Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 2, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 9 ten to a point in my career where the things we were doing in Minneapolis- St. Paul were successful and other communities were taking note and wanted that experience, too.'' So why Hart- ford? "We wanted to find a com- munity that met my professional needs and oppor- tunities, but also a place where my family could feel great,'' he said of his wife, daugh- ter and son. "And we found that in Hartford.'' The feeling is mutual among MetroHartford Alliance's staff and investors, including some of Hartford's best- known corporate brands like Trav- elers Cos. Travelers Exec- utive Vice Presi- dent and Chief Administrative Officer Andy Bes- sette sits on the boards of both the MetroHart- ford Alliance and the Greater MSP. Bessette says he knows Griggs from his work with the Minneapolis-St. Paul economic partnership. Griggs stood out among the 75 ap- plicants for the MetroHartford CEO post, Bessette said. "The thing that impressed us most about him is he is a nice person,'' Bes- sette said. "He's a smart person and he has good interpersonal skills. He's very intellectual. He loves data.'' Even more impressive, Bessette said, is that Griggs, working along- side the CEO and staff of Greater MSP, recruited employers who brought 20,000 to 30,000 jobs to the Minneapolis- St. Paul region in the last six years. Rob Camoin, president and CEO of Camoin Associates, the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., consultancy the Alliance hired to aid in its CEO search as well as a reset of its mis- sion, said today's more progressive economic-de- velopment entities are sifting deeper into market data to better identify opportunities and potential -- Griggs' strengths. "His skill set just aligned so well with where we were suggesting [the Alliance] head as an organization,'' Camoin said. Michael Lang- ley, the Greater MSP's CEO and Griggs' boss when he arrived from Buffalo, describes Griggs as "a consum- mate economic- development professional." "He grew a lot into this role," Langley said. "This was a big- ger region [than Buffalo]. A bigger organization. He understands how to position the re- gion for success with industries and industry clusters.'' CEO advisory panel Griggs has a particularly strong back- ground working with companies' back-office op- erations and data centers, Langley said. Current and former city of Hartford officials have expressed a de- sire to tout the city as a haven for New York City companies to relocate their information-technology operations. "We're pulling for him to make a huge difference in the Greater Hart- ford region,'' Langley said. Along with jobs, Bessette said Griggs' marching orders require he reach out to businesses, state and local government leaders, and other regional stakeholders. To that end, the Alliance has formed a "CEO advisory panel'' made up of Hartford region business leaders who will be a sounding board for the Alliance's staff and board, Bessette said. As part of that, Bessette said he personally will be taking Griggs around to meet as many local CEOs as possible, so he can get to know them and their concerns. "Over the past few years, we've focused on the chamber-of- commerce part of it and less on regional economic development,'' Bessette said. "We said we want a world-class leader who can collaborate" with local and state eco- nomic development leaders. Quality Construction + Butler Manufacturing = Repeat Customers www.borghesibuilding.com © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Dupont Storage Systems, Bristol, CT | 2009 | 32,500 sq. ft., 46' tall 2012 | Addition — 15,300 sq. ft. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. Plan Your Next Meeting at Saybrook Point Inn This Could Be Your Office For The Day Let our professional Meeting Planners customize your next meeting or event. Experience what our unique meeting spaces can offer with team building opportunities and farm to table menus. Located only two hours from New York and Boston. Learn more at Saybrook.com. and Boston. Learn more at Saybrook.com. 2 Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475|860.388.0000 David Griggs Age: 52 Hometown: Michigan City, Ind. Personal: Married, two children Education: Bachelor of science degree in urban planning and regional analysis, State University of New York, Buffalo State College; master of plan- ning degree, University at Buffalo. "The thing that impressed us most about him is he is a nice person. He's a smart person and he has good interpersonal skills. He's very intellectual. He loves data.'' Andy Bessette , Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Travelers Cos.

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