Fiscal year 2016 was once again a challenging and thought provoking year for seCTer.  This past year and the year ahead were and will continue to be transitional and transformational for seCTer.  In addition to new leadership, we have reviewed our governance structure, fiscal oversight and strategic direction.

seCTer's Board and Staff engaged in a number of areas focused on positioning seCTer for long-term success.  The first was a thorough review and refresh of our bylaws, which have been updated and are progressing through the legal process for final approval.  The bylaws have retained the key elements of previous bylaws but have been streamlined and adjusted to reflect our current board structure, the types and number of board members, and greater clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the Executive Committee, the Executive Director, and our committees. 

In parallel with our bylaws effort we have undertaken a review of our Strategic Plan.  The plan will provide for both the 30,000 foot strategic direction, and the annual goals created by staff to support the strategies.  This work is expected to be completed by early, 2017.

We encourage you read the articles in our newsletter which highlights the great work seCTer and our region are engaged in.       

   

We offer a sincere thank you to each and every member of our Staff:  Ann Chambers, Frank Dixon, Pat Glynn, Juliet Hodge, Nicole Melville, Robert Sember, Debbie Smith, and Lisa Wood.  A special thanks goes out to Teresa Alaimo who provides accounting and financial services support.

We want to express our appreciation to members of the Board of Directors for their dedication, guidance and participation as we move our strategic plan forward with annual goals and objectives.

Over the past decade or so the message about Southeastern Connecticut has been one of "the glass is always half full'.  We firmly believe that it is time for us to make the message a positive one.  We ask you to join us emphasizing Southeastern Connecticut's great assets and skills and the opportunity they represent to make this a great place to live and work.

Sincerely,

 

Charles Seeman                                                    Sean T. Nugent, PhD

Chairman, Board of Directors                                  Interim Executive Director

seCTer's annual meeting was held on November 30th at the Groton Inn & Suites.  This year's theme was focused on seCTer's service offerings and future. "I believe we in southeastern Connecticut are in one of those 'Perfect Storm' moments," said Sean Nugent, interim executive director.  In the past, said Nugent, people have focused on only the negative elements when telling the story of the region. But Nugent said "it's time to change that story" and focus instead on moving forward by developing a diverse, adaptable local economy keyed to such business areas as defense, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, healthcare services, creative information technologies and arts and culture.

This grant is the first step in a two-step process to formally make the area around the mouth of the Thames River in Groton and New London a state-designated Innovation Place.  

seCTer is excited to be part of the core Thames River Innovation Place (TRIP) group headed by Hannah Gant of Spark Makerspace and Susan Froshauer of Connecticut United for Research Excellence ( CURE)- a group that is made up of local entrepreneurs, community and industry leaders, educators, public officials and planning and economic development professionals. 

 

Check out the news coverage Thames River Innovation Place got on NBC CT! 

Lisa Wood, Director of seCTer's PTAP, is pleased to announce the addition of Kr istine Halleck  who is replacing Debbie Smith in the Groton office, and Gary Alfano who will operate from the new Stamford office.  "Both Kristine and Gary bring a wealth of experience to the team and we are excited to have them both join seCTer," said Lisa Wood.

New PTAP Counselors, Kristine Halleck and Gary Alfano.

Debbie Smith was a counselor with the CT-PTAP at seCTer for 17 years serving  Eastern CT. We wish her success in the next stage of her career!

Lisa Wood presenting Debbie Smith with a gift at Annual Meeting

Success Stories

My name is Rosa Valenzuela and I am the owner of HOPET Eng ineering Services LLC. I have been wo

rking with Nicole Melville of CT PTAP over the past few months and I cannot say enough good things about CT PTAP and the assistance they have provided me. The y provided clear and concise explanations with all the registrations and explanations of each that can be available for my business.  I wanted to write this quick letter of appreciation to your organization so you can see what a positive impact you have.

HOPET Engineering LLC is a DAS-SBE/MBE certified with state of CT. I am continuing to work with Nicole and the CT PTAP to continue my certifications and applications. PTAP has been such a resource for me. As things were, I may have closed my business down since it was so difficult to register in SAM & SBA Profile and understand all the various set aside programs for the federal government, State of CT, and municipalities that I could take advantage of as a Small business. It was very overwhelming and I am thankful to PTAP for being such a good resource for small businesses.

 

Congratulations Nicole!

Mr. Klimason presents PTAP Procurement Specialist NICOLE MELVILLE a "Certificate of Appreciation" on behalf of the Terryville Lions Country Fair for  her assistance 

April 28th: Contracting 101

May 19th: Matchmaker Primer/Completing a Capability Statement

 

Mark your calendars! Seminars are FREE to attend.

In the recent Annual Meeting, Ann Chambers, director of Loans, said seCTer had $688,000 in loan funding either approved or pending as of November 1st, with another $1.3 million in the pipeline.  She made a passionate plea to the group and the region at large when she stated that "...with technology and improvements in transportation, we are three hours from 45 million people.  We know that there are challenges with respect to the cost of living and doing business, but we fail to embrace this simple truth...we live, work, and play in a really great place, and those 45 million potential customers ARE really close."

On 11/22/2016, SeCTer closed on an $850,000 Loan/Grant to Components for Manufacturing, LLC and Paul and Tracey Jacey. The funds were used to acquire a business and relocate it from New Hampshire to Groton, Connecticut.  The funding was made possible through SeCTer's own Southeast Regional Development Fund (SRDF) and through the DECD's Small Business Express Program (SBEP).  

Welcome to Southeastern CT!

C-PACE provides commercial property owners with 100% upfront financing for green energy projects where the energy improvements deliver immediate positive cash flow to the building owner. The supplemental funding (up to $50,000) may be used for any project-related expenses at the discretion of the recipients, thereby reducing the amount of financing required. C-PACE offers predictable, trustworthy energy savings projections. Through Energy on the Line, manufacturers will benefit from support from the Green Bank and its program partners in developing C-PACE projects that are custom tailored to their business's needs.

"Energy on the Line" is open to all Connecticut manufacturing companies who have owner-occupied facilities. The Green Bank is working with local Economic Development offices, Chambers of Commerce and manufacturing associations to promote this exciting new opportunity. To learn more, please visit: www.EnergyOnTheLine.com.