Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com March 6, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 5 THE BIG MO' AT UCONN HARTFORD SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017 RIVERFRONT RECAPTURE The Big Mo' Makes a Big Difference. Do your employees and colleagues enjoy Riverfront Recapture's parks, programs, and events? Funds raised through Big Mo' sponsorships and ticket sales are essential to Riverfront Recapture's success, from public art on the Riverwalk to concerts in Great River Park. Showcase your company and your community support, and enjoy a night out at the first public event to be held at the UConn Hartford campus. Learn more at riverfront.org/bigmo, or contact Debbie Baker at (860) 713-3131 ext 326. UHart biz school eyes $5.2M expansion The University of Hartford's Barney School of Business is closing in on a multi-million- dollar fundraising goal that would enable the largest expansion in its nearly 50-year history. Plans call for a 10,000-square-foot addition to the school's Auerbach Hall headquarters, with amenities to include a financial lab with Bloom- berg trading terminals, a new student commons area and cafe, and a professional development and career center. "I think this will probably be the most transformational project for the business school since its inception," said Martin Roth, dean of the Barney School. Roth said the project is entirely aimed at students. There are no new faculty or office spaces. And the goal is to remain competitive with area business schools, including UConn's. Barney, which has approximately 600 undergraduates enrolled, up from 525 in 2013, when Roth was hired as dean, wants to increase recruitment of new students and better serve existing pupils. "The higher-education market contin- ues to become more and more competitive each year," Roth said. "We're seeing not only schools within our region but also outside very aggressively marketing to attract the really bright students here in the northeast- ern part of the U.S." The entire project is expected to cost $5.2 million, and much of it will come from donors. Barney has raised approximately 70 percent of a $4.5 million fundraising goal. Assuming it raises the remaining 30 per- cent, UHart would kick in approximately $700,000 of its own money. UHart has been fundraising for the project since early last year, and the money raised so far has come in the form of larger gifts from area companies and alumni. Stanley Black & Decker's name will adorn the student com- mons area. Meanwhile, Barney will name the new career center after R.C. Knox, which is a part of People's United Insurance Agency. The new cafe will be named after Shelton- based manufacturer Hubbell Inc. There are still $1.6 million in naming rights up for grabs at the business school, including for the trading lab. The school has widened its appeal to alums it hopes might want to support the project. "Our goal is to complete the fundraising in 2017 … and if we are successful, we could begin actual physical work on the project in 2018," Roth said. The project would take approximately 10 months, but Roth said classes wouldn't be disrupted. – Matt Pilon discovering various subcontractors lacked Connecticut worker's com- pensation coverage and misclassified workers as independent contractors, according to Nancy Steffens, a DOL spokeswoman. At least one stop work order remained in effect as of last week. "From the outset of the project, Excel failed to progress the project with any diligence or professionalism," the law- suit states. 50 Morgan Hospitality Group fired Excel Jan. 12 and filed its lawsuit Jan. 27, seeking to recoup more than $500,000 in damages it said it's owed as a result of the alleged contract breach. Representatives from Excel Hotel Services and 50 Morgan Hospitality Group declined to comment on the suit. 50 Morgan Hospitality Group LLC is a business entity owned by Florida hospi- tality owner/operator Inner Circle, which took an ownership stake in the Radisson Hotel in 2013. The developer has since brought in a new contractor to oversee the apartments conversion, according to a source familiar with the project, which now has a targeted summer completion date. CRDA Executive Director Mike Fre- imuth said he is aware of the construc- tion issues and is monitoring the situa- tion closely. If the project has any cost overruns, they will be borne by the developer, he said, adding that he expects the project to be ready sometime this summer. – Greg Bordonaro A rendering of the trading lab the Barney School plans to build as part of a coming expansion. R E N D E R I N G | C O N T R I B U T E D

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