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Improved collaboration between military installations and their host communities was the focus of the annual Association of Defense Communities conference in Washington DC earlier this month where seCTer Executive Director Paul Whitescarver led a Town Hall discussion for the Defense Community Council.

The three-day conference drew more than 1,500 attendees including leaders from the Department of War, Congress, bases, industry, and municipalities, and community organizations. Issues ranging from healthcare and daycare to housing, transportation, social services and more were discussed with the goal of generating solutions to improve the relationship between communities and installations.

“The result is that we’ll be meeting with Navy leadership in the coming weeks to discuss concerns raised during the summit by communities around the country,” said Whitescarver, who was representing seCTer as a member of the Association.

Whitescarver noted that there are concerns on both sides of the relationship. Communities face challenges generated by accommodating defense installations, the industries that support them and the families affiliated with both, while military populations and defense industry families face challenges of housing, daycare, healthcare and social services. Collaboration across all aspects is key, Whitescarver said.

He noted that southeastern Connecticut was selected by the Association as a Great American Defense Community just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and he plans to revive interest in the designation. The selection is intended to “recognize and celebrate communities demonstrating an exceptional commitment to improving the lives of service members, veterans and their families.”

The conference also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Association of Defense Communities with a focus on the concept that “national security starts at home, in the defense communities whose strength, resilience, and unwavering support allow missions — and military families — to thrive.”

Elle-Jordyn Sherman, Executive Director of the Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce, is the newest member of the seCTer Board, joining us for her fist meeting in May.

Elle-Jordyn has led the Chamber for nearly three years. Prior to taking over the top spot at the Chamber, she was the Talent Pipeline & Youth Pathways Coordinator for the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board.

“I’m excited to join the seCTer Board and I look forward to contributing to the important work of economic development across eastern Connecticut and helping entrepreneurs throughout the region transform their dreams into the reality of their own business,” Elle-Jordan said.

Paul Whitescarver, seCTer Executive Director, noted that the addition of Elle-Jordyn means that the seCTer Board now includes the leaders of three Chambers of Commerce in eastern Connecticut.

“We work closely with our Chambers as our missions are closely aligned,” Paul said. “And I know that Elle-Jordyn’s deep understanding of the small-business community’s opportunities and challenges will be of great help as seCTer continues its mission to grow the regional economy and increase the resilience of business owners already part of that economy.”

Five local business owners recently received seCTerRise grants to expand their operations. The total disbursement in the Spring 2026 round of funding totaled $65,000.

The following businesses qualified for the funding, based on seCTerRise criteria:

Choose Your Path Counseling LLC owner Valerie Martin was awarded $10,000 to expand her mental health counseling practice into outdoor grief therapy and recreation-based counseling services. Funds will support the purchase of camping, cooking, and recreational equipment for grief support programming in an outdoor setting. 

Hope Transportation LLC owner Emmanuel Esperance, who provides transportation for medical appointments, therapy sessions, and other essential travel needs, was awarded $10,000 to help fund the purchase of a van with lift capabilities. In addition to expanding service capacity, the seCTerRise grant will support the hiring of an additional full-time driver.

Clear Pathway LLC owner Lesley Ingves was awarded $10,000 to expand her business coaching and advisory practice with the launch of “SECT Builders Network,” a networking and training platform for small contractors in southeastern Connecticut. Funds will support legal services, branding, digital presence development, and marketing.

JG Creations LLC owner John Genna Jr. operates a laser engraving and custom branding business specializing in awards, trophies, personalized gifts, and industrial engraving services. Genna will use his $10,000 seCTerRise grant to purchase new laser engraving equipment to improve efficiency and increase production capacity.

Whitecrest LLC / Whitecrest Eatery owners Abbey Hemmann and Chef Johan Jensen, who focus on focus on artisan pizza and locally sourced cuisine, will use their $25,000 seCTerRise grant to fund a kitchen expansion and the purchase of new equipment for a dedicated smash burger concept featuring locally sourced beef from regional farms.

seCTerRise grants are intended to improve the resiliency and sustainability of small to medium-sized businesses across the region. Funding is proved by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

Businesses located in economically distressed communities, as determined by state criteria, will receive priority consideration and 50 percent of program funds will be awarded to business owned by minorities, veterans and women.

For eligibility criteria, application details, and more information, visit www.secter.org or contact Kaitlin Ferrero, Economic Development Specialist, at 860.437.4659 x4 or kferrero@secter.org

GROTON CT — Seven diverse eastern Connecticut businesses ranging from farms to a manufacturer serving the aerospace industry, and an iconic, family-owned toy store have been awarded grants by seCTer, the Southeastern CT Enterprise Region.

This is the latest distribution from the seCTerRise grant program. Six of the businesses qualified for grants of $10,000 each and one qualified for a grant of $25,000.

seCTer is the federally designated economic development agency for eastern Connecticut, helping to launch new businesses and supporting expansion and resiliency for established businesses.

PITH Products of Ashford has been designing and manufacturing customized tool management and storage solutions for 35 years. Their custom-designed and manufactured products are shipped to clients worldwide and they have found particular success with the aerospace industry.

The $25,000 seCTerRise grant will allow PITH Products to become certified in the latest standards for cybersecurity , which such industries require. New standards take effect in 2027, and without the upgrade PITH risks losing contracts. By meeting the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 compliance standards they can also expand their business into new market opportunities. PITH has a staff of 21 employees and anticipates creating 3 to 5 new full-time positions as Level 2 certification provides more growth.

Lee’s Toy & Hobby, an icon of the Groton retail community that dates to 1952, was awarded  $10,000 for two separate projects. Owner Peter Marcus plans to update the store’s website to provide a more modern look and to improve the customer experience while retaining the character of the 1950s-era business. He also plans to introduce and broaden the selection of higher-end and specialty toy lines to attract a new audience. The projects are intended to increase sales online and in the store.

The grant will also benefit another local business icon, as Ruby Glass will be contracted to update display cases in the store.

Little Dipper Farm, located in Brooklyn, will use its grant to purchaseawalk-in cooler with a CoolBot system, a Power Ox two-wheel tractor, and essential field and propagation tools. The new equipment is intended to increase production capacity, improve post-harvest handling, and expand the customer base to serve co-ops, schools, and local farm-to-table establishments. The farm also hosts community events and farm dinners, requiring an inventory of fresh food. The advanced walk-in cooler will reduce post-harvest spoilage by maintaining proper storage temperatures, decreasing food waste and increasing sellable inventory.  

Molodich Farm in Sterling is planning to expand operations as the family farm transitions to the fourth generation represented by Andrew Molodich. Andrew is gradually taking the reins from his father Michael and his uncle Joseph. The seCTerRise grant will be used to purchase a 24- foot, tandem-axle hay wagon that will significantly improve operational efficiency while harvesting hay, which can only be harvested and baled under ideal weather conditions. The increase in production will add revenue, require the hiring of additional employees, and improve sustainability of this family operation.

Reading2Connect, based in Niantic and owned by Susan Ostrowski,provides age and dementia-accessible books and implementation training designed to increase older adults’ independence, engagement, and social connection. R2C has demonstrated strong national demand for its dementia-accessible reading programs currently used in 156 senior living facilities, libraries, universities, hospitals, adult day centers, and home care companies across 30 U.S. states, Wales, and New Zealand. Expansion thus far has been through referrals. The seCTerRise grant will be used to create jobs and grow the business by accelerating targeted expansion in southeastern Connecticut. A marketing specialist and two part-time staff positions will be created.

Waterford Gymnastics Center owner Kristi Morrison plans to purchase more advanced equipment that will allow her to broaden her clientele and add classes. The upgrades will allow her team of 15 employees to safely train more advanced gymnasts and expand into higher level skill development classes. The improvements are intended to retain students longer as they progress and to attract new families seeking advanced training options.

Carrie Tortorici, owner of Carrie Ashton Entertainment of Old Saybrook, operates a professional performing and recording venture built on her years of experience as a live and studio vocalist. She plans to expand into professional audiobook and spoken-word recording to meet growing market demand by purchasing equipment to establish an in-home recording studio. The equipment will eliminate the need for a rented studio. Tortorici envisions hiring an assistant to help coordinate the additional business.

From The Day.

Local entrepreneurs competing for start-up or expansion funding received a boost from the Southeastern CT Enterprise Region through two recent events that provided a total of $14,000 to six small-business owners.

An October Pitch Competition at Epicure Brewery in Norwich, also a recipient of seCTer funding, awarded $7,500 to Rushell Maragh, owner of Peek Studio of Middletown, which provides luxury hair braiding, classes, and related services. This was the second Pitch Competition seCTer sponsored in what will be an ongoing series.

The region’s federally designated economic development agency also provided funding of $6,500 in support of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s Entrepreneur Academy in October. Connor Toole of Pawcatuck took home the first-place award of $2,000 for his Toole’s Nuts ’N Bolts snack mix. A second-place award of $1,500 went to The Golf Club, a proposed indoor golfing center by Lucas Herr, and three start-ups tied for third place and received $1,000 each: Sizzle Pop, a powdered drink mix developed by Kaye Regan and Gavin Porter; The Blue Bag Foundation, a non-profit for teenage girls by Jessica Nevith, and Yoga Me Happy, a yoga fundraising enterprise by Tina Rice.

To learn more about funding opportunities and business guidance services, visit seCTer.org

Eligibility & Opportunity Announcement

To apply, you must be:

Ashford, Borough of Jewett City, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Chester, City of Groton, Clinton, Colchester, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Eastford, Essex, Franklin, Griswold, Haddam, Hampton, Killingly, Killingworth, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Plainfield, Pomfret, Portland, Preston, Putnam, Salem, Scotland, Sprague, Sterling, Stonington, Stonington Borough, Thompson, Town of Groton, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Windham, and Woodstock.

We welcome businesses at all stages of development to apply.

Timeline:

Finalists will have 6 minutes to pitch their business ideas during the competition. Below is a well-tested template you can use.

Pitch Template
Apply Here
By Jacob Schlessel

In the modern labor market, job candidates rely on digital platforms to search for and apply to open positions more than they ever have before. With this digital shift has emerged the demand for services that allow businesses to streamline their hiring practices, and companies like Lightcast fill this niche by offering strategic workforce planning based on data-driven insights.

What does Lightcast do?

Lightcast has a variety of products available for applications in business, education, government, technology, and research, many of which utilize data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) integration. For businesses, Lightcast aims to improve hiring efficiency by considering candidates’ skills instead of simply years of experience. Using proprietary labor market data, the platform enables employers to analyze broader trends across industries and regions to see what skills are in-demand. With these analyses complete, companies can evaluate gaps in their current workforce and fill them by optimizing job postings to attract the best talent available.

The Lightcast Taxonomies ensure consistency in analyses by recognizing that different companies may refer to similar positions as different titles. Under this system, employers can compare their own workforce needs to those of local or industry competitors, which allows for salary optimization and a refined search for individuals with specific skills. Furthermore, companies interested in fulfilling less quantitatively verifiable criteria, like diversity for example, can use Lightcast products to set and meet goals in these fields as well.

Another application

Businesses may also be interested in Lightcast’s Gazelle AI, a tool that provides subscribers with exclusive insights into how quickly specific companies and industries are growing. Users can filter data by geographical location with heat maps to visualize areas of rapid economic expansion, with numerical data like revenue and number of employees also accessible to explore even further. Another tool called the Talent Migration Dashboard provides data about migration, retention, and attrition trends in different regions, further enabling businesses to target strong candidates in emerging markets.

The takeaway

In the highly competitive job market that exists today, it is more important than ever that employers stay organized and have a reliable method of evaluating applications. With Lightcast’s data-driven tools, businesses can maximize their odds of hiring the best candidates available while remaining cost-effective.

By Jacob Schlessel

Businesses are fighting tooth-and-nail for a new type of real estate in hopes of increasing revenue, but it may not be the type of real estate that you think. The new real estate frontier is not related to physical buildings or even vacant land, it’s the space on consumers’ screens.

Marketing platforms

Through platforms like Google Ads, Meta Ads, MailChimp, and many more, companies today are advertising to consumers at an unprecedented scale. Every search made, every post “liked”, every video watched, and almost every other action taken when using the Internet is tracked and stored as a data point by the corporations that own search engines (Google, Microsoft, etc.) and social media platforms (Meta, TikTok, etc.). This data is aggregated across all platforms enabling targeted advertising, which is the practice that advertisers use to reach consumers of a specific demographic and who are more likely to purchase their products.

 

Out with the old, in with the new

Local businesses should invest in targeted social media ads. Traditional forms of advertisement like television commercials and newspaper displays are not as worthwhile as investments as they used to be because fewer people watch cable television and read the paper. Social media is as popular as it has ever been and allows for seamless integration of ads into a user’s home page. Furthermore, by strategically choosing which demographic sees a particular ad, a business can maximize the return on their money they spent creating the ad and purchasing the ad space.

Search engine optimization

Another key to reaching consumers online is search engine optimization . When a consumer searches for a product, they often only look at the first few results that come up and do not bother scrolling through hundreds of results. Using tools like Moz Pro, Yoast SEO, and Ahrefs, small businesses can optimize their websites to appear closer to the top of local search results. These platforms enable search engine optimization (SEO) by ensuring clients’ websites include key words and phrases included in user searches and can vastly increase website traffic and product exposure online.

The takeaway

Online marketing is not just the future, it is the present. For how much time modern consumers spend in front of screens, small businesses need to invest in digital advertising to get as many eyes on their products as they can.

seCTer has worked with several local digital marketing consultants and can make recommendations to help your business. Feel free to contact us (https://www.secter.org/contact/) if you would like to support another local business as well as getting the valuable digital marketing services your business needs.

If you’re a local digital marketing business in our region and would like to be considered as a resource seCTer recommends, please contact us (https://www.secter.org/contact/)!

By Jacob Schlessel

Every year, the United States Census Bureau conducts surveys to collect valuable data about the United States population regarding a wide range of topics, including but not limited to age, income, spending, race, ethnicity, location, and occupation. The data collected from these surveys is made publicly available at census.gov/data and can be downloaded for free with support for many different file types. There is significant potential to use this data to drive business development efforts, both on a national scale and a regional scale.

Raw datasets

The Census Bureau’s website offers a plethora of tools to derive insights from their surveys, with the most basic being a variety of raw datasets. Some of the data concerns topics such as health, research, and taxation, however businesses should focus on the datasets that describe population and economic trends. Under the “Population” tab, for example, one can download datasets that offer insight into immigration numbers, a breakdown of regional populations by specific characteristics, and housing trends in different regions of the country. The site also offers projections and estimates for future surveys based on historical data. Population data is extremely important in businesses development efforts because of one simple fact: it describes where people want to live. 

Say LEGO is looking for the ideal location to open a new brick-and-mortar store. With the census data available, LEGO corporate strategists can quickly see which regions have observed growing populations and which regions have had a net decrease in population size over the past few years. Furthermore, LEGO can also analyze the characteristics of the people immigrating to or emigrating from a given region to further optimize their site selection, in this case by researching regions where more people are having kids. Population data is incredibly useful in finding regions that will maximize product exposure to target markets.

Similarly, economic data holds value in guiding businesses on strategy. The Census Bureau collects data on businesses and industries all over the country, gathering information about employment trends, profit, expenditures, manufacturing, and more. Analyzing this data can provide a detailed understanding of which industries are growing, which have plateaued, and which are shrinking. Individuals interested in starting a business or existing business owners looking to expand or shift their current customer base can use this data to evaluate new markets they wish to explore, focusing on those with the fastest growth rates in recent years. Industry trends can be subdivided into smaller regions like the Northeast or even the state of Connecticut, giving smaller businesses the opportunity to focus on local trends. Larger businesses may be more interested in data collected about the health of the national economy, which can be analyzed using metrics like new home sales, the national unemployment rate, and inflation.

 

Data tools

The Census Bureau also offers a number of data tools that can be applied in more technical settings. The website offers users access to the Census Bureau API (Application Programming Interface) which enables software developers and data analysts to seamlessly integrate the Bureau’s data into applications and data visualization software. For those with less experience integrating APIs into their workflow, the website provides a free course on the basics of calling an API and applying it in programs like Excel and R. Additionally, one can find over 80 videos posted on “tips-and-tricks” to get the most out of using the Bureau’s datasets and some common applications that business developers may find useful. For quick insights, the Bureau has some pre-made interactive maps to visualize trends and patterns on a national scale, with plenty of customizations available and tutorials to help get started.

The takeaway

Given that all these tools are freely available, it is worthwhile for businesses and economic developers to visit the Census Bureau’s website and see if there is anything available that allows them to incorporate more data into their decision making.

By Jacob Schlessel

Nowadays, it seems as though everyone has their phone with them at all times, whether it be in their hand or in their pocket. Businesses have begun to cash in on this fact by collecting and analyzing what is known as mobile location data, which has become increasingly important in guiding business decisions and economic strategy.

What is mobile location data?

Mobile location data is information about the geographical location of a particular device, typically a cell phone. Using the GPS receivers built into many modern-day devices, it is possible to collect and store data about where the device has travelled to, how much time it spent at different locations, and the speed at which the device travelled. Dedicated data companies, like placer.ai for example, supply businesses with data about consumer travelling behavior in both local regions and on a national scale. These services are often offered as a subscription-based package with a monthly fee.

So how do data companies get a hold of users’ location data, and what systems are in place to protect users’ safety and privacy? Because mobile location data is highly sensitive, data companies have taken extra care to implement measures that prevent any given data point from being traced back to the person who it was collected from. Data companies do not actually collect their own data, and they must first partner with mobile applications to buy the data collected by their individual applications (think Snapchat, Instagram). These apps only collect data from users who opt-in to enabling location services within that specific app from their device settings, so no data is collected from users who deny apps access to their location. The owners of the application then aggregate the data they collect from all users who opted-in and anonymize it by removing personally identifying information like name, IP addresses, device make and model, and more. Data companies like placer.ai then purchase anonymized data and extrapolate to identify larger populations and overall patterns. This way, it is impossible to trace back the exact source of any data point, thus protecting the user’s identity.

How can businesses and economic developers use mobile location data?

Businesses are not interested in the travelling habits of any particular individual, rather they want to analyze the behavior of consumers in aggregate to identify trends and patterns. Foot traffic of an area is one key metric that businesses may use to compare prospective properties for investment. Imagine you are the owner of a shoe store and you are deciding between opening a new location in one of two empty storefronts in different malls. By analyzing mobile location data, you realize that one mall has had a twenty percent decline in foot traffic over the past five years, while the other has seen an increase in foot traffic of thirty percent over the same period. Based on insights provided by location data, you can choose to strategically open your new location in the mall with growing popularity to expand your customer base as much as possible.

Businesses can also identify trends in common routes travelled by consumers. Data is collected on the start and end points of consumer journeys, like from Costco to Walmart or from Mystic Aquarium to Applebee’s. This type of data can also be measured in more broad categories, like traffic going from superstores to gas stations. Businesses may analyze these patterns to make strategic decisions about where to invest in building new locations and may target properties along popular routes with little existing competition in their respective spaces. Consumer routes can also advise in advertising spending, as routes with more traffic from a specific demographic of customers may result in higher returns on investment. 

The takeaway

Economic developers cannot afford to ignore the value that location data brings to businesses in all types of industries. By analyzing location data, one can understand consumer behavior in ways that would be otherwise impossible through older, more traditional methods such as surveys and polls. As a result, any investments in community businesses and infrastructure will likely bring greater returns for the region, since the insights provided by location data enable a more detailed understanding of the area’s economic needs. All business advising firms and economic development agencies should stress the importance of mobile location data to their clients and include analyses of this data in their research. By providing clients access to location data through providers like placer.ai, Echo Analytics, Veraset, or other reputable location data providers, economic developers can deliver greater value to local businesses through data-driven growth strategies.