A Message from our President |
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Dear Chamber Member,
Thank you once again to everyone who turned out on February 24 for our 100th annual meeting and the Dibble Awards. During the event, we honored Attorney Carlos A. Santos of Fitzpatrick | Santos | Sousa | Perugini P.C. with the 2021 Lewis A. Dibble Sr. Award. Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Ion Bank for supporting this event. We look forward to seeing everyone next year! If you missed the event or want to take a look at some of the photos, click here.
Registrations are now open for our 17th annual Duck Race and Festival, which is taking place on Sunday, June 5, 2022 in downtown Naugatuck. If you are a nonprofit interested in participating, you can register now. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Events Director Chris Caulfield and if you are a vendor interested in having a booth at this year's event, please contact Barbara Sorosiak. We can't wait to see everyone!
Save the date for Wednesday, April 13, when we will hold our annual Legislative Breakfast at The Crystal Room. This will be an opportunity to hear directly from legislators and address issues that impact you. We have invited Senators Jorge Cabrera and Joan Hartley, along with Representatives David Labriola and Rosa Rebimbas. Register here. Thank you to Ion Bank for their generous support of this event!
Our Chamber Wellness Walking Challenge kicks off on Friday, April 1. If you haven't registered yet, please consider doing so. Last year, our Chamber participated against seven other chambers from across the state and came in second place. This is a great opportunity to form new habits and get in shape for the summer. If we win the wellness challenge this year, we have selected Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury to receive a donation that will be provided by BlueBack Health. To learn more, click here.
We have lots of opportunities coming up over the next several weeks and months for you to meet with other members and get connected to the resources that you need to succeed! Our first Out for Business event of 2022 will be held on Thursday, April 7 at Grand Oak Villa in Oakville. You can find more information here.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate our Chairman, Kevin McSherry of the McSherry Law Office, who will be honored on Thursday, March 31 by the United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls with a Mary Connolly Community Caring Award during their 59th annual meeting and celebration. Please consider attending the event at The Crystal Room and help us congratulate Kevin's successes! More details are below.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me and share how we can support your business at lward@waterburychamber.com or (203) 757-0701.
Thank you for your continued membership,
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- President's Note
- Upcoming Ribbon Cutting
- Upcoming Events
- Thank You to Our Renewing Members
- HR Corner Corner by Carmody, Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP
- Hiring and Training Programs Available
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Upcoming Ribbon Cutting: Bridge Cigar Shop |
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Tuesday, April 12 at 3 p.m. - 155 Quinn Street |
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Paul Markette and Chuck Cammarata are two retired police officers that decided they wanted to go into business doing what they always enjoyed - smoking fine cigars!
Paul's grandfather owned the original Bridge Cigar Shop located many years ago in Derby Connecticut. When Paul and Chuck were deciding on a name, it was an easy choice to open under the old cigar shop name.
Bridge Cigar Shop is located in the Quinn Street neighborhood of Naugatuck and was opened to allow area cigar smokers a fun, clean and comfortable place to purchase and smoke fine cigars.
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March 31: United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls Honors Kevin McSherry |
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June 5: Duck Day Race & Festival |
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If your nonprofit organization is looking for an easy way to raise money for your cause, the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce has two words for you: Duck Race.
The Chamber is seeking local area nonprofit organizations to benefit from its 17th annual Duck Race & Festival, to be held Sunday, June 5, 2022, rain or shine, in historic downtown Naugatuck.
Created in 2006 by the Naugatuck Chamber, the Duck Race features the release of over 15,000 rubber ducks from the Whittemore Bridge to race down the Naugatuck River. Each duck is vying to be among the first 20 to cross the finish line to win prizes, including the first prize of $5,000 for one lucky ticket purchaser.
During the annual Duck Race & Festival, Maple and Water Streets in downtown Naugatuck are filled with food and craft vendors, live music, games, circus talent and much more. Businesses also will exhibit their products and services to the more than 5,000 people who attend each year.
The Naugatuck Chamber is seeking local area nonprofit organizations to sell raffle tickets to the general public as a fundraising activity for their organization. “By selling tickets, each organization has the opportunity to raise money specifically to support their individual group’s mission and cause, at no cost to them,” said Lynn Ward, director of the Naugatuck Chamber. Tickets may be sold on line at www.cometoduckday.com and in person.
There is no fee for an organization to participate; instead, the Naugatuck Chamber will donate $2.50 back to the nonprofit organization for each ticket sold by volunteers of that organization. Over the past 16 years, more than 375 organizations have received over $420,000 by participating in the Duck Race fundraising activities. Organizations, who will each have a personalized landing page created for them, can begin selling tickets on March 30.
“Nonprofit organizations do not need to secure a minimum number of tickets to sell, nor is there a maximum number of ticket sales required for a donation to be made by the Chamber to the participating nonprofit,” Ward said.
To reserve raffle tickets for organizations to sell to the general public for the June 5, 2022, Duck Race & Festival, organizations are asked to submit their information via an online form at www.cometoduckday.com, or by calling the Chamber at 203-757-0701. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Events Director Chris Caulfield. If you are a vendor interested in having a booth at this year's event, please contact Barbara Sorosiak.
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April 7: Out for Business in Oakville |
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April 13: Legislative Breakfast |
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What’s the Chamber Wellness Challenge?
The Chamber Wellness Challenge (CWC) is a 3-month wellness challenge for chamber of commerce’s across Connecticut to engage in a friendly walking competition hosted by Connecticut based BlueBack Health, LLC. The CWC encourages participants to get moving while providing opportunity to work on building healthy habits and build community spirit.
Why are we joining?
Nobody can dispute that the last two years have turned business models, priorities and plans upside down, as all sectors have been forced to navigate a continuously changing climate. Undoubtedly, this has also taken a toll on everyone’s health – physically and mentally. The need for healthy habits, consistency and connection is crucial now more than ever. That’s why we invite your workplace to join the Chamber Wellness Challenge (CWC) and help us walk to better health together. As if getting healthier weren’t enough motivation, there will be prizes and incentives along the way!
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April 12: CBIA Connecticut Business Day |
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Share your business events, news and announcements with your fellow Chamber members! |
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Thank You to Our Naugatuck Members Who Renewed in February 2022 |
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Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Coldwell Banker Realty 2000
J & M Automotive
McCormack Insurance Agency - State Farm
McSherry Law Office
My Eye Dr.
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Naugatuck Adult and Continuing Education
Naugatuck Podiatry Associates
People's United Bank
Robert Rung DMD LLC
Sibby's Automotive, Inc.
Terri's Flower Shop
UniMetal Surface Finishing LLC
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HR Corner: What's On Tap for Employers in the 2022 Connecticut Legislation Session |
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The 2022 legislative session is in full swing with a slate of bills that have been advanced in the Labor Committee. Some of these bills are ones that have been proposed in the past, while others are new proposals. These bills have the potential to impact your workplace and, therefore, it is important to speak up and reach out to your state representatives if you have any concerns. Here is a rundown of some bills that are likely to be most impactful for all employers:
SB 312: AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF CONNECTICUT PAID SICK DAYS. Expands the paid sick leave law to require every employer (not just those with 50 or more employees) to provide every employee (not just service workers) with one hour of paid sick leave for each 30 hours worked (instead of 40 hours) up to a maximum of 40 hours per year. Would also require every employer to provide up to 80 hours of COVID-19 sick leave.
HB 5249: AN ACT CONCERNING NONCOMPETE AGREEMENTS: Significantly restricts an employer’s use of non-compete agreement. Would invalidate non-compete agreements for non-exempt (hourly) employees, employees earning not less than three times the minimum wage, and independent contractors earning less than five times the minimum wage. Would also render a non-compete unenforceable if the employer terminates the employment relationship without cause (which is not defined in the bill). There are numerous other restrictions, including a 12-month limit on the non-compete duration.
SB 317: AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT FOR STRIKING EMPLOYEES. Permits employees who are on strike to collect unemployment benefits after two weeks. This would reverse current law, which generally renders a striking employee ineligible for benefits.
SB 318: AN ACT CONCERNING CAPTIVE AUDIENCE MEETINGS. Allows employees to bring a civil action against an employer if the employer requires employees to attend or participate in a meeting or listen to a speech, the primary purpose of which is to communicate the employer's opinion concerning “religious matters” or “political matters”. The definitions of these terms are broad and could include a meeting to discuss legislation or regulations that impact business operations, employer involvement in civic or community events, and labor unions.
SB 321: AN ACT EXPANDING WORKERS' COMPENSATION COVERAGE FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS INJURIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. Extends workers' compensation coverage for all employees (not just first responders) who have post-traumatic stress due to certain events such as viewing a deceased minor, witnessing the death of a person, and witnessing an injury to a person who subsequently dies before or after admission at a hospital.
HB 5356: AN ACT CONCERNING PANDEMIC PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS. Provides “essential workers” with $2,000 pandemic pay for their service during the COVID19 pandemic to be paid from Connecticut’s general fund.
HB 5353: AN ACT CONCERNING A FAIR WORKWEEK SCHEDULE. Requiring certain retail, restaurant, and hospitality employers to provide 14 days' notice to employees of their work schedules.
We will continue to monitor these bills and provide updates. In the meantime, if you have questions about what you can do to improve your employee retention, please contact a member of Carmody’s Labor and Employment team.
This information is for educational purposes only to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does not establish any attorney-client relationship.
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Hiring & Training Programs Available |
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Do you need help finding qualified workers for your business? Could you use some financial assistance to offset the cost of hiring and training new workers, or training your existing workforce?
The Waterbury Regional Chamber is working with the Northwest Regional Workforce Investments Board to help businesses in Greater Waterbury learn more about the available hiring and training programs and whether they qualify for them. This includes providing information on posting jobs on the states CThires.com website, as well as information about Manufacturing Innovation Fund Incumbent Worker Training, the apprenticeship program, hiring veterans and on-the-job training programs.
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