Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 2, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 Pratt & Whitney nabs $240M defense contract East Hartford jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney is being awarded a $239.7 million defense contract for materials that will produce 137 single-engine tactical fighter jets for several military branches, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Farmington-based United Technologies Corp., will acquire long-lead materials, parts and components to produce F135 propulsion systems for the Air Force, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, U.S. Department of Defense, and others, the Defense Department announced. The F135 system is the engine that powers the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. About 67 percent of the production will be performed in East Hartford, and about 23 percent and 7 percent of the work will be handled in Indianapolis, Ind. and the U.K., respectively. The project is expected to be completed by Jan. 2021, the Defense Department said. AG-led coalition demands answers from Facebook Attorney General George Jepsen said he is co-chairing a bipartisan coalition of 37 state and territorial attorneys general in demanding answers from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after news reports indicate that personal information from at least 50 million profiles was given to software developers without notifying the users. Jepsen said Facebook's policies had allowed third-party software developers to access personal data of "friends" of people, and the information was sold to data firm Cambridge Analytica without informing users. "The situation involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica raises significant concerns about Facebook's policies and practices relating to user privacy, as well as the truthfulness and clarity of representations made to users concerning the uses of their data," Jepsen said, adding the group is "engaging" Facebook to ensure their privacy concerns are addressed. In a letter submitted to Facebook, Jepsen's coalition is inquiring about the social networking site's policies and practices including the clarity of their terms of service, how they monitored what developers did with the data and Facebook's oversight of the data given to developers. WFSB promotes veteran news director to pres., GM Meredith Corp. recently promoted its former news director to vice president and general manager of CBS affiliate WFSB. Dana Neves, a veteran at Rocky Hill-based WFSB, will begin her new post immediately after serving as the station's news director since 2006. Neves began her career as a WFSB intern in 1995 before also working as the station's assignment manager, managing editor and assistant news director. Neves will report to Patrick McCreery, the executive vice president of Meredith Local Media Group. McCreery said her years of experience and dedication to WFSB have prepared her for her new job. Neves replaces Klarn DePalma, who was recently promoted to executive vice president of MNI Targeted Media Inc. in Stamford. Meredith is currently searching for a news director at WFSB, the company said. Insurer renews naming rights to XL Center The XL Group insurance company recently renewed its naming rights for downtown Hartford's XL Center. The Bermuda-based insurer, which has a major presence in Hartford and Stamford, will keep its name and brand attached to the sports and entertainment venue for at least five more years. Its current contract was set to expire on June 30, according to Chris Lawrence, XL Center's general manager. Formerly the Hartford Civic Center, the arena sold the naming rights to XL Group in 2006. Financial terms of the deal weren't released. "I think this shows the XL Group's commitment to the building and the community as a whole," Lawrence said. 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. Impact Plastics | Putnam, Connecticut PDS recently designed and built a state of the art two story 12,000 square foot addition onto their existing facility. The new addition features offi ce space, polished concrete fl oors, frameless glass conference room, work laboratories, second fl oor exterior patio and all energy effi cient materials. This project was completed on time and within the owners budget. Project Size: 12,000 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: C PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut big benef its for small business Dana Neves, General Manager, WFSB The F135 engine production line at Pratt & Whitney. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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