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www.HartfordBusiness.com November 28, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 7 WHAT'S AHEAD: ■ 12/5 Focus: Health Care Heroes ■ Nonprofit Profile: Our Piece of the Pie CALENDAR TUESDAY, DEC. 6 Work It Connecticut! The Connecticut Business and Industry Association is hosting a "Work it Connecticut!" event that will discuss the challenges and opportunities, as well as creative strategies for building and sustaining talent in the face of an aging workforce. The Dec. 6 event will run from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Infinity Music Hall in Hartford. The event will feature a dozen speakers who will talk about how employers and educators are recruiting future workers in the state's leading industries, as well as tips from Connecticut Commissioner of the Department of Correction, Scott Semple, about best practices for hiring ex-offenders. Cost to attend is: $50 for members, $75 for nonmembers. For more information or to register go to: https://www.cbia.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 . HOSPITALITY & TOURISM Mohegan Sun's $139M Earth Tower now open Mohegan Sun's $139 million Earth Tower — the Uncasville's casino's second hotel — has opened. Featuring 400 rooms and 242,000 square feet, the hotel had been put on hold in 2008 because of the recession, but General Manager Ray Pineault and Mohegan Tribal Chairman Kevin Brown recently celebrated its opening. "For us," said Brown, "this new hotel does represent the ability to have more room nights and stays, right here at the casino and that has already, just in these early days, proven itself out with the demand that has been placed on this new hotel." He also stressed the value to the state, since it represented 2,000 construction jobs and now 200 permanent jobs. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other state leaders and lawmakers attended the opening ceremony. Modeled after the original Sky Tower, the Earth Tower was de- signed by architects Kohn Pederson Fox Associates. CT Tourism Office promoting winter escapes The Connecticut Office of Tourism is promoting new as well as tried-and-true wintertime outing options as it seeks to boost traffic in Connecticut. Some of the new destinations the state is pushing include the Earth Tower at Mohegan Sun, Hotel Zero Degrees in Danbury, and the Spicer Mansion in downtown Mystic. There's also a Connecticut Spirits Trail, the state's newest specialty trail featuring craft distill- eries and tasting rooms across Connecticut. In addition to these offerings, the state is promoting overnight stays, "must-do" visits, cabin-fever relievers, indoor escapes and romantic getaways. Guy Fieri opens restaurant at Foxwoods Guy Fieri's Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar opened Nov. 25 at Fox- woods Resort Casino. Fieri is a chef, author and host of Food Network's show "Diners, Drive- Ins and Dives." The new restaurant where he will be featured is located on the casino level of the Grand Pequot Tower. It opens at 11 a.m. Fieri's American-style restaurant will have menu highlights that include his famous trash can nachos, BBQ Bahn Mi, bacon mac- n-cheese burger, and lobster agra diavolo. The 9,800-square-foot venue, which seats 258, is conceived by Peter Niemitz of Niemitz Design Group and features an open kitchen with large wood ceiling beams, floor-to-ceiling windows, custom furniture and a modern rustic feel. Scott Semple CBIA Health Connections – Connecticut's leading small business insurance program – offers you the best combination of value, service, and choice in a single program. It's easy to administer and backed by industry-leading customer service. Medical plans from ConnectiCare and Harvard Pilgrim Group and voluntary dental, life, disability, and vision options Employee wellness program One bill; one number to call for personal service Join the thousands of Connecticut small businesses who choose CBIA Health Connections. Contact your agent for a quote or visit cbia.com. Why do Connecticut small businesses choose CBIA Health Connections for insurance? cbia.com/insurance | 860.244.1900 Savings, Simplicity, and Service An outside look at Mohegan Sun's new Earth Tower hotel. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D