Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com April 24, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Dunkin' Donuts Park rates well in its early days By Keith Griffin Special to the Hartford Business Journal D unkin' Donuts Park, home of the Double- A Hartford Yard Goats baseball team, is targeting families as a major customer base, hoping to draw in parents and their chil- dren for a fun-filled, entertaining experience. Early on, the team is proving itself as a via- ble family destina- tion, having sold out its opening day game April 13. Is it perfect? Not quite, but it's off to a strong start. Hartford Busi- ness Journal free- lance writer Keith Griffin recently went to experience the "family" atmosphere of the $71-million publicly financed sta- dium with his wife, two children, ages 9 and 12, and other family members, for their perspective. Here are their collective thoughts after seeing the Yard Goats lose to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on April 15. Cost Is it cheap? Some parts of the stadium are, and some parts aren't. Four seats, plus fees, behind home plate for example, will cost you $67 if you purchase tickets online. It's cheaper if you pay at the box office, team officials said. Plan on another $60 for food and drink (on the conservative side) and you're looking at up to a $125 family experience with the best seats. You can find seats in left field at a lot of games for as little as $6 each. It's not a big park so you're not far from the action, and you're near kid-friendly entertainment. Parking The $5 parking fee negotiated by the Yard Goats with LAZ Parking is cheap. The lots are within easy walking distance to the sta- dium. The most efficient lot is at the corner of Morgan and Main streets. It's a flat five- minute walk to the stadium over I-84. At that low price, it makes no sense for families to take CTfastrak to the game. A family of four would pay $15 for the bus ver- sus $5 for parking. One complaint about the parking? Know where you're going before leaving your home. The signage wasn't great April 15th. Posted street signs do a murky job point- ing you in the right direction. The stadium It's an easily acces- sible space. All of the staff was accommo- dating and friendly. They would apolo- gize if they couldn't answer questions and point you to someone who could. Plus, you can walk around the entire stadium to see the game from many different perspec- tives. It's a major league space. There's also the Travelers Kids Zone with an inflatable slide, basketball hoops, and a pitch- ing game. Prices range from $1 for one game to $5 for six to unlimited for $10, which is the best investment. Food and drink It ranges from the typical hot dog and a soda, which will set you back $7, up to the Dunkin' Donuts Park BLT and a large pre- mium draft beer. That combo's going to cost you $22. Our dinner tab was $45.50 for two small premium drafts, nachos, cheeseburger, hot dog, two lemonades, and that fancy BLT. It's made with two glazed donuts, bacon, let- tuce and tomato. It's the equivalent of the Big E meeting minor league baseball. How's the food? It's baseball-stadium qual- ity. One person in our group joked the Yard Continued (Above) Fans enter Dunkin' Donuts Park to experience one of the first games ever played at the stadium. (Below) A fan's view from the seats along the first base/right field line. P H O T O S | K E I T H G R I F F I N Officially Produced by: Now available are official PDF REPRINTS of your Article for your MARKETING usage All copyright fees included Share the excitement of being published! Best Places To Work In CT 2015 By Kathryn M. Roy Special to the Hartford Business Journal H ard work is rewarded at law firm Hinckley Allen. And for its 60 Hartford- based employees, the firm's focus on professional development provides a boost not only to staff, but clients as well. "We put a lot of time and effort into the development and training of our people," said Thomas S. Marrion, a partner at the law firm. "Within the last few years, we hired a director of professional development who was a partner at another law firm in Boston. He is devoted entire- ly to the professional development of our people here. It was a major commitment on our part to hire a full-time person in a firm of our size." Marrion said the role reflects the firm's dedication to having all staff properly trained so they can do the best work for their clients. The Hartford office, which has been open since 2008, is also known for its positive, team-based culture. "Everyone in every position at the firm is part of a team that is devoted to providing the best possible service to our clients," Marrion said. Rewarding good work is a priority at Hinckley Allen, which operates six offices and employs more than 300 people compa- nywide. The firm looks for opportunities for people to take on greater responsibilities, and they get greater rewards, Marrion said. "We always try to promote from within," Marrion said. "It doesn't matter what your job is here; if you work hard and work well with others and you're productive, you will be rec- ognized for that and you will succeed here." Megan McCormack, director of human resources, said being recognized as a good place to work helps lift office morale. "It helps support the goals that we have in human resources to create a good culture and good environment for people to work in," McCormack said. "It really is about creating a positive culture and one where people are sup- ported. They're rewarded for hard and qual- ity work. They support each other, they have regular outside-of-work recreational outings. "People continue to develop strong personal relationships," McCormack said. "People are really proud of what they can accomplish. They prefer to work in teams; they're stronger collectively. It's just enjoy- able to work with people that you genuinely like and respect." A formal committee of staff members orga- nizes community service projects. Employees volunteer at a local soup kitchen, at Camp Courant to benefit underprivileged children, and at Connecticut Public Television. Legal secretary Jean McCarthy, who serves on the committee charged with orga- nizing outside community service events, said the events help with bonding. "It makes it like it's not just a workplace – you're more invested," McCarthy said. The firm also supports a work-life balance. "They're pretty family-oriented, and I think that's kind of different from other large firms," McCarthy said. "Just recently, I had to leave work to pick up my sick grand- daughter, and they really are very support- ive of that type of occurrence. They know ▶ " I had to leave work to pick up my sick granddaughter, and they really are very supportive of that Hinckley Allen prioritizes teamwork Hinckley Allen employees (above) volunteer together at Camp Courant, celebrate special occasions together (below), and let loose at office socials (left). Large Company Category S A M P L E R e p r i n t & P l a q u e Connecticut Green Guide, Hartford Business Journal and HartfordBusiness.com content is copyrighted. Visit HartfordBusiness.com/ reprints for more info on article usage and obtaining copyright permissions. ALL PDF LIST REPRINTS COME WITH ADDITIONAL Commemorative Plaque OPTION — Plaques are Walnut Brown woodgrain finish with reprint mounted under beveled plexi-glass. Trimmed with metal corner nails. It's the perfect addition to your office or lobby — Ask for details and pricing. For article reprint info & pricing, contact: Allison Williams awilliams@HartfordBusiness.com or 860.236.9998 ext. 122 or visit HartfordBusiness.com/reprints The Travelers Kid Zone (top) includes a basketball game. There were long lines at the concessions stand.

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