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk and Farmington's Data Management Inc., when her boss asked if she would lead construction management activities for the company's newest entertainment venue in downtown Hartford. A difficult, if not impossible, juggling act for even the most talented executives, Barrett said she welcomed the challenge. Hired as controller of specialty printing company Data Manage- ment in June 2007, Barrett quickly added to her job duties. She now oversees the finances and HR duties of Data Management and Infin- ity Music Hall's Norfolk and Hartford music-entertainment venues, which are principally owned by businessman Dan Hincks. "Robin's a unique CFO," Hincks said. "She's a very strong num- bers person, but she's also really a very good business builder. She has a tremendous work ethic and a strong sense of community, and a strong sense of the business for the community at large. She's just a strong person overall." While Barrett, 55, juggled the finances and her human resources responsibilities for both companies, her supervisors knew she had some construction management experience as well, from her time serving on the Farmington Town Council. "It holds a lot of interest for me," Barrett said. "There was an opportu- nity in front of us [to build the Infinity Music Hall and Bistro in Hartford]." Barrett said she, Hincks and Brian Gallagher, Data Management's president and chief operating officer, went through a feasibility analy- sis to decide whether they should take on the project to build the new music venue and restaurant on Front Street in Hartford. "The three of us took different leadership roles based on our time, skill set, and level of interest, and this ended up being mine," Barrett said of the construction management role. Barrett said one of the biggest challenges Infinity Hall Hartford faced was securing financing. The company was given a tenant improvement allowance from its landlord, HB Nitkin Group, which covered much of the build-out cost, but more money was needed. "We decided to go out to investors [to raise] private venture capital," Barrett said. "We have never done that before, so that was a real challenge for us. We sought out legal advice from our law firm, which had done it before. We didn't have a good idea on how long that would take, or how easy or difficult it would be to raise the rest of the money we needed to complete the project." While seeking out private investors, the company also applied for and secured $1.3 million in state funding. Barrett, Gallagher and others, in addition to Hincks, are also investors in the Hartford location. "We came to think of it as a catalyst for a lot of growth and development in that area of Hartford, so it was kind of a natural evolution to think how it might benefit the community," Barrett said. There were some hiccups in the process – construction delays, increased scope of work, and rent payments prior to opening, all contributed to increases in project costs. Originally, it was slated as a $5.2 million proj- ect, but final costs approached $6.8 million. "We went out for additional venture capi- tal," Barrett said. "Some of our original inves- tors invested more, and we were also able to get some new investors. The project was up and running; it took on more of a realistic investment characteristic than it did when we were originally searching for investors." Barrett said having the state loan and other outside investors has been a huge vote of confidence. "It comes with a lot of oversight as far as auditing the money and Barrett wears many hats at Infinity, Data Management Winner Executive profile questionnaire The Basics Name: Robin Barrett Name of organization: Infinity Music Hall & Bistro (Hartford and Norfolk) and Data Management Inc. Title: Vice President, CFO Size of organization: 100-plus employees Education: CPA; Bachelor's degree in accounting, University of Houston Previous job(s): Nathan Powers LLP; Bruno, Hoisl & Scata LLP; Price Waterhouse, Houston office; former member of Farmington Town Council On the job Guiding business principle: Be kind and respectful; make decisions based on the best information available; make your mother proud; if you don't think there is time to do something right, there will probably not be time to do it over… so try to take the time. Best way to keep your competitive edge: Earn trust Best business decision: One important decision a few years ago was to apply for the state's shared work program allowing the manufacturing company associates to stay employed at reduced hours during times of reduced need rather than eliminating jobs. This kept people employed, allowed us to right-size the business, and to return employees to full-time status as the manufacturing demands changed. Worst business decision: Many, many years ago I stayed at a position longer than I should have and took on a level of anxiety and frustration detrimental to my sanity and sense of humor. I laugh about it now. Goal yet to be achieved: The celebration of the five-year anniversary of Infinity Hall Hartford! Most influential business book: "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg; "Quiet, The Power of Introverts" by Susan Cain; "7 Habits" by Stephen Covey Personal touch in your office: I like frogs and have a few whimsical frogs in my office from my friends and family; a 2014 Paul Harris Fellow Award; a proclamation from the town of Farmington; and I like to have fresh flowers. I try to keep chocolate and black licorice within easy reach! Personal side: Favorite way to relax: Reading, watching Jeopardy with my husband, any time spent with my sons, walking the dog and going for dinner and drinks with our friends! We now have two favorite spots! Hobbies: Running, baking, and a little gardening Last vacation: Peaks Island, Maine Favorite movie: This is like trying to choose a favorite donut, but …, "To Kill a Mockingbird", "PS I Love You", "ARGO", "Gone With The Wind", "Star Wars A New Hope", "True Grit", "October Sky", "Simon Birch" The car you drive: 2009 Acura RDX Favorite communication device: IPhone Currently reading: "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy Favorite cause: Hartford's Camp Courant and Rotary Club of Farmington's many causes Second choice career: Town manager P h o t o / P a b l o R o b l e s Continued on page CFO-14 Private, Greater than 100 employees

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