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www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 23, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 5 is designed to restore high-quality vision to patients who are no longer candidates for traditional treatments and have end-stage retinal degeneration. LambdaVision's new funding, through the Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund, will support continued research and development, and the addition of commercialization experts. To date, LambdaVision has raised $2.4 million in funding from state and federal sources, UConn said. Time running out for donors to save Winterfest The iQuilt Partnership said it has less than two weeks left to raise $55,000 and reach its goal of $230,000 — enough money to open and operate Winterfest Hartford this winter. Advocates for the free outdoor skating rink in Bushnell Park have raised $175,000 as of Oct. 18. If fundraising efforts are successful, the eighth year of free daily skating will begin on Nov. 24 and run through Jan. 2, said Jackie Mandyck, managing director of the iQuilt Partnership. For the past two years, due to cuts in the city's budget, the rink lost a significant portion of its funding. Last year corporations, foundations and individuals chipped in to save Winterfest and organizers are hopeful that the same will happen again this year. Major corporations and businesses of all sizes have donated, in addition to more than 70 individuals, Mandyck said. Travelers rank Bradley 5th best U.S. airport Bradley International Airport is ranked the fifth best airport in the country, according to Condé Nast Traveler's 30th annual Readers' Choice Awards. The accolade contradicts another recent report from J.D. Power, which ranked Bradley last among its peers in customer satisfaction. In the Condé Nast ranking, Bradley is accompanied by top-ranked Indianapolis International Airport, second-place Portland (Ore.) International Airport and third-place Long Beach (Calif.) International Airport. More than 300,000 readers submitted ratings and comments as part of the voting process, which took into account 195 U.S. and global airports, the magazine said. Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin A. Dillon said the ranking reflects customer satisfaction and is "a testament to our continuous growth and commitment to top- quality customer service at Bradley Airport." CT ranks 44th in U.S. tax climate ranking Connecticut has dropped a rung on the latest business tax climate ladder, according to an assessment from the conservative Tax Foundation. Connecticut ranks 44th in the country in the Foundation's 2018 State Business Tax Climate Index, down from 43rd a year ago. High property taxes dragged down Connecticut's overall ranking. The annual report measures how well each state's tax code is structured, analyzing more than 100 tax variables in five tax categories: corporate, individual income, sales, property and unemployment insurance. Overall, Wyoming again ranked first, followed by South Dakota and Alaska. California, New York and New Jersey ranked 48th, 49th, and 50th respectively. With first place as the best rank and 50th as the worst, Connecticut's best showing is in the unemployment insurance tax category, where it is ranked 19th, followed by sales tax structure (27th) and corporate tax structure (31st). The state's individual income tax structure ranks 37th with property tax structure coming in at 49th. Hartford's $40M Willow Creek apartment development now under way Developers and the city of Hartford broke ground at Willow Creek, a mixed-income residential community that will replace a 1950s-era public housing complex called Chester A. Bowles Park. Located in the city's Blue Hills neighborhood, the first phase of the project includes 62 mixed- income rentals, approximately 25 single-family units, and a community room for residents. The second phase will add 43 units for low-income, middle-income and market-rate renters. Five of those units will be offered as supportive housing for the homeless. The two-phase development project is being financed by a mix of private and public funds, including grants from the state Department of Economic and Community Development and the Capital Region Development Authority, as well as with low-income housing tax credits issued by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. The first phase of the multi-year project will cost $40 million, said Todd D. McClutchy, of JHM Financial Group, a member of Overlook Village Redevelopment Associates, the site developer. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. Valenti Maserati-Fiat | Hartford, Connecticut This building entertains two different dealerships. A Fiat car dealership and a Maserati dealership. The entire building was an interior and exterior renovation project. It was a complete renovation with high end finishes, ACM Panels, and new mechanical systems throughout. Project Size: 7,700 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: Automotive THINK • PLAN • BUILD At Simsbury Bank, we never forget that small to mid-sized businesses are the cornerstone of our local economy. It's the kind of appreciation that you don't find in a bigger bank. So we strive to be more flexible. To approve faster. To work with your business not as a lender, but as a partner. How can we help? You believe in you. Your bank should too. Visit SimsburyBank.com/grow-your-business to learn more. SimsburyBank.com 860-651-2057 Partners and Advisors to: Commercial & Industrial Businesses | Home Builders and Developers | Home Owner Associations Personalized Banking Solutions for Privately Owned & Family Businesses A rendering of the Willow Creek mixed-income residential community. Winterfest offers free skating in downtown Hartford. RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED