A warm welcome to our newest members!* We encourage you to connect with them soon and see where your next partnership can be!
*Joined 1/10/23 to 2/6/23
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Events From Your Fellow Members |
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Southbury Restaurant Week, Now through Feb. 11 |
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Ma Petite Bakery Pop Shops Feb. 11 in Watertown; Feb. 25 in Southbury |
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Upcoming Events at the Mattatuck Museum |
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Feb. 16: New York Life "The Power of Knowing" Educational Seminar Featuring Ed Slott |
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Retirement industry thought-leader Ed Slott, CPA is back with a new seminar for our popular Power of Knowing seminar series!
In his presentation, “Your Plan, NOT the Government Plan,” taking place on February 16, 2023 at 1 p.m. Eastern, Ed will discuss major changes to retirement tax rules and strategies to help you keep more of your retirement savings protected from taxes.
This is a totally unique, entertaining and educational presentation for individuals in retirement or those saving for their retirement who need to know how to protect those savings from taxes. Ed combines his extensive IRA tax knowledge with humor and stories that everyone can relate to and delivers an empowering and eye-opening experience!
I hope you will join us for this special event which is part of New York Life’s “The Power of Knowing” educational seminar series. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Susan Mendillo
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March 2: CMHA First Annual (Mini) Golf Classic |
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First Annual (Mini) Golf Classic – a large fundraising event on Thursday, March 2nd from 5:30-8:30 at the Courtyard Marriott in Waterbury. This year, the event will support the development of our new treatment space for children and families, right on the first floor of our downtown Waterbury office on Bank St. 100% of proceeds from the event will be going to the development of the new treatment space to benefit children’s behavioral health programs at our Waterbury clinic. There are opportunities for Waterbury Chamber businesses and organizations to sponsor the event or make a charitable donation to our cause. We know that so many of our chamber members have a wonderful history of giving back to the community and, we would be grateful to have the support from (business) here at CMHA, and have you join our growing list of sponsors for our event! Event page: https://cmhalinks.eventbrite.com
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Looking to advertise your company's news? The Chamber is happy to get updates out to members about your latest news. Click the button below and fill out the form to see your information featured in next month's newsletter! |
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A Message from Judy Doran, Owner of The Charcoal Chef in Woodbury |
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The Charcoal Chef in Woodbury would like to thank all our wonderful, loyal customers for voting for us in Connecticut magazines annual best restaurant issue. Thanks to all who voted we are the statewide runner up for best traditional American and hidden gem. We also came out the best breakfast in Litchfield county and our proudest accomplishment was statewide winner for family dining. Thank you again for voting and we hope to see you soon. |
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Palace Theater Launches Annual Raffle |
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The Palace Theater’s Annual Raffle launched Tuesday, January 24th at My Fair Lady. Patrons attending the hit Broadway musical were among the first to be able to purchase 2023 Raffle tickets. The Raffle’s lucky first prize winner will receive $3,000 in cash. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office at 100 E. Main St. The drawing will take place Monday, June 22, 2023 at 10:00 PM.
This year, participants who purchase or sell a book of tickets will be entered to win three (3)22kt yellow gold, diamond-cut bracelets appraised at $6,900. The bracelets were donated by Selim and Linda Noujaim.
Tickets are $25 each and books of 10 are available for $250. Each month, raffle ticket purchasers will be entered into a drawing for a $25 LaBonne’s gift card.
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RAFFLE PRIZES
Six (6) prizes to be awarded
Only 2,000 raffle tickets printed
Proceeds will benefit the Palace Theater Annual Fund
First Prize: $3,000 Cash Prize
Second Prize: $1,500 Cash Prize
Third Prize: $500 Gift Card Redeemable at Amazon.com
Fourth Prize: $500 Gift Certificate Redeemable at LaBonne’s Market
Fifth Prize: $500 Gift Card Redeemable at Home Depot
Sixth Prize: $250 Gift Card Redeemable at Adam Broderick Salon & Spa
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March 21: 2nd Act Series Featuring Steve Noxon |
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On Tuesday, March 21st at 7 PM, Steve Noxon takes the stage as part of the Palace Theater’s 2nd Act Series to share his story of how he achieved his dream to be a broadcaster. For the last six years, Noxon was the host of Talk of the Town on WATR 1320 AM and 97.7 FM.
Noxon has come to be known as the conservative voice in the greater Waterbury community, but he started his professional journey doing what he thought he was supposed to do: he got a job and supported his family. In the back of his mind, he had a dream to be on the radio. It always seemed to be just out of reach until dramatic changes in his family life opened the door to realize that dream. He just needed to learn how to say “yes.”
Now, Noxon begins a 3rd Act as WATR ownership has changed and his tenure on the station has ended. Hear his side of the story as he once again says “yes” to moving forward and embracing new opportunities.
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P3 Costs Analysts: Employee Retention Tax Credit: "An Opportunity You Don't Want to Miss!" |
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You’ve seen and heard the ads, you’ve been getting the texts, the e-mails, and the direct mailings, but you still are wondering: what exactly is the ERC and is it worth the time and the effort?
The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a tax credit that was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ERC was designed to incentivize employers to keep their employees on payroll during the pandemic and to help businesses recover from the economic downturn.
One of the main benefits of the ERC is that it allows eligible employers to claim a refundable credit against their payroll taxes. The credit can be claimed for wages paid to employees from April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.
Another benefit of the ERC is that it is available to a wide range of employers, including those in the service, retail, and hospitality industries, which were particularly hard hit by the pandemic. The credit is available to employers with fewer than 100 employees, which includes many small and medium-sized businesses.
The ERC also provides a significant financial benefit to employers that had to reduce their operations or close temporarily due to the pandemic. If an employer experienced a full or partial suspension of their business operations due to a governmental order related to COVID-19, then they can claim the credit for all wages paid to employees during the suspension period, regardless of whether the employees were working or not.
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You have some questions… and here are some answers:
Does my business qualify for the ERC? That depends on the particulars of your business. Not everyone will, but most can get something back from the program.
How much could I get from an ERC? Again, that depends on the particulars of your business, but it could be as much as $26,000 per fulltime employee (or fulltime employee equivalent).
What if I have been told that I don’t qualify for an ERC? Unless you have been advised by a true expert in the rules of the ERC program, you owe it to yourself to check with an expert, one who can make sure that you maximize your opportunity, while also minimizing the risk that the government will deny your request.
Where can I find an ERC expert locally? My company, P3 Cost Analysts has helped nearly 200 businesses and organizations (non-profits can qualify, too) receive an average of $75,000. As a member of the Chamber, based in Southbury for nearly 15 years, I have personally helped a number of businesses in the greater Waterbury area, and beyond, receive ERCs like these:
~$110,000 for a daycare center in Waterbury
~$150,000 for a restaurant in Oxford
~$1,000,000 for a homecare business in Bridgeport
Can I wait and think about this? Yes, you can, but starting this July, the ERC program begins to fade away. On that date, you will no longer be able to qualify Q2/2020. Every 90 days after that, another quarter goes away, and its potential opportunity along with it. Besides, why wait any longer than you have to for money that you qualify for?
So, what do I do now? Give me a call, shoot me a text, or send me an e-mail, and let’s get started on figuring out what your ECR could be. You won’t regret it.
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Edward Bettigole | Franchise Owner
Cell: 203-526-1100
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Skyline Financial FCU and Turnkey Processing Announce New Partnership |
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Skyline Financial Federal Credit Union, Waterbury, CT, and Turnkey Processing, Meriden, CT, are proud to announce a new partnership that benefits small businesses across New England.
Skyline and Turnkey spent over one year developing a program specifically designed to help entrepreneurs succeed, and compete on a level playing field with national chains. Through the partnership, small businesses will gain access to the essential building blocks they'll need to scale. This includes POS software, Merchant Services with local support, local consultative banking, low-cost capital, digital marketing, website, social media services, and modern networking events designed to connect them with local entrepreneurs and new customers.
"We're excited about our new partnership with Skyline, and the impact it will make on local businesses here in Connecticut," says Steven Martorelli, CEO Turnkey Processing.
Finding a trusted partner in banking and merchant services can be difficult for many small businesses, and both Martorelli and James Higgins, CEO Skyline Financial Credit Union, are committed to providing them the support and service they need.
"With Skyline headquartered in Waterbury and Turnkey headquartered in Meriden, Steve and I live, work, and support our communities every day, and we recognize the challenges of rising expenses. We've made it our mission to focus on helping our local businesses with low or no cost alternatives to banking and card processing," says Higgins.
The hope of the two companies is that through this partnership, they can offer services to small businesses that otherwise may not be able to afford them.
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Information Technology Update from Bsquared Intel |
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In this newsletter, I want to talk about social media.
From an information security perspective, it can be a treasure trove of information a bad actor uses for creating phishing campaigns. It’s also a place a disgruntled employee intentionally publishes internal documents. Both instances are damaging to a company. Some of this stuff also spills over to affecting an organization’s reputation.
From the research side of things, when I work with attorneys, peoples’ social media posts can come back to haunt them once they’re involved in a legal case.
This is all to say that Bsquared Intel’s external risk/threat assessments for organizations and our attorney services include social media research as part of the process.
Also a reminder that there is less than six months left until part one of Connecticut’s new data privacy law goes into affect on July 1st 2023. If you are an organization that’s affected by this law, time is running out.
Don’t forget to follow us on our socials:
Feel free to contact me with any questions or just to say hello and network.
Bill Becker
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Valued Technology Services: Free Report & Discovery Call |
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Outsource your IT, Cybersecurity, and Compliance needs to get industry-best technology and support without the headaches of doing it on your own.
To learn more about the advantages of outsourcing your IT, Cybersecurity and Compliance needs you can download our free report “The Cybersecurity Crisis“ also you can call us to book a 15-minute discovery call. We answer our phones live 24/7, contact our team of experts today! (203) 528-4253
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