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G r e at e r H a r t f o r d ' s B u s i n e s s n e w s w w w. H a r t f o rd B u s i n e s s . c o m for more B2B news visit March 23, 2015 Volume 23, number 17 $3.00 subscribe online J u n e 4 t h h a r t f o r d for more info: www.CtBeXPo.com Index ■ Reporter's Notebook: PG. 5 ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ The List: PG. 9 ■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 14 ■ Nonprofit Profile: PG. 14 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 44 RePoRteR's Notebook Liquid Gold Two more craft breweries are getting ready to open in Connecticut. Find out who and where. PG. 5 People Person As managing partner of South Windsor's Bonefish Grill restaurant, Shawn Jones said he's found a management style that offers a recipe for success: be "kind with people; tough on results." PG. 3 Balancing Renewables CT officials try to keep cost of energy policies in check By Brad Kane bkane@HartfordBusiness.com D espite the Malloy Administration's efforts to rein in costs, the pricetag to implement Connecticut's renewable energy policies will add as much as $377 million annually to ratepayer bills over the next few years, prompting the state Senate's top Republican to raise concerns about the potential impact on residents and businesses. The projected cost spike comes as Con- necticut ramps up efforts to meet its renew- able energy goals. And while state officials are trying to find ways to meet its policy benchmarks without breaking the bank, other factors that impact electricity costs — mainly natural gas prices in Connecticut — are also on the rise, meaning ratepayers' pocketbooks will take a bigger hit. In its modeling for the next decade, the state Department of Energy & Environ- mental Protection projects implementing Connecticut's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) will add up to $377 million annually to ratepayer's bills through 2019. By com- parison, the RPS added about $225 million to ratepayer bills last year. By 2024, that cost Electricity Prices vs. Inflation Even though Connecticut had the highest electricity prices in the continental U.S. last year, the state's ratepayers aren't paying significantly more than they did in 1990, according to an analysis of historic data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The price paid by customers for Connecticut's power has risen 2.58 percent annually over the past 25 years, lower than the 2.63 percent annual U.S. inflation increase since 1990. Continued on page 10 Dwight Schlichting maintains the Somers solar array for Dominion, which at five megawatts was New England's largest solar farm at the time it was built. P H O T O | S T e v e L a S c H e v e r Special Section [ Pages 17–43 ] Celebrating 10 Years of excellence! P H O T O | S T e v e L a S c H e v e r Bradley aims to combat mounting bird strikes By Brad Kane bkane@HartfordBusiness.com C onnecticut airports have experienced a growing number of reported bird- on-airplane collisions in recent years, prompting the state's quasi-public airport authority to spend millions of dollars on a new preserve to keep wildlife from threaten- ing passenger and cargo aircrafts. Since 2004, the number of reported wildlife- on-airplane collisions at Connecticut airports Bradley International Operations Manager Rollin Tebbetts roams the airport's grounds with a starter pistol to scare away birds. Continued on page 12 Spring Green Guide This edition takes a look at CT's new commute and the new owner of the S. Windsor fuel cell manufacturer. special Insert P H O T O | r e S u L M u S L u , S H u T T e r S T O c k . c O M