News

Groton Economic Development reaching out to business community

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The Town’s Economic Development Division has created a list of resources for local businesses facing struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. The list includes links, from the state Department of Labor’s informational sheet on employee assistance, to a how-to video on how to fill out the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan application. Click here for the full article

Five less-traveled New London County hiking trails

Friday, March 27, 2020

The author Edward Abbey wrote "I find that contemplating the natural world my pleasure is greater if there are not too many others contemplating it with me, at the same time." No doubt Abbey would have been appalled at the crowds descending on Connecticut state parks this spring. With entertainment options limited by coronavirus precautions, it seems that more of us are rediscovering the outdoors. The Day's Erica Moser reported on the crowds visiting Bluff Point State Park in Groton recently, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection took to Twitter on Saturday to encourage people to visit some of the state'...

Mystic’s Fields of Fire Aerial Adventure Park is Fun for the Whole Family

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Located a short 2 miles from downtown Mystic, CT, Fields of Fire Aerial Adventure Park is action packed fun for the entire family! This 50-acre outdoor aerial adventure park has something to offer for all ages and attracts the curious to most adventurous travelers. Fields of Fire started as a paintball park in 2012 but today it is an action-packed park that features multiple climbing obstacle courses. The aerial courses opened in 2016 and has become a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike, which is exactly what Tom Vignato envisioned when he hired a professional aerial park designer to creat...

ThayerMahan and PanGeo Subsea Sign MoU to Provide Enhanced Seabed Survey Technologies

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

PanGeo Subsea Inc. and ThayerMahan Inc. recently executed a cooperative partnering agreement to provide a complete suite of state-of-the-art seabed and sub-seabed survey technologies to reduce risk and provide unsurpassed 3D acoustic imagery to clients in the offshore energy industry, to national security stakeholders, academia and the scientific communities. PanGeo Subsea offers two acoustic survey technologies –the Sub-Bottom Imager™ and the Acoustic Corer™ that penetrate the seabed floor to depths of 20-30 ft and 120 ft respectively to provide true real time 3D visualization of buried geohazards. ThayerMahan is a world leader in providing autonomous maritime and seabed survey solutions. Click her...

Who’s an essential worker, what’s an essential business?

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

As of 8 p.m. Monday all Connecticut workers not deemed "essential" were asked to stay home until at least April 22, according to an executive order signed by Gov. Ned Lamont. According to the state, dozens of jobs ranging from dog walkers to grocery store clerks are considered essential while small businesses will be allowed to remain open if they're run by only one employee. According to Executive Order 7H, all non-essential businesses and nonprofits were expected to have reduced their in-person workforces 100 percent by Monday night. Click here for the full article

State to roll out small-biz recovery loan fund

Friday, March 20, 2020

The state of Connecticut will roll out a small-business recovery loan fund as early as the beginning of next week to help small to mid-sized companies bridge short-term cash-flow interruptions caused by the economic upheaval precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came Wednesday afternoon on a conference call with Gov. Ned Lamont and David Lehman, commissioner of the state’s Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD), to update the state’s business community on measures state government is taking to mitigate the pandemic’s economic impact. Click here for the full article

Mystic native Nico Raineau directs his first feature film, but coronavirus closures mean it will only be seen on TV or computer screens

Thursday, March 19, 2020

The good news: After years of dreaming of directing his own feature film, Mystic native Nico Raineau has done it. He helmed “Hooking Up,” a new romantic comedy starring Brittany Snow (whose credits include the “Pitch Perfect” films) and Sam Richardson (“Veep”). The not-so-good news: The movie was scheduled to open Friday in 10 theaters around the country, but that won't be happening because of coronavirus closures. Click here for the full article

8 ways to support the local economy from home or while social distancing

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Whether closed entirely or operating in a partial capacity, all kinds of local businesses are suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus. But there are still ways to support them from home, or by going out but practicing social distancing. "Part of the problem we have right now is we're all in bed with Amazon, and that's not doing much to help the local businesses," said Tony Sheridan, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. He encourages people to see if local companies will deliver what they're looking for. Click here for the full article

With drive-up meal service, Groton Senior Center keeps St. Patrick’s Day festive for seniors

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Dressed head-to-toe in green for St. Patrick’s Day, Groton Senior Center Program Supervisor Cindy Olsen cheerfully delivered a takeout meal as a senior drove up to the facility's entrance about lunchtime on Tuesday. When the Senior Center’s St. Patrick’s Day luncheon — with 100 people scheduled to attend — was canceled after the center closed due to coronavirus precautions, staff still wanted to keep up the festivities for seniors. So the staff brought meals of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots to seniors who remained in their cars while picking up the meals. Click here for the full article

Amid coronavirus closures, people flock to Bluff Point

Monday, March 16, 2020

Gesticulating with his walking stick toward the more than 200 cars parked at Bluff Point State Park on Sunday afternoon, David Weber said the past two days have had the largest crowds he's ever seen there. Weber lives in New Jersey but is visiting family in Mystic for two weeks, and he comes to Bluff Point every day to walk. "This just shows that people aren't going to be held hostage" by the coronavirus, Weber said. "They need to get out." Click here for the full article

State Officials Push Business Recruitment, Public-Private Partnership at Chamber Breakfast

Monday, March 16, 2020

At a Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut breakfast in Groton on Thursday, invited leaders from Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and nonprofit AdvanceCT, spoke about government partnerships with the private sector. “South Carolina and other states down south have been calling our companies. Why can’t we do the same?” said Peter Denious, president and CEO of AdvanceCT, formerly the Connecticut Economic Resource Center. Click here for the full article

ThayerMahan and iXblue sign MoU to provide unmanned maritime services

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Groton-based ThayerMahan Inc., a world leader in autonomous maritime security solutions, announced today that it has teamed with iXblue, a global high-tech company specializing in navigation, acoustic positioning, and underwater imaging, to provide unmanned maritime and survey services using iXblue’s DriX Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) in North America as well as in other parts of the world. Click here for the full article

In Mystic, Bob Florence is Mastering the Art of Fermentation

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

If you’re familiar with wine tasting or craft beer flights, the concept of shoyu (Japanese style soy sauce) tasting will make sense to you. But what won’t likely make sense to you is the tremendous range and depth of flavors you’ll experience through the tasting. We recently had this experience in the home of Bob Florence, chief maker of some of the most amazing shoyu we’ve ever tasted, as well as the owner of Haley Brook Foods in Mystic. Click here for the full article

CBD company proposes turning former Groton fire station into gathering spot

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

A Connecticut-based CBD company is proposing to renovate the former Poquonnock Bridge fire station at 13 Fort Hill Road into a gathering space with drinks and food, live music, and a CBD retail operation. New England Hemp Farm would turn the building into its headquarters, dubbed "The Barn," for people to socialize and also learn more about CBD, said Brian Edmonds, the company's CEO and co-founder. "We hope to create a very welcoming space that is very inclusive of the community," Edmonds said. Click here for the full article

Former Groton school site envisioned as 280-unit housing development

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Developers are envisioning the former William Seely School property as an approximately 280-apartment development designed with "a community feel" and amenities including a clubhouse, pool, movie viewing areas, walking trail and dog park. DonMar Development Corp., a North Haven-based, family-owned business, unveiled conceptual plans for the redevelopment of the site during an informational meeting attended by about 70 people Wednesday evening at the Town Hall Annex. The plans also were outlined to The Day. Click here for the full article

Groton Startup ThayerMahan Grows to Capture Offshore Wind and Electric Boat Opportunities

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Years before the Connecticut Port Authority approved a $157 million deal to redevelop State Pier in New London as a staging area for offshore wind, and before a $22 billion submarine contract was awarded to Groton-based Electric Boat, a growing ecosystem of smaller companies have been setting up shop in the region, hoping to service the wind and maritime industries. Click here for the full article

Halvordson Weighs in on Addition of Offshore Wind to Region’s Submarine Supply Chain

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Opportunities for Connecticut-based companies in the supply chain that services the undersea and maritime industries are increasing now that offshore wind has entered the market, according to Ali Halvordson executive director of the Naval and Maritime Consortium. “The offshore wind supply chain is very immature in this country. It’s growing and we want to attract it as much [and] as early as possible from Europe,” said Halvordson in her office at UConn Avery Point on Feb. 4. Click here for the full article

Mystic Museum of Art has renovated galleries, opened a museum store, and will bring in a show of Norman Rockwell covers

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The Mystic Museum of Art was closed for most of January, and for good reason. It was getting a bit of a makeover. Its galleries were undergoing renovations. A new adopt-a-painting gallery was being created. And a museum store was being installed — the first store the site has had. Refurbishing galleries Last year, MMoA received a gift from an anonymous donor of $100,000, and that money made it possible to renovate the Davis and Halsey galleries. Click here for the full article

‘New generation’ of Poquonnock Bridge firefighters sworn in

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Six candidates were officially sworn in as new Poquonnock Bridge firefighters, while three department members were promoted to new positions, during a ceremony Wednesday at the Groton Senior Center. It represented the largest number of firefighters ever sworn in at a single time in the department's history. "We're looking for big things from them, and I think we're going to get it," Poquonnock Bridge Fire District Board President Ron Yuhas said. "Our whole department has come together nicely." Click here for the full article

Culinary Tourism is a Powerful Economic Engine

Friday, February 07, 2020

Imagine the pleasure of eating at the best restaurant in Southeastern Connecticut, then at an iconic CT Restaurant Hall of Fame eatery, then indulging in sweets prepared by the Best Baker in America. All three spots are within a half mile of each other in the Mystic section of Groton. The CT Restaurant Association recognizes Oyster Club as the best restaurant in Eastern CT for outstanding farm and sea to table cuisine with ingredients raised and harvested close to the restaurant. The Captain Daniel Packer Inne was inducted into the CT Restaurant Hall of Fame for over 30 years of expertl...

How is Electric Boat going to find thousands of workers to keep up with rising demand for submarines?

Thursday, February 06, 2020

The pace of submarine construction in southeast Connecticut and Rhode Island is expected to extend decades into the future, requiring General Dynamics Electric Boat to rely on technical schools, high schools, even elementary schools to recruit workers. At the submarine manufacturer’s annual legislative breakfast in Groton Monday, Kevin Graney, president of Electric Boat, outlined the company’s plans for the future. Click here for the full article

Thames River Innovation Place seeks projects for $371,000 in funding

Wednesday, February 05, 2020

For its third year of funding, Thames River Innovation Place earmarked $954,000 to four economic development projects, and it put out a request for proposals last week to allocate an additional $371,000. Also known as TRIP, it is one of four areas designated as innovation places in 2017 by CTNext, a public-private network aimed at helping entrepreneurs. Click here for the full article

Electric Boat looks to hire 18,000 over next decade

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

It was all good news Monday morning as Electric Boat held its annual legislative breakfast in Groton. With defense spending on the rise, the submarine maker’s biggest challenge may be finding enough people to hire. Every year at this time, Electric Boat has a meeting and tells people how it is doing, how it thinks it’s going to be doing, and what it would like lawmakers to be doing. Apparently it is doing better than it has been doing since the 1980s, and it is already planning things out until the 2080s. Click here for the full article

Mystic Cheese Company connects farm & art to make delicious, world-class cheeses

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

You know when people say, “It’s in your blood”? Well, for Brian Civitello, co-owner and founder of Mystic Cheese Co., making cheese comes pretty close to the core of his ancestry. That realization became very clear when his grandmother recently gave him an item belonging to his grandfather, who had died after Brian’s first birthday. The gift passed down to Brian was, of all things, a cheese “trier” that screwed onto the bottom of his grandfather’s cane! Click here for the full article

CT back in top half of US for economic growth

Friday, January 10, 2020

Employees of the online jobs board Indeed at work in July 2019 in Stamford, Conn. Connecticut generated a 2.1 percent increase in economic growth in the third quarter, twice the rate of three months earlier and ranking in the top half of states nationally. Connecticut generated economic momentum in the third quarter of 2019, just off the pace of New Jersey’s expansion which led the Northeast, with both cracking the top half of states nationally. Connecticut saw a 2.1 percent increase in its gross domestic product as estimated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, with Texas tops nationally with 4 percent growt...

CT Among Nation's Best States to Raise a Family

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

Connecticut is a top ten state to raise a family, a recent analysis has found. The state ranks 9th, and is one of four New England states earning a place in the top ten. Massachusetts ranked number two, Vermont was fourth and New Hampshire was fifth. Rhode Island was 14th and Maine was 18th. The leading state was Minnesota. The financial website WalletHub compared the 50 states across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness. The data included ranges from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate, divided into four categories: Health & Safety, Education & Child Care, Affordability and Family Fun. Read full article.

Ranking lists Connecticut as one of best states to raise a family

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

A new ranking lists Connecticut as one of the top states to raise a family. The analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance website, named Connecticut as the 9th best state to raise a family. Four of six New England states made the top 10. Read full article.

Quality of Life

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Following on the tremendous feedback we received on the ChooseCT video, CERC has produced posters highlighting the data and testimonials that speak to Connecticut's strengths - including our quality of life, the quality of businesses that call our state home, the quality of our geographic location, the quality of our educational institutions, and the quality of the workforce that our employers have to choose from. The posters are on exhibit at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, and throughout this month, our newsletters will provide you with a virtual tour of the exhibit - to highlight the many reasons to live, work...

Why I am not leaving Connecticut

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Some facts about Connecticut: · Population: 3.59 million (29 out of 50 states) · Area: 5,543 sq miles (48 out of 50 states) · Joined the Union in 1788 (5th state to join) We are small, but mighty. We also have a long history which has shaped how we live, work and play. If you are not from Connecticut or the northeast, you probably don't know much about our great state. We are known for being many things: · Constitution State (We have the first written constitution as recognized by many historians) · Nutmeg State (We were so persuasive that we could sell a wooden nutmeg) · Insurance Capital of the World (We have one of the highes...

Shifting population, workforce trends will impact CT’s economy in 2020

Friday, December 27, 2019

Connecticut’s population is just below 3.6 million. Recent (2013-2017) migration patterns are somewhat counterbalancing Connecticut’s aging trend, as more children (ages 17 and under) and working-age residents are moving to the state than are leaving. However, more college-age and retirement-age residents are leaving than are moving to Connecticut. There is still a large segment of retirement-age population in Connecticut, and they are behind much of the demand for healthcare services. Read full article.

GoFundMe: CT is the sixth most generous state

Friday, December 13, 2019

The crowdfunding website GoFundMe says Connecticut is among the most generous states when it comes to donating to fundraising campaigns it hosts. This year, Connecticut produced the sixth highest number of donations per capita of any state to GoFundMe campaigns, which raise money for charities, victims of violence, people with medical debt, and myriad other causes and projects. That's up from 8th place last year. Read full article.

What to Do with Connecticut’s Infrastructure: An Expert Perspective

Sunday, December 01, 2019

An interview with Norman Anderson, Chairman and CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure, on CT2030, user fees, alternative funding sources and more, conducted by Connecticut resident Matthew Chudoba. Read full interview.

Mystic musicians perform “America the Beautiful” from front porches

Monday, March 30, 2020

Jacqui Keller took the screen out of her front door to play from inside as she warms up before the Music Unites Mystic event on Sunday, March 29, 2020. June Ingram, a local music teacher, organized students and friends to play “America the Beautiful" from their front porches or driveways at noon on Sunday. “Playing alone is a very hard thing to do," said Keller, who helped organize the event, “music brings harmony we wanted to bring a togetherness even if we´re physically separated." (Sarah Gordon / The Day) Click here for photos from The Day

Groton Senior Center earns national award for Baker’s Battle event

Monday, March 23, 2020

The National Council on Aging’s National Institute of Senior Centers honored the Groton Senior Center with a 2019 Programs of Excellence Award for its Baker’s Battle event, a competition of professional and recreational bakers in which the community is invited to be “tasters.” Click here for the full article

Groton man sets up coronavirus volunteer corps

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Groton – Michael Whitehouse, president-elect of the Groton Rotary Club, is organizing a volunteer corps to help people deal with the coronavirus outbreak. "It is impossible to know how the COVID-19 situation will unfold, but it is likely that our neighbors will be in need, especially those who are already vulnerable due to health or financial situations,” he wrote on a form that people can fill out to volunteer. The form is available at bit.ly/rotaryresponse. Click here for the full article

Plans to redevelop former Groton school property to be presented Wednesday

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Conceptual plans to redevelop the former William Seely School property as a market-price, multifamily housing development will be presented Wednesday. The public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Groton Town Hall Annex at 134 Groton Long Point Road. The Town's Planning and Development Director Jon Reiner said an interview committee has recommended DonMar Development Corporation of North Haven as the "preferred developer" for the site, but the Town Council has not yet approved an agreement with the developer. Click here for the full article

EB makes appeal to younger students to fill hiring need

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

Electric Boat anticipates that 2029, when current third-graders will be graduating from high school, will be its peak year for hiring. Knowing that, the submarine builder is now "strongly advocating for an exposure to manufacturing jobs and an interest in shipbuilding" at the elementary and middle school level, EB President Kevin Graney said Monday, as he delivered the company's annual business outlook to a crowd at the Mystic Marriott. Click here for the full article

Norwich, Groton among school districts seeing improvements on state scorecard

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

While statewide performance on the Connecticut State Department of Education scorecard dropped from 74.9% to 74.2% of possible points in the 2018-19 year, multiple districts in southeastern Connecticut have seen gains. Among schools in the region, Niantic Center School had the highest overall index for elementary or middle schools, at 95.1, while Marine Science Magnet High School had the highest for any high school, at 94.3. Click here for the full article

Tiny Houses and Granny Pods - What They Mean for Municipal Land Use Planners

Thursday, December 05, 2019

Popular in California and the Pacific Northwest where we see high population growth and prohibitive real estate prices, the fastest adopters of the tiny house movement are millennials, who are trying to establish their own space, and baby boomers / early empty-nesters that are looking to downsize. Here in Connecticut, tiny homes are more of a curiosity or novelty, and come with complications, in part due to municipal zoning regulations. Listen as Courtney Hendricson, Vice President of Municipal Services at CERC welcomes John Guszkowski, Lead Planner and Community Developer with CME Associates and they discuss the state of tiny homes in Connecticut, including legislatio...

UnitedHealth: CT is the fourth healthiest state in U.S.

Thursday, December 05, 2019

The UnitedHealth Foundation has awarded fourth place to Connecticut in its latest annual state ranking of overall health, down one slot from last year. The state was bumped down as Vermont vaulted from fourth place to first place in this year’s “America’s Health Rankings.” Connecticut lost ground in drug deaths per capita, excessive drinking, children in poverty, cases of chlamydia, low birth weights, and premature deaths. Read full article.

Majority of UConn class of 2019 found in-state employment within six months of graduation, says new report

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

A new UConn report shows that recent alumni are choosing to remain in Connecticut after graduation for work, though the percentage of former students who stay has declined over the last three years. Data from the UConn’s Center for Career Development also show that more students — about 90% — report being established in jobs, post graduate programs or other pursuits, such as the military or volunteer service. Read full article.

Connecticut's Manufacturers Look To New Czar To Solve Skills Gap

Tuesday, December 03, 2019

Connecticut’s first chief manufacturing officer says one issue dominates his agenda as he takes up his new post: finding enough skilled workers to fill thousands of open positions in the industry. For years, Colin Cooper headed up the Eastford-based Whitcraft Group, a sheet metal manufacturer and one of the larger aerospace supply chain companies in the state, doing business with Pratt & Whitney, GE, Rolls-Royce and other giants. Cooper retired from the corner office a year ago and has since remained involved on Whitcraft’s board. Read full article.

State Unveils Business Recruitment Video Promoting “Place People Love to Live”

Wednesday, November 06, 2019

“It’s a state where people wanna be,” exclaims Gov. Ned Lamont in the state’s new business recruitment video. The 7-minute video has an impressive line-up of a dozen co-stars, extolling the state’s virtues and urging corporate decision-makers from elsewhere to “Choose Connecticut.” As the video’s narrator intones “Where you work can determine how successful you can be,” scenes of Connecticut businesses and landscapes appear on-screen, leading to the verbal and visual welcome mat - “welcome to a place people love to live.” Read full article.

In National Ranking of School Systems, a New State Is On Top

Wednesday, October 02, 2019

Nation earns a grade of C amid mixed state showing New Jersey takes the top spot in the newly released "Quality Counts 2019," the 23rd annual report card of state education systems issued by the Education Week Research Center, while the nation as a whole once again earns a C grade despite some jockeying for position among individual states. The report, the third of three installments, synthesizes 39 indicators that capture a range of school finance, academic achievement, and socioeconomic factors that affect the quality of state school systems. Read full article.

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