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www.HartfordBusiness.com • December 4, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 11 Movers & Shakers Erica Mumm has been appointed clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Quinnipiac University. She will teach several courses, including health policy, community health, and health and wellness. She also will focus on veterans' wellness. Most recently, she was an online instructor for Southern New Hampshire University. Previously, she directed the nurse educator programs at Waterbury and Bristol hospitals. Dr. Barry Stein has been named vice president and chief clinical innovation officer at Hartford HealthCare. Most recently, Stein led the creation of ImageConnect, HHC's enterprise medical-image platform, which was designed to work alongside the Epic electronic health record. Stein will focus on the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the organization and take a lead role in HHC's new "med-tech" startup ecosystem. George E. Krivda Jr. has been appointed by the Trump administration as the new state director for USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Krivda began his new role Oct. 30. He will oversee rural development programs. Most recently, Krivda worked at the Connecticut Department of Agriculture for nearly 10 years serving as a project manager, public information officer, legislative program manager and chief of staff. Bette W. Blankenship has been named radiation safety officer for Hartford HealthCare. Blankenship will be responsible for overseeing all radiation safety programs and ensuring regulatory compliance and accreditation, working closely with imaging and medical and radiation physics professionals. Blankenship comes from Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, where she served as a medical physicist and corporate radiation and laser safety officer. Dr. Abigail P. Tillman has joined St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center as a specialist in family medicine with St. Francis Medical Group. She is located in West Hartford, 345 N. Main St., Suite 245. Clinical interests of Tillman, who completed a residency with the Middlesex Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program in Middletown, include sports and wilderness medicine, medical office procedures, and medical resident education on managing adult, pediatric and obstetrical emergencies utilizing the simulation lab. Greg Cronin has joined the business development team in the Hartford office of Pacific Resources, an employee- benefits advisory firm servicing large corporations, as managing director. Cronin will be responsible for Pacific Resources' sales and development of national insurance accounts in leave, integrated disability and life. Cronin comes from Lincoln Financial Group, where he was regional sales manager. Janice Maschi has been named floating branch manager for Savings Institute Bank & Trust. Maschi will manage the bank's West Main Price Rite location in Willimantic and the North Windham Walmart location. Maschi joined the bank in 2014 and has held several positions. Previously, she worked 10 years for COCC, a provider of banking technology, managing its item processing department. Mark Auletta has joined Bristol-based aircraft component test equipment company Bauer Inc. as vice president of operations. Auletta has 17 years of senior operations leadership experience, including a previous stint with Bauer from 1989 to 1994. Rob Ruotolo has joined the risk management team at Wallingford independent insurance agency Sinclair Risk & Financial Management. Ruotolo has an extensive background in the employee benefits arena, working with middle market and large businesses on cost-containment programs. He previously worked at USI, Willis National Human Capital and Lockton Cos. Robert "Bob" Labanara has joined the Glastonbury office of construction firm Gilbane Building Co. as business development manager. Labanara most recently worked for a Connecticut developer and also has extensive experience in government relations, having worked for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities for about 15 years. His background includes working directly with mayors, first selectmen and town managers on policy development and analysis related to issues such as land use, transportation, labor and municipal finance. Erica Mumm Greg Cronin Rob Ruotolo Janice Maschi Robert "Bob" Labanara Bette W. Blankenship Dr. Abigail P. Tillman Dr. Barry Stein of her suburban fitness clients find it more convenient to use the downtown location before or after work. "We've had more traction opening this space than any of our others,'' she said. Waiting for critical mass With nearly 1,000 new apartment units opened downtown in recent years, and hun- dreds more in the pipeline to be built, it may be too early for all downtown merchants to realize the benefits of a growing urban population, observers said. Don Chapman, the city's director of small business and community development, said the city is sensitive to those concerns and noted there may be reason for optimism. A 2012 housing study the city funded, Chapman said, determined that Hartford could expect, based on the experience of housing ramp-ups in U.S. cities of similar size, to see a positive merchant impact once the new apartments count hits 7,500. With an average of 1.8 residents per unit, that would mean nearly 15,000 more people living downtown who also need food, drink, entertainment, medical services, among other things, Chapman said. "Until we hit that critical mass,'' he said, "it's going to be difficult for small business- es to see the difference.'' BFDH's Cassidy said many of her members were not expecting to see an immediate traf- fic boost from UConn's debut. However, over time they do expect more UConn students, faculty and staff to spend more time — and money — away from Front Street. And while Hartford waits for that critical mass, there are more people living down- town, including Chris Dudanowicz, 22, who recently moved from New Britain to down- town's Hartford ArtSpace building. Dudanowicz, a Central Connecticut State University grad and visual artist who works as an events coordinator for Upward Hartford in the Stilts Building, 20 Church St., said the fact that he has to pay more to live in Hartford is offset by the city's list of dining, shopping and leisure options. While getting a haircut at Parlor 55, Du- danowicz said he typically grabs groceries at Greenway Market next door. He also has grown fond of Dhaba Walla. "It's like Chipotle for Indian food,'' he said, comparing it to the Mexican fast-food chain. Though not a baseball fan, Dudanowicz said he attended a couple of Yard Goats baseball games at Dunkin' Donuts Park. Designated retail zone Downtown merchant Richard Goldenthal has been a fixture on Asylum Street since he acquired Camera Bar in 1985 from its previous owner, who opened it downtown in 1956. Most of his traffic flows from word of mouth despite the thousands Goldenthal said he spends annually on advertising. He said independent retailers like his are better suited to being housed downtown be- cause they collectively can draw upon each other's customer bases for sales. Asked about the idea posed by some downtown retailers for a designated retail zone in which only locally based or owned shops and service centers could be housed, he championed the concept. Goldenthal said a local merchant corridor extending from Union Station eastward to the riverfront could be valuable. Chapman, the city's community-business liaison, agreed that a dedicated retail zone may be worth considering. "I'll listen to anything, and I'm sure the mayor will listen to any proposal they put forward,'' Chapman said. Downtown retailers hope for holiday bump The holiday season is an important time for all retailers, including down- town Hartford merchants. Nearly a dozen center-city small busi- nesses, including Morneault's Stackpole Moore Tryon and The Tobacco Shop, got a head start on holiday sales, participat- ing in the recent nationwide "Small Business Saturday'' promotion that en- courages consumers to trade exclusively with locally owned retailers. Business For Downtown Hartford, a nonprofit advocate for center-city merchants, and 11 of its members offered sales specials and discounts to customers who visited their locations the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Pratt Street retailers may get an- other boost this holiday season, with the resumption of Winterfest Hartford and the expansion of First Night '18 activities on New Year's Eve to the re- tail strip. On First Night, "Paris 1937'' will feature piped and live jazz music along Pratt Street, said Hartford Guides principal Michael T. McGarry. The Hartford Parking Author- ity is also trying to help downtown merchants by introducing a reduced- fee holiday schedule for some of its metered spaces. Camera Bar owner Richard Goldenthal (right) and son, Aaron, in their Asylum Street shop.