Hartford Business Journal

4 Hartford Business Journal • May 22, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com w w w. H a r t f o r d B u s i n e s s . c o m (860) 236-9998 E D I T O R I A L Greg Bordonaro Editor, ext. 139 gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com Gregory Seay News Editor, ext. 144 gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Matt Pilon News Editor, ext. 143 mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com John Stearns Staff Writer, ext. 145 jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com Patricia Daddona Web Editor, ext. 127 pdaddona@HartfordBusiness.com Stephanie Meagher Research Director Heide Martin Research Assistant B U S I N E S S Joe Zwiebel President and Publisher, ext. 132 jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Donna Collins Associate Publisher, ext. 121 dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com Allison Williams Office & Sales Coordinator, ext. 122 awilliams@HartfordBusiness.com Amy Orsini Events Manager, ext. 134 aorsini@HartfordBusiness.com Kaleigh Hickey Events Coordinator, ext. 137 khickey@HartfordBusiness.com Jaime Rudy Sales Director, ext. 124 jrudy@HartfordBusiness.com David Hartley Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 130 dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Christopher Mazzaia Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 128 cmazzaia@HartfordBusiness.com Kristen P. Nickerson Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 133 knickerson@HartfordBusiness.com Karen Spatafora Accounts Manager, ext. 131 kspatafora@HartfordBusiness.com Raki Zwiebel Credit and Collections Manager Valerie Clark Accounting Assistant/Office Manager Kim Vautour HR Director P R O D U C T I O N Christopher Wallace Art Director, ext. 147 cwallace@HartfordBusiness.com Liz Saltzman Graphic Designer, ext. 140 lsaltzman@HartfordBusiness.com Peter Stanton CEO pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Joseph Zwiebel President, ext. 132 jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Mary Rogers COO/CFO mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions are $84.95. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com, email hartfordbusiness@ cambeywest.com, or call (845) 267-3008. Advertising: For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998. Please address all correspondence to: Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hart ford CT 06103. News Department: If you have a news item: Call us at (860) 236-9998, fax us at (860) 570-2493, or e-mail us at news@HartfordBusiness.com Hartford Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Hartford Business Journal (ISSN 1083-5245) is published weekly, 49x per year — including three special issues in July, November and December — by new England Business Media, LLC, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT. Tel: (860) 236-9998 • Fax (860) 570-2493 Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hartford Business Journal P.O. Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894 www.copyright.com Woody's Hot Dogs Application Development Specialist (Multiple Positions) (Accenture LLP, Hartford, CT): Develop, design, and maintain software products or systems to enable client strategies. Must have a willingness and ability to travel domestically approximately 80% of the time to meet client needs. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: www.accenture.com/usen/careers (Job# 00465493). Business & Integration Architecture Associate Manager (Multiple Positions) (Accenture LLP, Hartford, CT): Define, develop and deliver industry- leading software, products, offerings, and/or assets for Accenture and our clients using in-depth knowledge of business case creation and competitive analysis. Must have willingness and ability to travel domestically approximately 80% of the time to meet client needs. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: www.accenture.com/usen/careers (Job# 00465492). Software Engineering Associate Manager (Multiple Positions) (Accenture LLP; Hartford, CT): Analyze, design, build, test, implement and/or maintain multiple system components or applications for Accenture or our clients. Must have willingness and ability to travel approximately 80% of the time to meet client needs. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: www.accenture.com/us-en/careers (Job 00471494). Hartford Fire Insurance Company has an opening for a Developer in Windsor, CT. Design, develop, implement and support complex business solutions. How to apply: Apply online at www.thehartford.com, referencing #1700939/11474.39. plug eight years ago in a "Man v. Food" epi- sode on the Travel Channel revived a business that is celebrating its 40th anniversary. "Man v. Food" host Adam Richman raved about Woody's "Deputy Dog," a foot-long dog topped with barbecue pulled pork and cheddar cheese. Richman's "must try'' to his cable audience apparently resonated. "We had no idea of the impact," said Cindy, 63. "We've had people stop in from Hong Kong, New Zealand, Italy, Israel … ." Woody's evolution has been uneven over the past four decades. It all started with a newspaper advertisement selling a used white ice cream/food truck in 1977 for $1,100. At the time, both Woody and Cindy were looking for a career change. Cindy, a human-rights activist, worked as a waitress for many years, and tired of her job as a counselor. Woody was a head waiter/manager at a local restaurant, but want- ed to make more money. Taking a chance as entrepreneurs in the food industry made sense. "We were inclined to do that kind of busi- ness,'' Cindy says. Soon, there were seven food carts added to complement the truck, then a custom 8-by- 10-foot trailer that carried grills, steamers and fryers. The hot dog business was very competitive. Woody's signature spot was Jewel Street, adjacent to the carousel at Bush- nell Park. There were other prime locations at Trumbull Street and at Main Street across from the Old State House. What distinguished Woody's from the "New York-style" hot dog was foot-long dogs — instead of six-inch — plus the added chili, cheddar cheese and cheese sauce car- ried on the truck. Through the 1980s busi- ness was booming. The Capital City bustled with businesses and foot traffic. There were concerts galore, Whalers hockey and plenty of night life. The couple recalls city profes- sionals after work driving home to the sub- urbs, showering, changing, and actually coming back to Hartford to party. In 1996, Woody's settled in to 900-square feet at 915 Main St., more popularly known as the American Airlines building. Ten- ants in the nine-story structure included a bank and the Boys & Girls Club. Hot dogs are universal. Woody describes a "captive audience" above its first floor locale. Plus, there were the pedestrians who would walk to the 20-seat eatery to pick up their custom hot dogs (ranging from $4 to $5.75), or a hamburger, sandwich, onion rings or French fries. In 2001, five years after opening at Main Street, Woody's expanded into a 900-square foot space abutting his place. It was remodeled into a 50-seat bar with a distinct Miami Dolphins theme. The couple had become rabid Dolphins fans on their year- ly extended vacations to Florida. Pictures of former players Dan Marino, Mercury Morris, Mark "Super" Duper line the walls. The Dol- phins brand is visible on tables, couches and banners. Woody's "man cave" was such a pop- ular spot for Connecticut's Dolphins denizens that the NFL team named Woody's an official fan club, which means team memorabilia is sent to them each season. Despair would best describe 2001. Nine- teen terrorists highjacked four American Airlines planes crashing them into the two World Trade Center buildings in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a field in Shanksville, Pa. American Airlines vacated its Main Street location that same year. The other tenants were also out, as talks percolated about reno- vating the building into 101 apartment units. "If we didn't have the reputation that we did we wouldn't have lasted," Woody, 64, said. "We lost our breakfast crowd. We used to open at 7 a.m." The business was in decline, as was Cindy's health. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2002; her recovery became the couple's priority. "What keeps us going is that we have a lot of loyal customers," Woody says. "And anoth- er reason is the bar." The 18 seats at the bar are all purchased, like annual season tickets, for $250 each. Names of the patrons are put on a brass plate. Every football Sunday, each seat holder gets a pitcher of beer. The affable couple, ardent ambassadors and advocates for Hartford, are proud of the annual toy drive they've hosted for the past 20 years. Cindy Wood's health is fine these days. But Woody now has his challenges, dealing with a balky hip that needs sur- gery, delayed because he is a diabetic. He gets around on a mobile scooter. In a private moment, the hot dog maven concedes the couple is relishing retirement; well, sort of. "We're thinking about getting out of here,'' Woody said of the building. "And getting a truck." n Stan Simpson is the principal of Stan Simp- son Enterprises LLC, a strategic communi- cations consulting firm. He is also host of "The Stan Simpson Show," on Fox 61. ADVERTISING THAT GETS RESULTS! According to our most recent Circulation Verification Council audit and readership survey, 58% state they contacted a company because of an advertisement they saw in the Hartford Business Journal.* To find out more on how to reach your best customers, call Jaime Rudy, Sales Director, at 860-236-9998 x 124 or jrudy@HartfordBusiness.com * Circulation Verification Council Audit Report/Readership Survey: April 1, 2014 - December 31, 2015. 58 RESPONSE RATE % Woody's most popular hot dogs are usually smothered with cheddar cheese sauce. 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