Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com September 28, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 7 WHAT'S AHEAD: ■ 10/5 Focus: Banking & Finance ■ The List: SBA Lenders ■ Nonprofit Profile: Connecticut Science Center CALENDAR THURSDAY, OCT. 8 Panel Discussion on the Current Healthcare Environment The Worldwide Employee Benefits Network is hosting a panel discussion about the next bundle of requirements that may impact business' compliance with the Affordable Care Act. The discussion will take place Oct. 8 at 8:30 a.m. at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's offices, 350 Church St., Hartford. Participants will hear from a panel of ACA experts, representing different vantage points including: Susan Capot, compliance manager, Cigna Compliance and Regulatory Affairs; Kenneth Comeau, senior vice president, CBIA Services Corp.; and Mildeen Worrell, vice president, compliance practice leader, Sibson Consulting, a member of The Segal Group. Cost is free to current WEB members; $25 for Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut members; $50 for non-members. For more information contact: Glenn Alonzo, 860.678.3013, galonzo@ sibson.com. F O R A C O M P L E T E L I S T O F G R E A T E R H A R T F O R D B U S I N E S S E V E N T S , G O T O W W W . H A R T F O R D B U S I N E S S . C O M A N D C L I C K O N ' C A L E N D A R . ' A L L C A L E N D A R I T E M S M U S T B E S U B M I T T E D E L E C T R O N I C A L L Y V I A O U R W E B S I T E , H A R T F O R D B U S I N E S S . C O M . ACCOUNTING BlumShapiro taps Kask as managing partner Joseph A. Kask will become man- aging partner at West Hartford region- al accounting-advisory firm BlumSha- piro, effective on New Year's Day. Kask will succeed Carl Johnson, who has held the top post the past 14 years and will take over Jan. 1 as chief op- erating officer, focusing on operations, mergers and acquisitions, and recruit- ing, BlumShapiro said. Kask was elect- ed by the firm's partners. "I am honored and humbled to have been elected as BlumShapiro's new managing partner, and I look forward to carrying on our legacy of being New England's top accounting and business advisory firm,'' Kask said in a statement. Kask joined BlumShapiro as a partner in its government services group in 2007 through a merger with former Glaston- bury accounting firm Scully & Wolf. He rose to head the government ser- vices group, and served on several stra- tegic committees, as well as its executive committee. Most recently, Kask was of- fice managing partner for BlumShapiro's West Hartford office. TRANSPORTATION LAZ draws NY equity investor Hartford parking operator LAZ Karp Partners has taken on a fledgling New York equity firm as an investor. Neither LAZ Karp nor Harvest Partners SCF LP disclosed Tues- day the sum of Harvest's investment, except to say that Harvest won't have a controlling interest. Jay Hegenbart, Harvest's senior managing director and portfo- lio manager, cited LAZ's appeal because it has "demonstrated an ability to consistently grow organically and through acquisitions across a variety of market cycles … '' LAZ Parking describes itself as the third largest parking opera- tor in the U.S., operating in more than 2,100 locations across 29 states and 265 cities, including its downtown Hartford home base. Founders Alan Lazowski and Jeff Karp and senior executives Michael Harth and Mike Kuziak helm LAZ Parking. REAL ESTATE Index: Greater Hartford home values stagnant The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area had the eighth-lowest percentage of appreciating homes in the country in July, realty data tracker Weiss Residential Research said. In July, 41.5 percent of homes in the 57-town area grew in value by more than 1.5 percent, according to Weiss, which is headquartered in Massachusetts. While that's in the bottom-10 metro areas for home apprecia- tion, Greater Hartford improved over July 2014, when just 29.4 percent of area homes added value, Weiss said. Across the country in July, 56.8 percent of homes appreciated, down from 65.2 percent a year prior. "While a majority of homes nationwide is still gaining value, the national trend is clearly downward," Weiss CEO Alan Weiss said in a statement. Weiss developed the widely cited Case-Shiller Home Price Index in the 1990s along with Karl Case and Robert Shiller, who is now an economist at Yale. In 2012, he launched Weiss Residential Research, which tracks a database of nearly 100 million homes. MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE has a program for every passion. manchestercc.edu For learning. For life. At Manchester Community College, we are committed to preparing tomorrow's workforce today. With programs as wide-ranging as culinary arts and engineering, to health careers and business, we are not only producing job-ready graduates, but also are offering a solid foundation for those pursing advanced education. Our reach extends outside the classroom to custom training for business and industry, municipalities and nonprofit organizations. We serve both private and public employers, providing cost-effective training solutions in today's complex business environment. When Your When Your Business Business Relies on Relies on Technology, Technology, You Can Rely You Can Rely on Us. on Us. Technology Services Technology Services Network Systems and Support Network Security & Encryption Outsourced IT Department Cloud & Hybrid Back-up Systems Business Continuity Systems Outsourced CIO & CISO Services Consulting Services Consulting Services Non-profit Accounting Solutions Fundraising Solutions Software Selection Outsourced CFO Services Network Security Audits SSAE 16 / SOC 1, SOC 2 Audits HIPAA Security Compliance IT Policies and Procedures Business Continuity Planning ASK US ABOUT MICROSOFT OFFICE 365! 280 Trumbull St., 24th FL Hartford, CT 860.524.4400 www.TheTechnologyGroup.com Joseph A. Kask, managing partner, BlumShapiro Carl Johnson, managing partner, BlumShapiro

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