Welcome New Members:
A warm welcome to our newest members!* We encourage you to connect with them soon and see where your next partnership can be!


*Joined 11/7/22 to 12/5/22
New Member Spotlight: Northeast Medical Institute
Northeast Medical Institute is a Post-Secondary Occupational School that is approved by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education and the Department of Public Health. Northeast Medical Institute was started by a former Sacred Heart University Alumni in 2018 in Stamford, CT. Daniel Remiszewski, the owner of Northeast Medical Institute, had one goal in mind when opening the school: to give students the opportunity to learn more about the medical field during or prior entering college.

At Northeast Medical Institute, they offer 3 core courses that all lead to a certification which can be attained in a reasonable amount of time; Certified Nurse Assistant, Certified Phlebotomy Technician, and Certified Patient Care Technician. All three of these certification programs are in dire need of help due to the pandemic. Through the pandemic, Daniel was able to open a new training site each year. In 2019 he opened the Woodbridge, CT training site then in 2020 he opened the East Hartford, CT training site, and finally in the end of 2021 he began to open a training site in Middlebury, CT. All of these training sites offer a lab simulation with a classroom attached. Daniel plans to keep on expanding his reach in Connecticut and move Northeast Medical Institute to surrounding states in the near future.
Connect with Northeast Medical Institute
Events From Your Fellow Members
Support Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury with Your Purchase at Barnes & Noble or Online
Dec. 8: Main Street Waterbury Holiday Stroll
Dec. 8: Martinis and Mistletoe at the Palace Theater
Your favorite holiday party of the season is back...Cheers!

Toast the holiday season with friends, festive martinis and great food in our beautifully decorated lobbies. Local bartenders from area-favorite restaurants will be pouring martini tastings all night long. Cash bar will be available.

Marty Q returns as the night's entertainment to spread holiday cheer with his take on classic songs and holiday hits. Enjoy delicious food from Emily's Catering with your evening's martinis.

Enter to win great gifts and raffle prizes. Earn extra tickets by bringing an unwrapped gift to donate to our Toy Drive.

Bartenders include:
Signature's Restaurant — Diane Gorman
The Kitchen in Prospect — Dana Martinez
Sans-Souci Restaurant — Polly Zagorski & Chloe Tompkins
Verdi Restaurant — Kelly Hinckley & Amejda Mullaj
Vyne Restaurant — Bonnie Sharon
Dec. 8: Free Morris Day Concert at Foxwoods
Grab your friends for a free night of great music with Morris Day and the Time. Enjoy favorites like Jungle Love and Get It Up. Plus, bring an unopened toy to help STUFF THE BUS to support the United Way of SE CT and their “Tommy Toy” fund program.
Dec. 9: Jazz Night Featuring "The Groove" With Al Taylor at The Art of Yum/Mattatuck Museum
Jazz is back at The Art of Yum! Head to the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury on Friday, December 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy the sounds of The Steve Clarke Trio featuring Andrea Deyo and Curtis Haywood, along with delicious butler-style passed appetizers and cash bar. Hosted by Al Taylor, the producer of The Groove Show Live. Bring a toy to support the Waterbury PAL toy drive.

For tickets, visit theartofyum.com
Member Profile (The Art of Yum)
Member Profile (The Mattatuck Museum)
Dec. 9: Tickets on Sale for Il Divo March 5, 2023 at the Palace Theater
Annie C. Courtney Foundation Online Auction: Now through Dec. 10 to Benefit Foster Youth Initiatives
Dec. 10: Grand Opening of the Naugatuck History Museum
The long-awaited Grand Opening of the Naugatuck History Museum at the Tuttle House has finally been announced: “Town of Dreamers, City of Invention” tells the story of Naugatuck’s rise from a small manufacturing village to a center of industrial might. The Historical Society is looking forward to welcoming guests to the museum to see the finished exhibition

The Bronson B. Tuttle House, located at 380 Church Street in Naugatuck, is the backdrop for this exhibit. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1882 Queen Anne mansion provides authentic spaces for telling the stories of invention and enterprise that created employment for many and great wealth for the few.

Grand Opening Weekend
December 10, 2022, 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
December 11, 2022, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Entrance to the museum is free and open to the public. Donations greatly appreciated. Regular hours will be announced shortly after the opening.
Dec. 11: Grand Opening for Prospect Memorial/The Palmerie Family Funeral Home's New Location
Toy Drive at the Rubber Ducky in Naugatuck: Bring an Unwrapped Toy and Get a Free Beer
December 15: Festivus at the Heritage Hotel
Leave the office holiday party planning to the Heritage Hotel in Southbury! Join them on Thursday, December 15 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for their Festivus holiday party! Reserve your group, big or small, and celebrate the holidays with the Heritage worry free. There will be food, drinks, and live entertainment for a night to remember. Special room rates are available for $99. Call 203-267-2674 to reserve your group or the front desk at 203-264-8200 to schedule your rooms.
Acts 4 Ministry Seeking Donations of Coats and Winter Accessories for Annual "Share the Warmth" Drive
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Member News and Updates
Ma Petite Bakery Holidays Specials
Barron Financial Group Welcomes John Seagrave as Newest Partner
Barron Financial Group Partners: Sandra Thibault, James Thibault & John Seagrave
The team at Barron Financial Group, LLP is excited to announce the promotion of John Seagrave, CFP®, CRPC® to Partner, effective for the 2022 calendar year.

“John has been a great addition to our team. For over five years he has been learning the advisory practice and building his business.”, said Managing Partner, Jim Thibault. “Yes, John has been a big part of our growth, but just as important, John has been very helpful in reviewing our business practices and offering positive suggestions. I believe we are a better firm today than before we hired him. That’s about as big a compliment as I can offer.”

John was hired by Barron Financial Group in early 2017 to assist the team in growing their advisory and planning practice. Since his arrival, the firm has nearly doubled the size of its client base and assets under management as well as transitioned to an SEC-registered advisory firm. During that time, John deepened his understanding of the industry by becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING™ professional and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®).

“For more than five years I’ve had the privilege of working with and learning from some of the best people I’ve met during my professional career.”, said Seagrave. “To be with a firm as focused on honesty, integrity, and community - as Barron Financial Group has proven to be - is a dream come true. I am truly excited for what the future holds.”

Jim & Sandra Thibault founded Barron Financial Group in 2006. As Partner, John is now on a path to purchasing the firm from Jim and Sandra. Jim will continue to be a big part of the firm going forward, particularly with investment strategies. The bottom line is that Barron Financial Group will continue servicing clients, with the same personalized focus we’ve always had, for years to come.

Learn more about the BFG team at www.barronfinancialgroup.com.
Skyline Financial FCU Expands Membership Field
The National Credit Union Administration has approved Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union’s request to expand the field of membership and become a community-chartered credit union effective November 18, 2023. Formerly, the multiple-common-bond consisted of 29 small employee groups including of the employees of Comcast (FKA Southern New England Telephone and Woodbury Telephone Company), AT&T, Costco, Eversource and other organizations.

Eligibility for membership to Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union is now open to persons who live, worship, work (or regularly conduct business in), or attend school in, and businesses and other legal entities located in New Haven County, or Litchfield County, Connecticut. This field of membership opens our credit union to approximately 1.5 million residents within our community.

For some history on Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union, the original missions was to promote thrift and financial support by offering savings accounts and loans, seven employees of the Waterbury Telephone Company got together and chartered the Waterbury Telephone Employees Federal Credit Union in 1935. The credit union succeeded a merger with the Central Naugatuck Valley Credit Union in 2004, and in 2016 rebranded to Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union. James A. Higgins was hired as President and CEO in May of 2021 and brought the organization forward by investing in new technology for the credit union’s employees and launched a series of new services for the membership including mobile banking, ApplePay, SamsungPay, mobile deposits, new ATM, expanded access to cash by partnering with AllPoint offering 55,000 ATMs to use worldwide, online application and closing for loans remotely, and more!

Today, the credit union located at 3528 E. Main St, Waterbury CT 06705 serves just over 3,000 members. This is an exciting opportunity for Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union and the individuals of New Haven and Litchfield County who need banking or lending services!
Town of Southbury Receives Bronze-Level Sustainability Award at Sustainable CT Celebration
Earlier this year, the Town of Southbury was among five Connecticut municipalities to be recognized for achieving Sustainable CT certification. Southbury met high standards in a broad range of sustainability accomplishments to quality for the prestigious Bronze level certification. The highest level of certification currently offered is Silver. Town officials received the award during a ceremony that was held last month.

“Southbury had already been following sustainability practices for a long time,” says Jeff Manville, First Selectman of Southbury. “This program allows us to be recognized for doing so and tighten our focus on new areas that we can address.”

In its application for Sustainable CT certification, Southbury demonstrated significant achievements in actions in 12 sustainable impact areas ranging from inclusive community building, thriving local economies, and vibrant arts and culture, improving energy efficiency to clean transportation and diverse housing. Southbury successfully completed actions including offering resources and supports to local businesses, providing watershed education, protection and restoration; education on responsible water usage, providing effective community communications, and developing a food waste prevention campaign.
Valued Technology Services: Ransomware at An All-Time High
Maybe it's time you took a closer look at what you are doing to secure your company from an expensive, devastating cyber-attack, data breach, or compliance violation
Our 3rd Party Cyber Security Risk Assessment
Gives You The Answers You Want, The Certainty You Need

There’s no charge for this, and it only requires a 30-60 minute meeting with me and one of my top I.T. consultants. After doing this type of thing for years, we’ve truly perfected a process for helping companies like yours to get their I.T. systems working the way they are supposed to.

After conducting this 100% Confidential and Free Cybersecurity Risk Assessment, you will know:

· IF you and your employees’ login credentials are being sold and traded by cybercriminals on the “Dark Web.” I can practically guarantee one or more are and the information we find will shock you. We’ll show you what’s out there on you AND what to do about it immediately.

· IF your I.T. systems and data are truly secured from hackers, ransomware, cybercriminals, viruses, worms and even sabotage by rogue employees. Did you know that antivirus software and most firewalls are grossly inadequate against the sophisticated attacks now happening?

· IF your current backup would allow you to be back up and running again fast if ransomware locked all your files. In 99% of the computer networks we’ve reviewed over the years, the owners were shocked to learn the backup they had would NOT survive a ransomware attack.

· IF you are compliant with NEW regulations and data-protection laws. The laws are expanding and getting stricter regarding data privacy for ALL businesses. There’s a very good chance you’re violating one or more data-protection laws without even knowing it.

· Identify your blind spots in your Office365 accounts. We will show you where the security gaps are in your Office365 accounts and how you can protect your data with proper backups and optimization.

Fresh eyes see new things – so, at a minimum, engaging with us is a risk-free way to get a credible third party to ensure your current IT company is delivering the protection and professional services you’re paying for. To get started, please call (203) 528-4253 to schedule a quick initial phone consultation.
Information Technology Update from Bsquared Intel
We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and as we prepare for the Holidays, please keep your wits about you. We’ve had multiple people approach us about their social media and Google accounts being taken by bad actors. The only way to deal with this stuff is proactively because customer support doesn’t exist, unless you are paying for Google Workspace. When it comes to affecting business, this means you’re losing revenue if you solely rely on social media to generate income because you can’t access your page, or worse, the bad actor deletes/deactivates it. There’s also damage to your business’s reputation if the bad actor publishes malicious posts on your behalf.
 
Check out our most recent article on this matter
 
 
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Bill Becker
President Bsquared Intel | Email: [email protected] | Phone: 203.828.0012
Golden Technology Services: Exercise Caution this Holiday Shopping Season
With the start of the Holiday shopping season, you need to be cautious online.

Kurt Knutson’s Cyberguy newsletter writes that there are four common scams to be aware of now.

With deliveries arriving via a variety of delivery services e.g., FedEx, UPS, USPS if you receive a text mentioning a delivery you need to be careful for a scam.

If the link doesn’t take you to the delivery service, it could be “typosquatting”. Close but not correct.

Charity scams that appeal to your generosity via fake names and organizations. Do your research first.

Gift exchanges like Secret Santa where you select someone from a list and send them a gift. Don’t participate in exchanges with anyone you don’t know.

Gift card scams. If buying in person, ensure that it hasn’t been tampered with. Buy on the official website.

WorkWise is a suite of cybersecurity topics that increases your awareness and reduce the risk online.

Test drive one module of WorkWise via the tool, Social Engineering at no charge which improves your organization’s security.

Test drive one of module of WorkWise’s Social Engineering at no charge which will improve your organizations cybersecurity

Contact: Justin Golden
1(972)679-9738 (mobile)