Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • January 9, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com University of Connecticut $335,000,000* General Obligation Bonds, 2017 Series A General Obligation Bonds, 2017 Refunding Series A The Honorable Denise L. Nappier, Treasurer of the State of Connecticut, on behalf of the University of Connecticut, announces the sale of UConn General Obligation Bonds. The Bonds are being issued pursuant to the UConn 2000 Act, which provides for a $4.6 billion, 29-year program to renew, rebuild and enhance the University's campuses. UConn is a public instrumentality and agency of the State of Connecticut. *Preliminary, subject to change and availability. **Before purchasing Bonds, you should consult with your tax advisor concerning your particular tax situation. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, the Bonds. The Bonds may be offered for sale only by means of an Official Statement of the University of Connecticut, which may be obtained as stated in this announcement. In no event shall there be an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Bonds, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities law of such jurisdiction. The Bonds are general obligations of the University of Connecticut and are payable only as and from the sources described in the Official Statement. Retail Order Period* Monday, January 9, 2017 and Tuesday, January 10, 2017 Institutional Pricing* Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Expected Maturities* 2018-2037 Delivery Date* Thursday, January 19, 2017 Interest is federally tax-exempt and state tax-exempt for Connecticut residents** Expected to be rated Aa3/AA-/A+ by Moody's, S&P and Fitch, respectively For information or copies of the Preliminary Official Statement, contact the firms listed, visit buyCTbonds.com or call 877-55-CT-BONDS. An opportunity to invest in world-class education Piper Jaffray & Co. 800-552-0614 Goldman, Sachs & Co. 917-343-7900 Jefferies 800-567-8567 BofA Merrill Lynch 888-768-6999 Blaylock Beal Van, LLC 877-878-4113 Fidelity Capital Markets 800-544-5372 Janney Montgomery Scott LLC 800-822-2014 KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. 800-233-2460 Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC 877-937-6739 Ramirez & Co., Inc. 855-289-2663 RBC Capital Markets 800-243-2478 Rice Financial Products Company 888-740-7423 Roosevelt & Cross Incorporated 800-726-0971 Stifel 800-679-5446 Wells Fargo Securities 866-287-3221 J.P. Morgan 855-231-8873 Q&A Lobbying firm expansion bridges partisan divide Q&A talks to James Amann, former Democrat- ic House Speaker of the General Assembly and co-founder and managing partner of Inter- national Government Strategies LLC (IGS), a Milford-based lobbying firm. Q: IGS recently acquired another small lobbying firm, Marshall R. Collins & Associates, and hired another lobbyist (Michael Rell, who hap- pens to be the son of former Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell). Why did you make this deal, and as a well-known Democrat and former House Speaker, why add a Repub- lican to your team? A: Relationships are the gold standard in our business. I've known Marshall Collins since the 1990's, when we worked together on issues of mutual interest via the Milford Chamber of Commerce while I was a state representative. Marshall is fair, hard working, professional and an excellent, straight-shooting advocate for his clients. When Marshall approached me about a potential merger, it was easy to find reasons to make it happen. He's the type of guy you look forward to having on your side. I can say the same thing about Mike Rell, who comes from extremely good stock and brings two decades of legislative and political success to International Government Strat- egies. Mike's mother, former Gov. Jodi Rell, and I had some well-publicized differences of opinion while I was House Speaker, yet the truth is she and I had an outstanding working relationship and deep respect for one another that continues to this day. Overall, I think this year's state elections showed an increasing appetite in Connecticut for shared governing; the relationships that Marshall, Mike, and I have forged on both sides of the political aisle will give us unparalleled opportu- nities to represent the interests of our growing client base. Q: You're no stranger to budget battles. How do you see Gov. Malloy and state law- makers tackling the billion- dollar deficits forecasted for the next two years? Are fur- ther tax increases inevitable? What advice would you give to the legislature? A: I don't envy the job of the Governor and state lawmakers in the upcoming biennium with deficits of up to $1.5 billion loom- ing like a dark storm cloud over- head — a forecast that has been remarkably consistent for almost five years now. During my time as House Speaker, we were fortunate to have a streak of surpluses that provided the opportunity to make some needed investments in our state. As a leader, my philosophy was to empower committee chairs and to seek middle ground between all four legislative cau- cuses — and the governor — in tackling the biggest problems and budget priorities. My specific advice (while it may seem counterintuitive from a budget-balancing perspective): I would strive to keep business taxes and regulatory relief at the center of recovery efforts. Small businesses, especially, are the engine of Connecticut's economy. Connecticut should shed as many of the nickel-and-dime, nuisance taxes and fees as possible, which will unleash more development, investment, startups and hir- ing. The state is right to focus on maintaining our competitive advantages over places like New York and Massachusetts, but we also shouldn't shut our eyes to what's working across our bor- ders. There are valuable lessons and practices to be leveraged. Q: Besides the budget, what are some other major issues that will gain attention this year? What about issues that will impact businesses? A: Like it or not, the budget will continue to suck most of the oxygen from legislative hearing rooms and both chambers. The recent court decision that calls for more equal education opportunities across Con- necticut ensures that education will be a point of focus this year. Personally, I hope the role of our voca- tional-technical schools as a talent pipeline continues to be supported. Though overshad- owed recently by our presidential election, I believe issues that brought Bernie Sanders to the national consciousness — especially the minimum wage — will re-emerge as a flash point between caucuses. As it always does, the debate will come down to balancing com- peting calls: Does a higher wage mean the business owner who could hire 25 employ- ees will stay put at 20 employees to remain competitive and profitable? In the case of economic development, Malloy has been right to aggressively invest in sectors fundamental to Connecticut's DNA, like aerospace and insurance. Connect- icut's digital media tax incentives — which have generated about $2 billion in associated activity — and our biotechnology sector are other potential growth areas that merit addi- tional investment. This will be a fascinating year, as most legislative sessions prove to be. I think it's a big reason why so many of us who start out in government find a reason to stay involved in this game; there's nothing quite like it. n JAMES AMANN Former Democratic House Speaker of the General Assembly and co-founder and managing partner of International Government Strategies LLC (IGS) Cybersecurity is hard. Defend Forward is easy. One monthly subscription puts the technology, training and expertise in place to defend your company's information, reputation, and future. 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