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www.HartfordBusiness.com January 18, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 7 REAL ESTATE CT single-family home sales grow; median prices dip The number of Connecticut single-family home sales are grow- ing against a backdrop of falling median prices, which sank 8.4 percent in November. According to The Warren Group, publisher of the Commercial Re- cord, single-family home sales grew 16.4 percent in November by posting 2,210 sales, continuing a strong year for Connecticut's residen- tial real estate market. That's up from 1,889 sales in November 2014. In the same time frame, median sales prices decreased from $250,000 last November to $229,000 in November 2015. Median prices have fallen or remained flat 23 out of the last 25 months, starting with November 2014. EDUCATION CT among top 5 states in education quality A report by Education Week ranks Connecticut public schools among the best in the nation in the publication's annual Quality Counts report. The state was ranked in the top five on the list. According to a statement by the state Department of Education, the education publication used federal and state data to grade the 50 U.S. states in three categories: the Chance-for-Success Index, school finance, and the K-12 Achievement Index. Connecticut re- ceived an overall score of 82.5 points out of 100, which placed Connecticut in the top five states in the nation and topped the national overall score of 74.4 points. In school finance, the state was ranked third. Connecticut and Minnesota tied for fourth nationwide in the Chance-for-Success Index, which captures the role of education in supporting posi- tive outcomes in a person's life from cradle to career, according to Education Week. Connecticut ranked in the top quarter of states in the K-12 Achievement Index, which assesses the performance of a state's public schools against 18 indicators capturing current achieve- ment levels, improvements over time, and poverty-based gaps. HOSPITALITY & TOURISM Goodwin Hotel tagged to reopen The shuttered Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford may be re- opening. CBRE-New England officials disclosed last week at their annual Hartford market overview-outlook forum that Greenwich Hospitality Group has been retained to reopen and manage the 135-year-old Queen Anne style property wrapping three sides at the foot of Goodwin Square office tower, 225 Asylum St. CBRE officials did not say when the hotel or how many of its rooms will reopen. The 124-room Goodwin Hotel closed Dec. 29, 2008. Last June, Wilton investors Westport Capital Partners LLC, operating as Goodwin Square Building LLC, paid at least $17.6 million for the 330,000-square-foot office building and its adjoin- ing vacant hotel. Greenwich Hospitality operates several luxury hotels, primarily in Fairfield County, and is partnered with East Hartford entrepre- neur Dan Matos in the development of the Delamar Hotel West Hartford now under construction to open this summer. WHAT'S AHEAD: ■ 1/25 Focus: Accounting ■ The List: Largest Accounting Firms ■ Nonprofit Profile: United Way CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20 Depression in the Workplace The Connecticut Health Council is hosting a panel discussion about workplace depression, its costs to employers, and possible solutions. The Jan. 20 discussion will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Marriott Hartford Downtown, 200 Columbus Blvd., Hartford. Donna DeWan, director of corporate programs from the Washington D.C.- based National Council for Behavioral Health, will be the keynote speaker. The panel discussion will include: Hyong Un, chief psychiatric officer, Aetna; Marcy Crossman, senior manager of employee benefits and programs absence management at Paychex; and Bob Albright, management department chair, University of New Haven. The panel will be moderated by lawyer Gabriel J. Jiran of Shipman & Goodwin LLP. Cost to attend is $25 for health council members; $50 for nonmembers. For more information go to http://web.metrohartford.com/events. 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 . P H O T O | H B J F I L E A product of GreenGuide C O N N E C T I C U T CLEAN, CHEAP POWER Bloomfield researchers experiment with fossil fuels to cut emissions while keeping electricity affordable A s u p p l e m e n t o f W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 A LONG, HOT SUMMER FOR CT SMOG ECOMPANY: NORWALK AQUARIUM FINDS MONEY, QUIET IN BATTERIES Publishing quarterly, the Connecticut Green Guide puts you in front of busi- ness decision-makers concerned about their business's impact on the environment — and your ad provides the opportunity to tell them how you can help lessen that impact. • Can you help them save money through efficiency? • Lessen their environmental impact with greener resources? • Provide environmentally-friendly services? Tell them about it with an ad in this targeted publication. Publishing Quarterly in 2016! Reach decision-makers in the Green business community. For more information, visit CTGreenGuide.com or contact Christian Renstrom at (860) 236-9998 ext. 126 or crenstrom@HartfordBusiness.com.