Once again, seCTer is proud to support the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut by sponsoring prizes for the Chamber’s annual Entrepreneur Academy.
This eight-week program is designed to provide “aspiring and early-stage business owners with the practical tools and expert guidance needed to navigate the real-world challenges of launching and scaling a venture,” according to the Chamber.
Weekly sessions focus on a different aspect of business development and feature local experts in each area of focus. Finalists are selected for a live pitch competition judged by local business leaders, and the top three ventures will receive cash awards of $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second, and $1,000 for third. Judging is based on the clarity of the business model, growth potential, and presentation.
The Academy started Sept. 9 and runs through Oct. 28.
seCTer’s first Ledge Light Launch Pitch Competition drew a large crowd to cheer on six entrepreneurs from across the region as they pitched their start-ups to a panel of five judges.
In the end, the $7,500 prize went to Patrick Khor, a retired submariner who is working to launch an ice cream shop in Groton to honor his late father, who operated the family-run ice cream shop in New Jersey, which continues today. He’s hoping to get the new store open by early spring.
Khor was one of six finalists selected by seCTer staff from a pool of 20 applicants. Each finalist had six minutes to make their pitch to the panel of judges. Scoring was based on a rubric covering 10 areas:
Problem and market need; solution and value proposition; market opportunity; business model and revenue strategy; traction and validation; team and execution capability; go-to-market strategy; presentation and communication; innovation and competitive advantage, and overall viability and investment potential.
seCTer Economic Development Specialist Kaitlin Ferrero initiated the idea with support from R.T. Brown, Deputy Director of seCTer, and financial sponsorship from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
Kaitlin is already planning the next Ledge Light Launch Pitch Competition for the fall and hopes to host the event on a regular basis.
We wish to extend a special Thank You to our panel of judges, which included Catherine Young, seCTer Board of Directors; Tom Gerson, startup adviser; Maria Hanna, president and CEO of Survival Systems USA of Groton; Wendy Vincent, executive director of the Cultural Coalition; and Kevin Zhang, community manager, Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.
RT Brown has been promoted to Deputy Director in recognition of his accomplishments in a variety of roles since joining seCTer in 2021.
RT’s initiatives have covered the full range of seCTer’s mission to “stimulate and support economic development and diversification” across the region.
In his most recent role as Director of Economic Development Strategy and Business Services, Brown oversaw production of the region’s current Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) in collaboration with other regional organizations.
He is responsible for loan and grant programs, business outreach, and has met with hundreds of owners of small to medium-sized businesses to provide guidance for expansion and sustainability plans. Under his leadership, the seCTerRise program of grants has helped 87 businesses by providing $1.2 million for expansion opportunities.
His efforts have led to job retention and job creation across a wide spectrum, from defense subcontractors to retail outlets, the hospitality industry, and the general services sector.
RT’s focus is on building a resilient regional economy prepared for challenges ranging from local natural disasters to global economic disruptions that trickle down to regional economies.
“RT brought significant economic development experience when he joined seCTer, and entrepreneurs across eastern Connecticut have benefited from that experience and his insights when it comes to sustainability and resiliency planning,” said Paul Whitescarver, Executive Director of seCTer. “Much of what RT does is behind the scenes, but the entrepreneurs he has helped, and others in leadership positions across the region, see the value he brings by helping new businesses start and existing businesses grow to become more resilient.”
CBS NEWS
Groton, Connecticut — At Charles Barnum Elementary School in Groton, Connecticut, a group of fifth graders are learning about submarines.
It’s the beginning of a recruitment effort by General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton’s biggest employer, and the Navy’s biggest submarine builder. The Navy has an order in with Electric Boat for 29 submarines to be delivered over the next 17 years.
“People are sometimes like, ‘Why are you in the elementary schools?’ In 2033, the people we’re hiring, some of them are in the fifth grade right now,” said Courtney Murphy, director of talent management for Electric Boat.
Murphy says trade workers, welders and machinists are currently in demand. And that training is well underway at nearby Ella Grasso Technical High School, where students work with the same state-of-art equipment in use at the shipyard.
The students learn to work in hot, cramped spaces similar to submarines.
“It makes me focus,” said Xiamir Fletcher, a senior, about why he was drawn to welding. “Once you start welding, that’s it, dead set on the welding.”
It’s all part of a national effort by shipyards and the Navy to bring on 100,000 skilled workers over the next 10 years. They’re urgently needed to build a new fleet of nuclear missile submarines and smaller fast-attack subs.
To achieve that, Electric Boat needs to more than double its production.
“It is the Navy’s No. 1 construction priority,” said Adm. William Houston, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. “That’s how important it is.”
Houston says submarines are critical to the Navy’s goals.
“They can go anywhere, any time, and hold an adversary at risk,” Houston explains. “They can just watch what you’re doing, and you don’t even know they’re there.”
The problem, however, is that the Navy doesn’t have enough of them. Electric Boat is ramping up to meet that national security challenge, a challenge Adam Chioccola and Emma Isbell are happy to take on, who joined the company as new welders 18 months ago.
“It’s a lot of stress, but the more you do it, the easier and more natural it gets,” Chioccola said.
“There’s not a lot of people in the world that can say that they build nuclear submarines,” Isbell adds. “Like, it’s pretty cool.”
And as far as the Navy is concerned, there aren’t enough people who can say they build nuclear submarines. The future of the fleet is riding on it.
Leaders from across the region attended seCTer’s 2024 Annual Meeting at the Norwich Inn & Spa in November. Keynote speaker David Steuber, Chief of Staff to Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Daniel O’Keefe, and seCTer Executive Director Paul Whitescarver highlighted state and regional efforts to continue driving the state’s strong economy.
David referenced the state’s sixth consecutive year with a budget surplus and a “rainy day” fund of $4.1 billion as strong evidence of a solid economy. He noted that new business startups increased by 10%, outpacing our neighbors in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
DECD is especially proud of the Manufacturing Innovation Fund’s results, assisting 4,116 companies and training just over 31,000 current employees. Nationally, Connecticut ranks first in aircraft engine manufacturing, second in shipbuilding and repairs, and second in patents granted to individuals and organizations. David highlighted workforce development efforts in manufacturing, healthcare, IT, construction, clean energy and bioscience, the state’s $300 million in brownfields remediation, and its $875 million Community Investment Fund aimed at underserved communities.
On the regional level, Paul cited seCTer’s $1.4 million in loans and grants provided to small businesses from Stonington to Thompson and Middletown, and its participation in the Eastern Workforce Investment Board’s sector partnerships in Manufacturing and Healthcare.
He singled out seCTer’s work with DECD and Norwich Community Development Corporation in quickly making available more than $100,000 in relief funding to businesses damaged by the Yantic River flooding.
Paul also highlighted seCTer’s assistance in developing the interactive Eastern CT Housing Needs Assessment and accompanying dashboards.
seCTer’s expertise has benefitted many municipalities through its support of the Community Investment Fund. During 2024, seCTer applied for Port Infrastructure Development funding via the Federal Department of Transportation, and pursued grants from the EDA, and Innovation Cluster funding from DECD and NOAA to build on the Blue Economy. To expand diversification of the region’s economy, seCTer became a founding member of the Connecticut Blue Economy Coalition, joining a prestigious roster of members including Mystic Seaport Museum, Climate Haven, ThayerMahan, and Project Oceanology.
A significant diversification effort was seCTer’s assistance in developing the Connecticut Wind Collaborative, which seCTer also supports administratively. seCTer also partnered with CWC to launch a supply chain study to better understand where our region, state and the Northeast can fill in gaps in developing a supply chain and workforce to sustain the growth of offshore wind.
Paul also noted the important work of Marisol Herrera’s statewide APEX Accelerator team, which is supported by seCTer and accounts for more than $85 million in assistance with government contracts just in eastern Connecticut alone.
We send our Congratulations to the town of North Stonington, its taxpayers, and to General Dynamics Electric Boat on the news of EB’s decision to locate a 480,000-square-foot warehouse there.
This project will generate tax revenue and jobs without disrupting any neighboring properties in this rural town given its location on Frontage Road, just off I-95.
This is an ideal example of the Blue Economy we often speak about, which has its core along the banks of the Thames River but extends its economic benefits to towns across the region.
We look forward to seeing EB’s plans for this facility come to fruition, along with the jobs that will keep this long-dormant site humming with three shifts of workers. The plan calls for 13 loading docks and up to 73 workers per shift.
EB purchased the 55-acre site from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation for $5.5 million. The Tribe has owned the site since 1995.
Connecticut Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Dan O’Keefe will be the keynote speaker during seCTer’s Annual Meeting luncheon, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Norwich Inn & Spa.
Commissioner O’Keefe will update us on the status of statewide economic development initiatives and how they relate to eastern Connecticut.
A video presentation will let Board members and other seCTer supporters hear directly from business owners who have been able to expand with help from seCTerRise grants and our Small Business Lending programs. This production will feature testimonials from a diverse group of entrepreneurs representing a broad spectrum of businesses across eastern Connecticut.
The business meeting and acknowledgment of Board members whose terms are expiring will follow Commissioner O’Keefe’s remarks.
The seCTer team is helping Twyon Martin provide a better life for his 12-year-old son than he had growing up in a tough area of South Florida.
“He’s my pride and joy and the whole point of this is to have something to offer my son, to give him a better start than I had,” Twyon said as he described his decision to start Martin & Son Services in Groton about a year ago.
Twyon started the business with just a roadside service truck, assisting motorists in need of a tire change, an emergency dose of fuel, oil, or coolant, or getting them back into a locked car.
He knew he needed to grow his business and a seCTer loan helped him double his services by allowing him to purchase a tow truck this past summer.
“Joe Violette and the seCTer guys have been very helpful and I thank them for the success I’m having today. They worked hand-in-hand with me to get my business situated to where it needed to be to apply for this loan,” he said. He also received help from the local SCORE office.
“It was about a five-month process to get me set up to work with the bank. If I tried this on my own I wouldn’t have been prepared for all that was involved,” he said.
With a tow truck and more equipment financed by the seCTer loan, he has been able to get referrals from motor clubs and other organizations that now send business his way. A former football player for UConn who spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles – on the practice squad he readily admits – Twyon is an imposing figure with a gentle personality, speaking respectfully of others in his field and noting there is enough business to satisfy all.
“I’m a sole proprietor and it’s a 24/7 operation, so it’s a grind every day, but when your mind is on the goal you take that call at 2 in the morning. My next goal is to hire someone next spring and to keep making as much as I can,” he said. Any future goals will be in support of his original goal.
“I named the business Martin & Son for a reason. I wanted to start something that’s generational,” he said.
Executive Director Paul Whitescarver has added another title to his impressive resume – Chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority Board of Directors.
Paul was elected in August by his peers following former Chairman David Kooris’ announcement that he was stepping back from the leadership post but would remain on the Board.
“A key element of the Connecticut Port Authority mission is to drive the maritime economy of the state, a mission similar to that of seCTer’s,” Paul said. “While this new post comes with added responsibility, it fits well with my daily objective to drive the overall economy of this region, an economy largely reliant on the maritime industry which directly or indirectly supports a significant portion of our workers and their families.”
Paul, a highly decorated retired U.S. Navy officer who was Commanding Officer of the submarine Scranton and Commanding Officer of U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London – in Groton – was appointed to the Port Authority Board by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2023. Paul is well versed in the workings of the CPA, having been asked to step in on an emergency basis in July 2019 as senior executive consultant in charge of daily operations and management following the forced departure of the Chairman of the Board amid controversy.
Paul takes the helm from Kooris, who oversaw the transition of New London’s State Pier from an underutilized state asset into an advanced maritime terminal. State Pier currently serves as the East Coast’s premier marshaling and assembly hub for offshore wind farms being developed off the coast, including Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind, and two New York offshore wind farms. Kooris, recently appointed as the first Executive Director of the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority, remains a member of the CPA Board.
Revenue generated by offshore wind activity at State Pier will help fund the CPA’s Small Harbors Improvement Projects Program, (SHIPP) which provides grants to improve maritime infrastructure, increase public access to the waterfront, and strengthen the economic viability of harbors and marinas across the state. “The offshore wind industry is a new economic driver in the region and now, revenue from one of our three large harbors, New London, will in turn help drive our recreational maritime economy by supporting projects in small harbors through the SHIPP,” Paul said. “I think many people underestimate the jobs and revenue generated in small harbors through the recreational boating industry and I look forward to enhancing these harbors.”
seCTer played a leading role during the May 14 tour of South Fork Wind Farm, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, developed by the Ørsted-Eversource joint venture.
In support of this event, which provided a first-hand look at the 12 turbines and marine substation comprising South Fork Wind, seCTer chartered the high-speed ‘Cecilia Ann’ from Cross Sound Ferry in New London.
State lawmakers, leaders in Gov. Lamont’s administration, municipal and business leaders, and other stakeholders from across the state enjoyed a sunny and, thankfully, calm day at sea to learn about and record their own photos and video of this historic energy infrastructure project.
Departing from the Cross Sound Ferry terminal adjacent to the rebuilt State Pier, where turbine towers, blades, and nacelles were partially assembled before being shipped to the wind farm, all attendees could witness Connecticut’s role at the forefront of this new American industry.
South Fork Wind provides 130MW of energy to about 70,000 homes and businesses on Long Island and is located about 35 miles east of Montauk Point, Long Island, NY, and 20 miles southeast of Block Island, RI. Another 65 turbines for Revolution Wind, to serve some 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island, are now being assembled at State Pier. That project will be followed by the 84-turbine Sunrise Wind, to deliver energy to nearly 600,000 homes in New York.
seCTer Executive Director Paul Whitescarver served as host and emcee for the tour, pointing out opportunities represented by a new supply chain and careers required to support this new American industry.
Bill Quinlan, President of Transmission and Offshore Wind Projects at Eversource, and David Ortiz, Head of Government Affairs for Ørsted’s New England portfolio, each spoke about their company’s role in this historic project and their continuing work to help states meet their climate change goals by transitioning to clean, domestic, sustainable energy.
The tour resulted in significant traditional and social media coverage, enhancing efforts by seCTer and all stakeholders to educate the public and policymakers about the benefits of offshore wind energy, and Connecticut’s role in providing the infrastructure, workers, and technology bringing it to fruition.