Hartford Business Journal

12 Hartford Business Journal • December 21, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com Brennan's 2015 was trial by fire By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com A s the recently minted CEO of the Con- necticut Business and Industry Associa- tion, Joseph Brennan hoped to improve Connecticut's business-unfriendly perception stemming from poor national rankings by CNBC, Forbes and the Tax Foundation. Instead, CBIA's new chief — taking the reins during CBIA's 200th anniversary year — found himself embroiled in a fight to fend off more business tax hikes and other cost increases proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Democratic legislative leaders. First came Malloy's February budget pro- posal, which contained a net tax increase of more than $800 million, including an extension of a corporation tax surcharge and lower limits on the use of tax credits and loss carryforwards that businesses use to reduce their tax liabilities. Things got even worse when a number of other provisions made it into the two-year budget approved by the legislature in early June, including a unitary tax reporting sys- tem aimed at companies that have operations in multiple states. The total cost impact to businesses and hospitals in the approved budget was about $1 billion. Leading up to the vote, and in the weeks that followed, the CBIA, alongside several of Connecticut's largest companies — Aetna, Travelers, and especially, General Electric — pressed their case, urging lawmakers to recon- sider the tax hikes and policy changes. Bren- nan helped lead that charge and the pressure appeared to work: In late June, the legislature revised the budget it had passed, canceling a data-processing tax and delaying the new uni- tary reporting requirement for one year. CT Inc. kept the pressure on and in Novem- ber Malloy said he supported restoring the 70 percent limit on R&D tax credits and tweak- ing loss carryforward rules for companies that pay at least $2.5 million in state taxes. Those proposals were approved by both legislative chambers during an emergency bud- get session earlier this month, during which lawmakers cut or reshuffled spending to the tune of $350 million. Brennan called it "a small step in the right direction." Berger-Sweeney makes most of first year as Trinity head By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com F or her first year, Trinity College Presi- dent Joanne Berger-Sweeney's top priorities were improving the quality of the historic Hartford school's academics and engagement between its students and their local and extended communities. Berger-Sweeney admits to some prog- ress since taking Trinity's reins in July 2014, but work still remains on the former. She said she is more certain about the impact her students had on the community. "The first year was just fantastic,'' she said in her office on Trinity's hilltop campus. "I love the opportunity to analyze a new situa- tion and determine how to make a difference. The excitement of being able to do that, with- out question, was a highlight for the year." She estimates that she met more than 1,000 people — Trinity pupils, faculty and staff, as well as other academic, business, legislative and civic leaders in the Greater Hartford region and statewide. Berger-Sweeney, 57, says she also traveled to Europe — London and Paris, in particular — and to Asia earlier this year, to cement her ties with Trinity alumni overseas. She also vis- ited Trinidad & Tobago, where Trinity formal- ized an arrangement begun by her predeces- sor with the University of West Indies to serve as a "study-away'' venue for Trinity students. Back home, Berger-Sweeney said she also strengthened Trinity's ties to Pratt & Whitney and other local employers that could deliver internships for her students. This fall, at least 86 Trinity students were stationed at 55 employment sites in the Hartford area, cover- ing a diverse field of scholarship. Those placements, she said, were the result of her personal goal to collect at least five business cards from potential internship providers she met at various school or public and private events. In all, Berger-Sweeney estimates she and Trinity developed at least 100 new valuable contacts that way. The neurobiologist's appointment to the board of Hartford Hospital, too, should aid in her internship recruiting. Berger-Sweeney also sits on the board of the MetroHartford Alliance and is the governor's appointee to the Capital Region Development Authority. Among her first-year goals was boost- ing the school's financial-aid pot. In 2014, the school raised $10 million to add to an endowment that annually funds around $32 million for pupils' tuition — a commitment, Berger-Sweeney says, covers each year that a qualified student is enrolled. She also installed, for the first time, a vice president for enrollment and student success. Only a few U.S. colleges, she said, have a post focused on ensuring students' positive Trinity experience while attending and beyond college. Trinity also took a major step toward planting its flag in downtown Hartford, with its $3 million purchase of the former Travel- ers education building at Constitution Plaza. Berger-Sweeney says the building, after a makeover, should be occupied by late 2017. One goal she admits falling short on was fortifying Trinity's graduate and certificate programs. She and her team are still sort- ing out which certifications would be most valuable in the Hartford region. "With our liberal-arts degrees,'' Berger- Sweeney said, "we're trying to expand people's minds and to help them think differently about what's going on around them. I still would like time to look in areas where we might be able to provide a unique [learning] opportunity." "That's what and how we should be pro- viding education,'' she said. n A year ago, Hartford Business Journal's editorial staff identified five Greater Hartford executives and leaders we predicted would have a big impact on their organizations and the broader business community in 2015. Reflecting on the many accomplishments, decisions, and moves each of these individuals made over the past 12 months, it's clear all of them were influential in driving change. Here's a recap of the major accomplishments/decisions our "5 to Watch" candidates made in 2015. 5 we Watched in 2015 Continued P H O T O S | H B J F I L E

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