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JULY 24, 2017
Volume 25, Number 30
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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 Lists: PGs. 10, 11
■ Deal Watch: PG. 12
■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 18
■ Nonprofit Notebook: PG. 18
■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 20
EXECUTIVE PROFILE
Housing Empire
Arthur Greenblatt has helped steer Simsbury-
based Vesta Corp. into one of the top 100 largest
affordable multifamily property management
companies in the United States. Now he's plotting
a new aggressive growth strategy. PG. 5
FOCUS:
GREEN BUSINESS
Diving In
In a surprising move, electric utility Eversource
Energy recently announced its first-ever
acquisition of a water company, buying
Bridgeport-based Aquarion for $1.68 billion. Find
out what analysts think drove the deal. PG. 8
Visa delay adds uncertainty for
CT immigrant-entrepreneurs
By Matt Pilon
mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com
G
etting a work visa in the
United States can be diffi-
cult, and the federal govern-
ment this month put up another
roadblock for hopeful immigrants.
The so-called International
Entrepreneurs program, created
under an executive order from for-
mer President Barack Obama, is
now postponed until next March.
An estimated 3,000 immi-
grant-entrepreneurs — includ-
ing some in Connecticut — were
preparing to apply for the new
visa program before it was
abruptly delayed this month, a
week before the application win-
dow was supposed to open.
For some, it might have been
their first U.S. work visa fol-
lowing college graduation. For
others, it was seen as one of a
limited number of options for
staying in the country once their
H-1B visas, which can last up to
six years, expired.
The worker-immigration debate
UConn's Front Street
arrival sets off a
retail feeding frenzy
By Gregory Seay
gseay@HartfordBusiness.com
N
ixs, the restaurant-bar in downtown
Hartford's Front Street retail-entertain-
ment district, plans an exterior facelift
around the time UConn's adjacent new campus
opens there in late August.
The eatery will create an outdoor cafe
and internet lounge outside its 40 Front
St. location, where an anticipated 2,000 or
so UConn faculty, staff, pupils and other
Continued on page 14
GAME
CHANGER
Continued on page 16
Nixs restaurant and
other vendors in
downtown Hartford's
Front Street retail-
entertainment district
are bracing for more
foot and vehicular
traffic once UConn's
downtown campus
bows in late August.
At left, chef Philip
Parise and bartender/
wait-server Ashley
Alessandra Fichera.
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Lawyer Dana Bucin says some of her clients were dismayed by a delayed visa program.
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