Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com October 6, 2014 • Hartford Business Journal 3 L i f e t i m e A c h i e v e m e n t A w A r d s 2 0 1 4 Your business is evolving... is your technology evolving with it? Still Running Windows XP? As of April 8th, Microsoft will no longer support XP. There's still time. Call Walker to learn how this will impact your operations & security, and what options will best serve your organization's short and long-term goals. For more information, contact Joe McGrattan at: (860) 678.3530 x306 or info@thewalkergroup.com Information technology is essential to continuous growth and profitability. Transform your business with custom IT solutions from The Walker Group. www.TheWalkerGroup.com | (860) 678.3530 | info@thewalkergroup.com Network Management IT Security Web Design & Development Cloud Hosting Backup & Disaster Recovery Virtualization IT Staffing Wireless Networks diverse career paths all lead winners to professional success E ach year, when we publish our Lifetime Achievement Awards we try to find a com- mon theme that ties together our winners. This year it was a bit more difficult — not because our winners are less deserving, but because they've each had much different experi- ences and career paths that led them to success. Take Curtis Robinson, for example, who came to Connecticut as a homeless, hungry and broke teenager to escape racial tensions in the South. His first job here was as a dishwasher until a fortuitous purchase of a Hartford bodega sparked a career of serial entrepreneurship, par- ticularly in real estate and development. Since then, he's made millions and served the commu- nity as a prolific philanthropist. Connecticut Business & Industry Asso- ciation CEO John Rathgeber is a company loyalist. In 1977, he joined CBIA, the state's largest business lobby, as a staff attorney and earned his way to the top, helping sig- nificantly grow the group's membership, services and reach along the way. He's been a leading voice in efforts to make Connecticut more business friendly, and will be retiring at the end of 2014. Jerry Franklin has been the face of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network for almost three decades, a tenure that has seen the network grow to include three digital TV channels and five radio stations. Under his watch, CPBN's annual operating budget has grown from $4 million to $20 million. Eugene Sheehan spent the early part of his career with a big ad agency until he decided to hang his own shingle as co- founder of Hartford's Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations. He's the man that organizations as diverse as the Cath- olic Church, MetLife, and Mirage Resorts have tapped during times of crisis to tell their side of the story to the public. As you read the individual profiles of our 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award winners join us in congratulating them for their many accomplishments. We'll celebrate their success Wednesday, Oct. 29 at a breakfast at the Bond Hotel in Hartford. We'd like to thank our judges — Nancy Bernstein, Joseph R. Marfuggi, and Gloria J. McAdam — who helped us identify our four winners this year. And as we congratulate this year's Life Achievement class, please remember that we'll be back next year look- ing for the next group of winners. We encour- age you to nominate worthy candidates. Greg Bordonaro Editor Fa l l 2 0 1 4 GreenGuide C o n n e C t i C u t A sustAinAble Model e. Hartford manufacturer Pratt & Whitney focuses on green products, operations GREEN WARRIOR s. Windsor's Geo Champion ECOmpANy Algae-removing specialist in Glastonbury A s u p p l e m e n t o f View the Lifetime Achievement Awards special section — plus many others such as Book of Lists, 40 Under Forty and Green Guide — online as Digital Editions! Visit www.HartfordBusiness.com and click the 'Special Editions' tab DIGITAL EDITIONS HartfordBusiness.com Click the social media button to share issues with friends & colleagues! www.HartfordBusiness.com Presenting sPonsor: event sPonsor: 2 0 1 4 Lifetime Achievement Awards SpeciAL AwArdS Section PGS. 21-34

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