Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com April 24, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 7 WHAT'S AHEAD: ■ 5/1 Focus: Startups & Entrepreneurs ■ The List: Largest Small Business Express Loans ■ Nonprofit Profile: CT Society of CPAs CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 Strategies to Promote Education and Workforce Partnerships The Business CT 2017 conference will be held May 3 at the Farmington Marriot, 15 Farm Springs Road, providing information to businesses about workforce programs and incentives, employment laws, and wage requirements for both employers and employees. The day-long informational event — called Promoting Education, Strategies and Partnerships — will run from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is being sponsored by the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission (CETC) and the Connecticut Department of Labor. It will also offer networking opportunities with Connecticut's business leaders, employment experts and workforce development professionals. The morning portion of the conference will offer an overview of incentives, services and assistance that can help with business growth, while the afternoon features workshops that include topics on adult education business partnerships, employment law basics, paid sick leave, and unemployment insurance guidelines. Cost to attend is $75. For more information or to register go to: www. BusinessCT.com. REAL ESTATE Wal-Mart drops plans to construct 'supercenter' in Manchester Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has shelved plans to build a 152,430-square-foot "supercenter" on Spencer Street in Man- chester, town officials said. Director of Planning Gary Anderson said the retailer notified the town that it is no longer planning to build a new facility at 205 Spencer St., which the company had said would have employed about 300 workers. Wal-Mart is working with a local real-estate agent to sell the property, he said. The multinational retailer purchased space on Spencer Street from Gateway Lauren Inc. for $9.8 million in Nov. 2015, according to the assessor's office. – Joe Cooper | Journal Inquirer CBIA Health Connections – Connecticut's leading small business insurance program – offers you the best combination of value, service, and choice in a single program. It's easy to administer and backed by industry-leading customer service. Medical plans from ConnectiCare and Harvard Pilgrim Group and voluntary dental, life, disability, and vision options Employee wellness program One bill; one number to call for personal service Join the thousands of Connecticut small businesses who choose CBIA Health Connections. Contact your agent for a quote or visit cbia.com. Why do Connecticut small businesses choose CBIA Health Connections for insurance? cbia.com/insurance | 860.244.1900 Savings, Simplicity, and Service MANUFACTURING Whitcraft takes on NY private equity partner Eastford aerospace parts manufacturer the Whitcraft Group said it has added a New York private equity firm as an investment partner. Greenbriar Equity Group, which has more than $2.5 billion of committed capital and focuses on global transportation, including aerospace and defense, has invested an undisclosed sum in Whit- craft, which says the partnership could help the company expand, according to Whitcraft CEO Colin Cooper. Future potential acquisitions could result from the high demand for its products and services in the next generation commercial and military aerospace industry, he said. Whitcraft's affiliated companies are Connecticut Tool & Manu- facturing, which produces flight safety parts, complex assemblies and other products, and Berkshire Manufactured Products Inc., which provides parts for domestic and international markets in aerospace, medical, high tech and communications. TECHNOLOGY UConn startups attract record $40M in 2016 funding Startups in UConn's Technology Incubation Program (TIP) at- tracted a record $39.9 million in debt and equity in 2016, accord- ing to a fresh report from UConn. That exceeds the 2014 record of $24.4 million, according to UConn's Office of the Vice President for Research. TIP, which supports UConn startups as well as technology ven- tures, has sponsored more than 85 companies since it was estab- lished in 2004. Agrivida, an agritech company focused on animal nutrition, raised the most money — $21 million, which will be used to ad- vance the commercialization of its patented feed additive enzyme for use with poultry and swine. Frequency Therapeutics successfully raised $9.1 million in 2016, and recently announced a $32 million Series A financing, to develop a drug-based therapy to restore hearing loss. Customers are shown outside a Wal-Mart in Bristol. P H O T O | H B J F I L E

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