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www.HartfordBusiness.com March 6, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 7 WHAT'S AHEAD: ■ 3/13 Focus: Construction ■ The List: Largest Engineering Firms ■ Nonprofit Profile: Hartford Community Loan Fund CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 Women of Innovation 2017 The Connecticut Technology Council will host its Women of Innovation awards ceremony March 29 at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St., Plantsville. The event will honor top women scientists, researchers, academics, manufacturers, student leaders, drafters, entrepreneurs and technicians who are contributing to cutting- edge technology that will lead to tomorrow's advancements. Former TV journalist Diane Smith will once again be emcee for the evening's festivities, which run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cost to attend is $95 to $125 for nonmembers. For more information contact: Cindy Lang, 860.289.0878, events@ct.org. 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 CT attracts 64,000 Airbnb guests, $11M in income Airbnb, the online marketplace that allows people to rent their homes or apartments, said last week that Connecticut's 2,400 ac- tive hosts earned more than $11 million in supplemental income in 2016, welcoming as many as 64,000 visitors to the Nutmeg State. The typical host in Connecticut earned $5,500 last year. The typical Connecticut dwelling listed on the site is occupied 32 nights per year and the average length of stay is 3.4 nights, said Josh Meltzer, head of Northeast public policy for Airbnb. Residents in the city of Hartford earned $459,742 from 3,708 guests, outpaced by New Haven, which earned nearly $1.9 million for more than 11,500 guests. ECONOMY & LABOR U.S. News ranks CT 12th 'Best State' Connecticut has been ranked the 12th best state in the country based on a U.S. News & World Report analysis, but 38th for its economy. While falling short of the top 10, the state ranks second for gen- der equality, fourth for educational quality, and No. 12 for health care. Connecticut is also ranked as the seventh safest state in the nation. Areas where the state ranked lower include infrastructure (26th), government (20th) and the economy (38th). Neighboring Massachusetts was ranked as the No. 1 state in the country. U.S. News evaluated states across 68 metrics to cre- ate the Best States rankings, based on tens of thousands of data points provided by McKinsey & Company's Leading States Index. Henkel to buy Cambridge packaging firm for $1B Rocky Hill consumer goods giant Henkel plans to buy Darex Pack- aging Technologies of Cambridge, Mass., for $1.05 billion, the com- pany announced. Henkel has submitted a binding offer for the business, which sup- plies high-performance sealants and coatings for the metal packaging industry around the world. Darex has about 700 employees and 20 sites in 19 countries. In fiscal 2016, the firm generated sales of around $300 million. In fiscal 2016, Henkel's adhesive technologies unit had $9.4 billion in revenue. TELECOMMUNICATIONS YES Network returns to Comcast after blackout The YES Network, home to the New York Yankees, will return to Comcast's Xfinity programming beginning March 31, just be- fore the Major League Baseball season kicks off, both companies announced. The blackout in late 2016 had left some 900,000 Comcast cus- tomers without a way to watch Yankees games and other favor- ites, according to published reports. Now, YES will be re-launched in the areas in which it was pre- viously carried, and Xfinity customers will be able to watch the March 31 New York Yankees-Atlanta Braves pre-season game live on YES at 7:30 pm, the companies said. Diane Smith LIFETIME PATRONS: Aetna | Connecticut Public Television and Radio | The Hartford | Lincoln Financial Group | The Rosalyn Group | Stanley Black & Decker | Travelers | United Technologies Corporation | Voya Financial Jonathan Capehart Moderator Anjali Kumar Former Google Exec, Former Head of Social Innovation & General Counsel at Warby Parker Danny Meyer Restaurateur, Founder of Shake Shack Ezra Klein Journalist, Political Analyst, Founder & Editor of Vox.com TICKETS AND INFO: 860.509.0909 OR CTFORUM.ORG Join us for our 25th season of fascinating conversations! LIVE AT THE CT FORUM THIS EVENING HOSTED BY: PRESENTING SPONSOR: Use of Vox.com ® , Shake Shack ® and Google ® logos do not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D