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JUNE 8, 2015
Volume 23, Number 28
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L o o k f o r t h i s
s p e c i a l i s s u e
Awards
event,
Sept. 30
Index
■ Week in Review: PG. 6
■ Focus: PG. 8
■ The Lists: PGS. 18–19
■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 36
■ Accolades: PG. 38
JCJ Relocation
One of the region's largest, most iconic architecture
firms is looking for a new home after selling its
downtown Hartford headquarters to UConn last week.
Find out why JCJ Architecture is considering locations
outside Hartford and Connecticut. PG. 5
Decision 2015
This week Hartford Business Journal sits down with
Hartford Democratic mayoral candidate Robert
Killian Jr., a recently retired probate judge who
discusses his business and economic development
policy ideas. PG. 3
H A R T F O R D
MAYORAL RACE
2015
Recognizing the Achievements of the Hartford Region's Privately Held Companies
2015
PGS. 14–34
State pension
fund eyes
$145M bet
on CT Inc.
By Matt Pilon
mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com
C
onnecticut's pension fund is joining a
number of other states in placing bets
on in-state businesses, as part of an
effort to jump-start the economy and diver-
sify its investment portfolio.
Over the next four
years, leaders of the
Connecticut Retire-
ment Plans and Trust
Funds (CRPTF) hope
to invest as much as
$145 million in Con-
necticut middle-mar-
ket loans and private
equity and venture
financing.
The initiative
would quicken the
pace and scope of the pension fund's Con-
necticut investments — which so far have
included a modest amount of private equity
bets — and represents the first time the public
retirement system has dipped its toe direct-
ly into venture capital and middle-market
Continued on page 12
State Treasurer
Denise L. Nappier
Legislature
largely ignores
businesses' demands
By Brad Kane
bkane@HartfordBusiness.com
T
he state's business community did not
get what it wanted this legislative ses-
sion. Not even close.
When the session's marquee legisla-
tion — the two-year, $40.3 billion budget
— was approved by the House and Senate
last week, the business community was left
feeling burned.
"Maybe it is our inability to communi-
cate fully, or it is people at the Capitol who
have agendas that don't align with ours …
but the legislature thinks growing govern-
ment is better than growing the economy,"
said Joe Brennan, president and CEO of the
Connecticut Busi-
ness & Industry
Association. "I was
very disappointed,
and I don't think
the legislators fully
heard our message."
Heading into a
legislative session
in which CBIA and
other industry lob-
bying groups were
expecting no tax
increases, compa-
nies and hospitals
will end up paying about $1 billion more
in taxes over the next two years. The bud-
get includes a new law taxing multi-state
companies' revenues, stricter limits on tax
credits, continuation of the corporate tax
Continued on page 10
(Above) State Sen.
John Kissel
(R-Enfield) debates
legislation June 2
during a marathon
session by the House
and Senate to finalize
a budget agreement,
which ultimately
passed without
Republican support.
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