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For more B2B news visit MARCH 27, 2017 Volume 25, Number 14 $3.00 Subscribe online Don't miss being a part of biggest sales lead generation day of the year on June 8th 2017 Introducing the ALL NEW 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 Index ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ The List: PG. 11 ■ Deal Watch: PG. 12 ■ Corporate Profile: PG. 17 ■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 18 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 20 Help Wanted A shortage of vocational-technical instructors is threatening the state's ability to train the next generation of manufacturing talent fast enough to replace those aging out of the workforce. PG. 3 EXECUTIVE PROFILE Surviving Change Robert Muccino Jr., president of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, is helping Connecticut's death industry cope with fewer families holding funerals and a state budget that is trimming indigent death benefits. PG. 5 Manufacturers, others face growing 'ransomware,' 'phishing' attacks By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com I t was just after lunch on a warm day last July, when Empire Indus- tries, a Manchester manufacturer of stainless steel products and specialty finishes, became a "ransomware'' target for the first time. "We were doing our work,'' said Empire's information technol- ogy (IT) manager Rich Shemanskis. "A couple of us noticed our files on our file server … names were being changed to random numbers. … I was in a panic.'' Empire and other manufacturers are especially sensitive to "down time,'' so Shemanskis says he got on the company's public- address system and ordered all Empire employees to immediately log off and shut down their laptop, notebook and desktop computers. By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com S o far this year, Avon employee- benefits firm Robert Hensley & Associates has switched 75 per- cent of its small business customers to a new health insurance carrier. Though there are still more small group clients to enroll in the coming months, that churn rate is abnormal- ly high — the highest in at least three years, said Katie Kehoe, Hensley's head of sales and marketing. Meanwhile, West Hartford broker Jason Gutcheon of Professional Busi- ness Insurers said he's experiencing much of the same with his small busi- ness clients. "There's a lot of movement this year," Gutcheon said. "A lot more shop- ping around." Brokers say higher-than-usual premium increases in Connecticut this year have led a significantly larg- er percentage of companies to switch carriers or plans in search of more affordable insurance. It's also led to a market-share fight among insurers, with one health plan in particular — Anthem — aggressively adding new clients, brokers say. Conversely, Farmington-based ConnectiCare, which struggled financially in 2016, FOCUS MANUFACTURING Continued on page 8 Continued on page 14 Cybersecurity THREAT Andrew Tyler (left) senior consulting engineer at East Hartford technology consultancy Kelser Corp., worked with Rich Shemanskis (right) information technology manager at Empire Industries, following the Manchester manufacturer's "ransomware" attack last July. P H O T O | K E L S E R C O R P. Jason Gutcheon, broker, Professional Business Insurers Higher rates lead to health plan market-share struggle Greater Hartford Health Check out our inaugural issue of the quarterly Greater Hartford Health magazine, which spotlights one of the state's most important sectors. Special Insert G r e a t e r H a r t f o r d HEALTH The Region's Quarterly Health Care Magazine // Spring 2017 // nebusinessmedia.com Healthy Investment CT hospitals investing big in new 'patient-centered' facilities Active Seniors Fitness programs for older adults are growing in Connecticut Trials of Hope Cancer research partnerships begin to pay off for CT patients Trials of Hope Cancer research partnerships begin to pay off for CT patients From the Publishers of