BEST IN THE BIZ
Connecticut is not only the highest per-capita income state in the nation, but consistently receives top marks from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED)-a nonprofit that analyzes 67 different measures to rank all 52 states in the areas of business vitality, performance and development capacity each year. So it's surprising to realize that the Nutmeg State has never had a statewide business hail of fame to recognize some of its top-performing companies. Until now.
Last year, Ron Dresner, principal of Hartford-based Dennis PR Group, and a long-time mover and shaker on the corporate PR scene, was having lunch with some colleagues at the former Connecticut Culinary Institute in Farmington.
To hear him tell it, the concept of a business hall of fame was born in one of those unexpected "A-ha!" moments. "I realized that I often saw many of the same people at the MetroHartford chamber, the Middlesex chamber, the Springfield chamber:' he says. "And we got to thinking, 'How many chambers can (businesspeople) join, and what is there to connect everything together?' We all had our regular companies or jobs, but we thought, 'Why not create a networking group that will complement what we do, but with a statewide view?'
So with low expectations but high hopes, the fledgling group, which included Dresner, Laurie O'Neil of Innovative Financial Services in Hartford, Jeffrey Cohen of ImageWorks in Vernon and Steve Goldthwaite, now of SysNet Technologies in Enfield, set to work building a statewide organization. Its mission? 'To promote business and connect the dots from Enfield to Guilford, and from Stamford to Stonington, crossing the state."
At the heart of the concept, says Dresner, is "celebrating business in the state and highlighting success. That's why we spotlight companies and businesspeople who have a story to tell."
The group solicited entries and nominations at statewide networking events and through its Web site, www.ctbhof.com. And last month, with Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, state Rep. Richard Ferrari and state Sen. Jonathan Harris in attendance, Dresner and his fellow hail of fame directors welcomed members of the "Class of 2006" as the first inductees into the Connecticut Business Hall of Fame.
Connecticut Business Magazine would like to congratulate the winners: Herb Barker, chairman of Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire; Barry Berman and S. Richard Kalt, president and executive vice president, respectively, of CRN International in Hamden; John B. Farnham, executive director of Associated General Contractors in Wethersfield; and Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck, co-founders of Milford-based Subway, which was inducted into the hail of fame in the "company" category.
We'd also like to congratulate Dresner and his fellow members of the Hall of Fame board of directors for taking a great idea from concept to reality. Too often, great businesses - and great ideas - go unrecognized. |