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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 MAY 30, 2016 Volume 24, Number 26 $3.00 Subscribe online JUNE 9, 2016 Only 10 DAYS until C T B E x p o . c o m 1 6 T H A N N U A L Index ■ Executive Profile: PG. 5 ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ Focus: PG. 8 ■ The List: PG. 10 ■ Deal Watch: PG. 17 ■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 23 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 28 Strategy Shift Farmington insurer Connecticare's strategy to focus more attention on individual-consumer product lines, which aren't without their risks, has resulted in a significant shift in the company's revenue sources. PG. 3 FOCUS: GREEN BUSINESS Net-zero homes Homes that generate all of their own power through energy efficiencies and renewables represent an attractive market for specialized builders, but broad demand for them so far remains elusive in Connecticut. PG. 8 BUILDING CAPACITY UTRC conformable fuel tank could boost natural gas vehicles By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com T he research arm of United Technologies Corp. has developed a fuel tank made of a special composite material that could help get more natural gas vehicles on the road and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's the first commercially viable conform- able natural gas storage tank in the world, said Ellen Y. Sun, project leader for the tank's development at United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) in East Hartford, where all the innovation and engineering occurred. It's conformable because it's flexible in size, flat and stackable, allowing the tank to be placed under a pickup truck bed or car trunk, for example, or perhaps elsewhere in a vehicle chassis. The flat design also takes up less space in vehicles and stores more gas than traditional How CT aims to innovate its way into the 'New Economy' By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com S tate Sen. John Fonfara had some simmering questions about Connecticut's econo- my and its future. Lots of questions, he said, relat- ed to the intersection of tax policy, entrepreneurism and job growth — the latter pair he believes could be harnessed to keep more young talent at home and kickstart the state's lackluster economy. To find answers, the Hartford Democrat, who co-chairs the influ- ential Finance, Revenue & Bond- ing Committee, beginning last summer took a months-long "walk in the desert,'' gathering feedback Continued on page 10 State Sen. John Fonfara (right) talks to Hartford Denim Co.'s Melisa Hadvab (left) during a visit to a cluster of innovative small businesses in Hartford's Parkville neighborhood. Continued on page 20 P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D P H O T O | S T E V E L A S C H E V E R United Technologies Research Center materials scientist Ellen Y. Sun holds a model of a conformable natural gas storage tank resting on an actual tank (black object shown right) in UTRC's lab.