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www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 11, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 23 companies in legal and financial trouble. In some cases Hopgood served as a consultant and in others she came in as a board member. For example, New York-based Del Global Technologies was under investigation for fraud by the U.S. Defense Department. Hopgood came in as board chair, entered a guilty plea and sold a division to pay a fine. As an antidote for the good old boys, Hopgood, 69, has also helped develop several "Girls Groups." They meet regularly for lunch, dinner and various social gatherings. Hartford members include Joanna Berger-Swee- ney, president of Trinity College and a CRDA board member. "It's really an opportunity for some of the prominent and up-and-coming women leaders to get together and stay informed," Berger-Sweeney said. "We have each other's backs. This has also broadened my perspective on the Hartford community." After being appointed chair of the CRDA by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2010, Hopgood found she had be- come very popular with certain business interests. "Every developer in town wanted to meet with me," Hopgood said. "I told them to meet with staff. I don't want to meet with someone who's looking for favoritism." CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said Hopgood's approach has been refreshing and proper. Freimuth credits Hopgood with fighting hard to establish standards and structuring partnerships to improve the likelihood of returns on investments. Together they toured run-down Hartford struc- tures, which have since been transformed into new residential housing, including about 1,200 apart- ments. They both recall the stench of mold from the former Sonesta Hotel, since cleared and renovated into the Spectra on the Plaza apartments. The old version of the building was "one of the larg- est pigeon houses in Connecticut," Freimuth said. A major unresolved issue is what to do with the XL Center, the aging sports arena-exhibition hall that anchors downtown. The CRDA had proposed a $250 million makeover for the XL Center, but is still awaiting legislative approval. Hopgood is a major proponent of renovating and preserving the arena. Early days Hopgood started working at age 11 at a family owned hotel in New Hampshire, busing dishes. She began her college studies at the business school at Northeastern University, but found that milieu less than encouraging. "A number of professors made it clear we [female students] were there to find a husband," she said. Northeastern, renowned for its co-op work pro- gram, offered to place her as a cosmetics clerk at the Jordan Marsh department store. She passed that up to manage her family's hotel and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration at the University of New Hampshire. She became a vice president and senior loan offi- cer at a bank in Lowell, Mass., then went on to Aetna. There she ran a billion-dollar investment portfolio in the San Francisco Bay area, including Silicon Val- ley. She worked with the second-largest developer in the country, Lincoln Property Co., which was Aetna's joint-venture partner. Hopgood was responsible for new development. In one bold move, Aetna and Lincoln developed an office building south of Market Street in San Francisco, which at the time was not considered a conventional commercial area but rather more akin to the former "Combat Zone" in Boston. As a young CEO in the restaurant industry, she re- calls being criticized for having an open-door policy. "I want the bad news. I can't fix it if I don't know about it," she said. Malloy was effusive in his praise for Hopgood, her work downtown and her direct approach. "She's a pistol and a maverick," Malloy said. "She's ahead of her time. She's poked enough white guys in the eye to make them sit up and pay attention. We're kindred spirits." confronting boardroom politics 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 Gregor Technologies, Torrington, CT | 2007 | 40,000 sq. ft. 2009 | Addition — 28,500 sq. ft. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2018