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CBIA in the News - 2006-2007 Archived Newspaper ArticlesUnless otherwise noted, all articles are saved as PDF files. To download Adobe Acrobat click here. (2006-2007 archived articles)
Proposals sought for renewable resources By Luther Turmelle CROMWELL — New England's power grid operator will get its first glimpse by year's end of proposals for long-distance transmission lines designed to bring wind and hydropower from northern New England and Canada 's Maritime provinces. ISO-New England will receive the proposals at a meeting in December, said Stephen Whitley, president and chief operating officer of the Holyoke, Mass., grid operator. The date and location of the meeting are still being worked out, Whitley said during a daylong forum on energy sponsored by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.HARTFORD: Rell touts education plan, Dems skeptical By Paul Hughes HARTFORD Gov. M. Jodi Rell is out pitching her plan to increase state education spending by $3.4 billion over five years. Rell sought to enlist the support of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association in a speech Wednesday morning to business executives from around the state. Simmons gets started as state's first business advocate By Paul Hughes HARTFORD Though not yet confirmed, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons made his unofficial debut Wednesday as the state's business advocate. "I don't have a business card right now," Simmons told a gathering of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Rell calls on business to back education By Ken Dixon HARTFORD — Gov. M. Jodi Rell told the state's business community Wednesday that if they want an educated work force for the 21st century, they should support her five-year, $3.4 billion investment in public schools. Firms cite shortage of skilled labor By Steve Higgins Forty-four percent of Connecticut business executives plan to hire more workers in 2007, up from 25 percent a year ago, according to CBIA’s fourth-quarter economic survey, released Wednesday. However, 66 percent of those executives expect to have trouble finding qualified workers, especially for high-skill positions. The state’s shortage of skilled labor is worsening, according to several CBIA surveys and other regional reports over the past six months. By Harold Davis By Cara Baruzzi New Have Register 12-03-06 When Walgreen Co. was deciding where to build a new 680,000-square-foot Northeast distribution center, company officials considered Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut before ultimately choosing to build the state-of-the-art facility in Windsor. "We looked at a number of sites," said Dan Coughlin, a divisional vice president with the Illinois-based drug store chain. "It was a very thorough search. Connecticut was competing with other states and won."
STAMFORD — Let history reflect that shortly before noon Friday a group of Connecticut businesspeople gathered and acknowledged that things around here are pretty darn good. While worry remains about the effect of congested highways, high health-care and housing costs, aging populace and future workers, many agree with economist Todd Martin, who said, "Most other places in the world would love our problems." Election Special Report Fairfield County Business Journal 10-30-06 No contest for public office in Connecticut better sums up the business issues facing the state than the race to succeed George “Doc” Gunther, who, having represented Shelton and Stratford since 1967, is the longest-serving Connecticut state senator in history Debate centers on electricity regulation By Luther Turmelle New Haven Register 10-25-06 CROMWELL — State officials and elected representatives disagreed Tuesday over whether deregulation has played a role in boosting energy prices in Connecticut. During a panel discussion sponsored by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Consumer Counsel Mary Healey said a major priority of the state’s General Assembly during its 2007 session should be fixing the flaws in deregulation. By Marc Silvestrini CROMWELL -- State House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, said Tuesday the legislature has not ruled out a special session on a legislative energy package and that he plans to discuss a post-Election Day extra session with senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn.
Controlling costs key for Conn.; panelists agree on problems, but not solutions By Rob Varnon CROMWELL — As bickering among several state agencies and a regional electricity manager surrounded her, the state's top environmental enforcement officer said that if cooperation doesn't take hold, Connecticut could be headed for disaster. "We're humans. We have to turn on the lights and breath air," state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy said, laying out during a panel discussion on the future of energy exactly what is at stake for Connecticut. McCarthy sat on the second of two panel discussions Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell, part of a Connecticut Business & Industry Association forum. More than 300 attended the conference.
CBIA wins $1.7M training grant By Steve Higgins New Haven Register 10-21-06 NEW HAVEN — Connecticut manufacturers have said they need more workers trained in advanced manufacturing techniques, and the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has risen to the challenge. The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday that the CBIA has won a $1.7 million federal grant to create new training and educational programs related to lean manufacturing and computerized machining, among other areas of "next-generation" manufacturing. Business leaders taught how to prevent pandemic flu pandemonium By Anusha Shrivastava HARTFORD -- Coughing into the nook of his arm, Wayne Rawlins showed a group of business executives on Wednesday how they should cough in public if they don't have a tissue handy. Rawlins, national medical director and head of business planning and reporting for the National Medical Services division of health insurer Aetna Inc., was not teaching a class on etiquette. He was addressing a group of more than 100 business people gathered for a presentation on pandemic flu preparedness and business continuity at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's offices in Hartford. Labor market tight; young talent leaves By Rob Varnon The state's labor market is getting so strong, employers might start using the mirror test to judge potential employees' worthiness, said a Connecticut Business & Industry economist. The idea behind the mirror test, said Peter M. Gioia, is the labor market is so tight in certain areas of the state, desperate employers will hire anyone who's breathing. Increase in key rate may portend trouble How tight is too tight when it comes to monetary policy? Some economists said Thursday the Federal Open Market Committee may have gone too far with its 17th rate hike in two years, but it will be months before its effects are felt in the economy. Scholars program prepares students for honors courses By Maria Garriga NEW HAVEN — A new program to jump-start the academic progress of average students has succeeded in turning nearly half into honors-level students. Wilbur Cross High School will need to add more honors classes, school officials said, because 31 of the 65 students finishing the two-year Connecticut States Scholar program at Wilbur Cross will start taking courses at the honors level. The students enrolled straight from middle schools where they had all been enrolled in average-level courses By Pam Dawkins The Federal Open Market Committee did the expected Wednesday, raising a short-term interest rate by a quarter-point. In response, banks nationally raised their prime lending rates by the same amount, to 8 percent. "I don't think there was any particular surprise here," said John J. Knox III, United States Trust Co. N.A.'s managing director for the Connecticut region. Wednesday's increase of the federal funds rate — what banks charge each other on overnight loans — to 5 percent was the 16th consecutive hike. The big question now is whether the FOMC will continue the rate-raising at its June meeting, or if it will take a break. As baby boomers retire, next generation can demand more from job market By Rob Varnon TRUMBULL — The flood of retiring baby boomers could spark a major shift in power to remaining employees who should be able to command better benefits in a tight labor market. Joseph Carbone, president and chief executive officer of The WorkPlace Inc., made that point Wednesday during a panel discussion on immigration and work force development issues. The panel was part of an economic forum sponsored by the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and Connecticut Business & Industry Association. The panel members explored Connecticut's dependence on immigration, noting Fairfield County would have lost population between 1990 and 2000 if not for immigrants. By Rob Varnon TRUMBULL — With high inflation, rising medical costs and inadequate infrastructure unable to sink the region and state's fortunes, Paul Timpanelli, of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, hit the nail on the head when he said Wednesday this is a strange economy. Timpanelli, the BRBC president and chief executive officer, made his remarks before kicking off "The Fairfield County Economy: Infrastructure Issues and Challenges" forum at the Trumbull Marriott; the Connecticut Business & Industry Association was co-sponsor.
Connecticut businesses see skies darken By Anusha Shrivastava HARTFORD -- Dedicating one day a year as Connecticut Business Day is simply not enough, state officials and business leaders said Wednesday. "We need a Connecticut business year or a Connecticut business decade," Robert Genuario, secretary of the state's Office of Policy and Management, told nearly 250 people gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday for the annual event. When something deteriorates, Genuario said, it takes a long time to get it back on track. "We have let the business climate in the state deteriorate," he said, eliciting applause from the audience -- representatives of various chambers of commerce By Pam Dawkins Connecticut's tax codes don't earn it a spot at the top of the list of most business-friendly states, according to a Tax Foundation study released Monday, but it's not at the bottom, either. Energy fund wouldn't guarantee energy fund By Anusha Shrivastava HARTFORD -- Skyrocketing energy costs have led to debate over whether the state should create a separate conservation fund for natural gas and oil. Testifying Monday before the state legislature's Environment Committee, representatives from various advocacy groups sparred over the need to create and administer such a fund, even though a similar proposal has been shelved by the state's Energy and Technology Committee. "The fact is that there is no guarantee that money from such a fund will be spent on energy-related issues," said Robert Earley, a lobbyist who specializes in energy issues for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. ‘Job creation’ an elusive goal By Scott Whipple By Paul Hughes HARTFORD -- Business leaders liked what they heard Wednesday from Gov. M. Jodi Rell on the opening day of the 2006 session. The governor proposed tax breaks, more and better coordinated state help for businesses and other initiatives intended to boost the state's private sector economy. 'Wal-Mart bill' may come to state Lawmakers to take up plan to force firms to offer health insurance By Fred Lucas Danbury News-Times 2-4-06 Wal-Mart and other big businesses operating in Connecticut soon could be forced to insure all of their employees — part-time and full-time. Democratic legislators this session want to pass a law requiring large retail stores, fast-food chains and other businesses to provide health care coverage for their employees. The controversial proposal, which passed in Maryland last month, has come to be known as a "Wal-Mart bill" and now is being considered in legislatures across the nation. (more) CBIA calls for corporate tax cuts By Damian J. Troise HARTFORD — The Connecticut Business & Industry Association laid out its legislative agenda Friday for the upcoming session, calling for cuts in corporate taxes and investment in infrastructure and education to strengthen the state’s economy. CBIA President and CEO John Rathgeber and Chairman Roger Joyce announced the organization’s goals at the state Capitol, five days before the General Assembly opens its session Wednesday. (more)
Report finds high housing costs a threat to state's economy By David Gurliacci The continued high cost of housing in Connecticut may make it difficult for some companies to find workers in the future, particularly in some occupations and among younger age brackets, according to a recent report. But one staffing agency is finding that companies are willing to pay more for secretaries, clerks and lower-management employees in Stamford, Greenwich and surrounding high-priced communities. (more) Business leaders want action Stop talking, start working is theme out of summit HARTFORD -- It's time to act. Now, it's time to do something about it. (more) World instability helping drive costs, according to economist By Rob Varnon The Connecticut Post 1-06-06 HARTFORD — Delos Smith, with almost 50 years experience tracking business trends, stood on the stage at the Connecticut Convention Center on Thursday and said a vital question for the state and national economies is, "How do we make this world work?" Smith, principal of Delos Smith & Associates and a New York University professor, was one of three economists participating in a panel discussion at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's Economic Outlook & Summit 2006. (more) Politicians place blame squarely on rivals By Rob Varnon The Connecticut Post 1-06-06 HARTFORD — House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, is no comedian, but his sense of comic timing is impeccable. "Happy New Year everybody," Amann deadpanned at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's Economic Summit & Outlook for 2006, after his fellow legislators had exchanged verbal body blows Thursday over who is to blame for the state's lethargic economy — Republicans or Democrats. (more)
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