CBIA BizCast
217 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsA podcast for the business-minded in Connecticut. Interviews consist of business and community leaders who are shaping the future of Connecticut’s economy. The CBIA BizCast provides new content every other week, introduces members of the business community, and tells stories about how businesses are innovating and growing in Connecticut!
BizCast provides new content every other week, introduces members of CBIA staff, and tells stories about how businesses are innovating and growing in Connecticut!
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Episodes
The Bolder Company Shakes Things Up
July 17, 2024 17:08 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MB“We love to say we’re not from Colorado,” Bolder Company co-founder Jenny Drescher told the CBIA BizCast about how the company got its name. “It does not have a ‘u’ in it. It’s Bolder, like ‘be a Bolder version of yourself.’ That’s how the name was born.” Drescher founded the professional training and coaching company in 2014 with her longtime friend Ellen Feldman Ornato. At the time, Ornato owned a training and development company and Drescher had an executive coaching business. “We were t...
Solving Problems with C4 Communications
July 03, 2024 17:06 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBFor C4 Communications founder and president Colomobo DiSalvatore III, success is all about problem solving. “We try to go into our clients, we try to add value, and help solve problems,” DiSalvatore told the CBIA BizCast. “And we know that if we do that, that we will be rewarded over time.” C4 Communications is a telecommunications company specializing in helping small and midsize companies evaluate, select, implement, and manage telecommunications solutions. DiSalvatore said he sort of “fel...
Growing The Computer Company
June 20, 2024 18:06 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBFor The Computer Company president Kevin Barros, a career in IT was something of an accident. “I kind of started off individually on my own, just kind of doing a little bit of side work, make a few extra bucks on the weekends and nights,” he told the CBIA BizCast. Barros said he always liked technology, but never thought he’d own a company. “Slowly it kind of grew to one referral, to another referral.” Barros launched the venture with name KBIT Group, before acquiring Shell Systems in 2018...
Combating Domestic Violence
June 05, 2024 16:03 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBIn a lifetime, one-in-four women and one-in-seven men will be affected by domestic or intimate partner violence. And each year, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence serves about 40,000 people. “We are the state's leading voice for survivors and victims of domestic violence and their families,” CCADV president and CEO Meghan Scanlon told the CBIA BizCast. The organization has 18 member agencies across the state providing services ranging from sheltering and counseling to c...
The Toilet Entrepreneur
May 22, 2024 14:06 - 27 minutes - 25 MBJeremy Bronen didn’t set out to be known as “the toilet entrepreneur.” But four years after founding SedMed, that’s exactly what transpired. “Essentially, we make toilet lifts to help older adults, people with disabilities get on and off the toilet,” Bronen told the CBIA BizCast. The concept behind the SedMed toilet lift is simple. It mounts to any toilet and helps slowly lowers users down and locks for safety. When they are ready to get up, it lifts 80% of their body weight. “The pro...
Early Success for Connecticut Bagel Business
May 08, 2024 12:27 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBLike many people Adam Goldberg started to bake during the COVID-19 pandemic. Goldberg specifically baked bagels, selling them to friends out the back window of his kitchen in Westport. That hobby turned into an idea that became PopUp Bagels. “Fast forward two or three years, he opened a store in Westport, opened another store in Greenwich, and then in the city, and it's really just exploded,” PopUp Bagels CFO Jamie Lissette told the CBIA BizCast. PopUp has achieved success quickly, than...
KeyBank Empowers Women
April 24, 2024 12:28 - 21 minutes - 20 MBKeyBank market retail leader Elona Shape credits her mother for giving her a passion for helping women in business. “She's one of those women that continues to inspire me today, but really instilled the value of what women in business or women in leadership bring to the table,” Shape told the CBIA BizCast. Shape is co-chair of KeyBank’s Key4Women for Connecticut and Massachusetts. “It’s a program that really helps our women entrepreneurs motivate, empower and advocate around the things th...
Benefits of Whole Genome Sequencing Part Two
April 17, 2024 12:38 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBThis episode of the CBIA BizCast is the second of a two-part discussion on a key issue in Connecticut and across the country—whole genome sequencing. In this episode Paul Pescatello, CBIA senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council speaks with Dr. Adam Matson and Dr. Louisa Kalsner from Connecticut Children’s. Dr. Matson is a neonatologist and lead researcher for Genomic Sequencing in the neonatal and pediatric population at the hospital. And Dr. Kalsn...
Play Ball with the Hartford Yard Goats
April 06, 2024 14:55 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBThe weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer. Spring is officially here, and that means the return of baseball to Hartford April 9 as the Yard Goats take on the Bowie Baysox at Dunkin’ Park. Looking over Dunkin’ Park in Hartford, general manager Mike Abramson tells the CBIA BizCast that he’s ready for the first pitch to be thrown. “It’s always an exciting time of year,” he said. “You know, in March and April, hope springs eternal, and we are on the cusp of what I hope will...
BizCast: Benefits of Whole Genome Sequencing
March 20, 2024 12:14 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBThis episode of the CBIA BizCast is part one of a two-part discussion on a key issue in Connecticut and across the country— whole genome sequencing. In this episode Paul Pescatello, CBIA senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council speaks with Dr. Tom Defay. Defay is a computational biologist and Deputy Head Diagnostics Strategy & Development at New Haven-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He details how the technology is valuable to patients for e...
Bead CEO Jill Mayer Drives Culture Change
March 07, 2024 18:43 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBWhen Jill Mayer joined Bead Industries, the average age of an employee was 60 and there were little to no women in senior management. Today the average age of an employee is mid 30s and more than half of the management positions are filled by women. “Changing a culture at an organization takes a lot of patience and time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Mayer told the CBIA BizCast. “You don’t want to throw out the good parts of the culture that you have. You’re not scrapping the culture. Yo...
CTECS Expands Trades Career Pathways
February 14, 2024 14:49 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MBWith approximately 16,000 students, 20 school sites, two aerotech sites, and 18 trade school sites, the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is a leader in technical education in Connecticut. “We have almost 2000 employees working very hard to make us the premier workforce provider in the state of Connecticut,” CTECS executive director Dr. Ellen Solek told the CBIA BizCast. CTECS offers a Work Based Learning program, offering students an opportunity to get paid work experienc...
Policy Solutions Focus on Affordability, Career Pathways
February 01, 2024 15:21 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBCBIA released its 2024 Transform Connecticut Policy Solutions, a 12-point package of recommendations designed to unlock Connecticut’s economic potential, on Feb. 1. CBIA vice president of public policy Chris Davis joined senior public policy associate Ashley Zane on the CBIA BizCast to discuss the process behind the development of the policy priorities. “We looked to identify some solutions that help leverage the state's strengths and really foster new opportunities focusing on a vibrant, ...
Dominion’s Millstone Powers Connecticut
January 17, 2024 14:06 - 18 minutes - 17 MBSince 1970, Waterford’s Millstone Power Station has been a key part of Connecticut’s energy supply. Millstone, which was acquired by Virginia-based Dominion Energy in 2001, currently supplies about 50% of Connecticut’s energy needs, and more than 90% of the state’s clean power, according to Millstone vice president Michael O’Connor. “Our mission is to reliably produce nuclear power for our customers,” O’Connor told the CBIA BizCast. “It's got to also be affordable, and it's got to be increa...
Lessons in Leadership
January 03, 2024 18:08 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBOver the course of the last year, business leaders from across the state joined the CBIA BizCast to share stories of how their businesses innovated, overcame challenges and found new levels of success. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare, real estate, public service, law, or banking—all of our guests have had something in common—they have learned invaluable lessons along the way that have gotten them to where they are today. As 2024 begins, we are taking a look back at some of those less...
UConn Tech Park Drives Innovation
December 19, 2023 14:26 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBJust on the outskirts of the UConn campus in Storrs sits the UConn Tech Park, a center for cutting-edge research, collaboration, and innovation. “The Tech Park is a really amazing initiative that the state and university funded to act as a kind of front door for industry into the services that are available at the university,” said Michael DiDonato, business development manager for the Innovation Partnership Building. The Innovation Partnership Building is the first and flagship building of...
'Looking Through the Windshield'
December 07, 2023 15:56 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MB“We need to be looking through the windshield, and not the rearview mirror, because that's where the opportunities lie,” says Fuss & O’Neill CEO and newly elected CBIA board chair Kevin Grigg. Grigg sat down with CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima for a special episode of the CBIA BizCast. He said for the state to achieve its economic goals, it’s important to focus on issues like housing, education and training, workforce development. “This is kind of like the threshold of opportunity...
Talking Manufacturing with RSM's Dan Wheadon
November 21, 2023 15:42 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBRSM partner Dan Wheadon joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the results of the 2023 Connecticut Manufacturing Report. Among the findings: 86% of manufacturers report difficulty finding/and or retaining employees, with 48% calling the issue the greatest growth challenge. “The manufacturing industry is really going through a pretty significant change in recent years with industry 4.0, and a number of new technologies out there, and now the emergence of AI and machine learning,” Wheadon said.
COBS Bread Bakes Success
November 08, 2023 14:15 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBWith hundreds of locations worldwide, COBS Bread's Karen Frost-Spokes talks to the CBIA BizCast about plans to expand in Connecticut and the U.S. “It's a pretty simple concept,” she said. “It's really just about focusing on great bread, great customer service, and then connecting with the community and giving back.” “The intent is to replicate that here in the Northeast." COBS already has franchises in Stamford and Greenwich. Their third location, in Westport, is set to open by the end o...
Yale New Haven Health's O'Connor Comes Home
October 25, 2023 19:18 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBFor Chris O’Connor, becoming president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health was something of a homecoming. “I was born at Yale New Haven Hospital,” O’Connor told the CBIA BizCast. “I was a little premature, so I needed their special care unit and grew up here in New Haven.” He joins the CBIA BizCast to share his story and what is ahead for the health system.
Manufacturing the Future Workforce
October 10, 2023 14:46 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBNearly 600 middle and high school students from two dozen schools spent part of their school day recently learning what Connecticut's manufacturing industry has to offer. They took part in EXPLORE MANUFACTURING: A Stop on CT Manufacturing Roadshow '23 Sept. 28 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. It was a chance for more than two dozen manufacturers and training and support organizations in attendance to meet young people, and expose them to the industry. “We're really excited to really plant see...
Supporting Manufacturing Success
September 27, 2023 13:08 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBTD Bank's Mike LaBella joins the CBIA BizCast to discuss ways the bank is supporting manufacturers' growth and success. “The bank’s been a tremendous supporter of all industries, but especially manufacturing, because it's so key to our economy,” LaBella said. TD Bank is sponsoring CBIA’s Made in Connecticut 2023 Manufacturing Summit Oct. 11 at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. With interest rates rising, liquidity winding down, and ongoing challenges from the workforce shortage, LaBella said “...
2023 Survey of Connecticut Businesses
September 13, 2023 12:10 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBMarcum LLP's Hartford office managing partner Michael Brooder joins the CBIA BizCast to break down the 2023 Survey of Connecticut Businesses. The survey highlights some of the top concerns for businesses, including workforce and the costs of living and doing business in the state. “These days? It’s labor, labor, labor, and costs,” said Brooder. “If you look at the open jobs and the availability of people that are there to fill them, it's just that they're not there. “Let's figure out ho...
G.R.I.T. Students Showcase Summer Learning
August 30, 2023 15:02 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBAs students across Connecticut begin the new school year, some are returning to class after a summer filled with learning. More than 70 students recently completed ReadyCT’s G.R.I.T. (Get Ready! Immersive Traineeship) summer program. The CBIA BizCast team traveled to Pathways Academy of Technology and Design Aug. 9 for the annual G.R.I.T. showcase. “It really just allows them a way to learn more skills while still practicing a real business project," said Rachel Bader, Travelers assistant ...
Microboard's Global Humanitarian Mission
August 17, 2023 12:59 - 25 minutes - 57.8 MBAfter 40 years in business, Seymour-based Microboard has become known for two things: producing high-quality, high-tech circuit board assemblies and humanitarian missions helping people around the world. “There's not enough hours in my day to run this and listen to all that good news,” said Microboard CEO and president Nicole Russo. “You know, I just try to fit it all in.”
Hartford Athletic Scores for the Community
August 03, 2023 12:53 - 33 minutes - 76.2 MBThe Hartford Athletic started playing in the United Soccer League in 2019. Chairman Bruce Mandell started the club with his partners as a way to create something for the community and help the city economically. “I've always been involved in the community, and I wanted to do something really big for Hartford and wanted to bring people together and have a spot in Hartford to do that,” Mandell said. “Whether it's, you know, parents with their kids, or whether it's soccer fans, or whether i...
FORGE-ing Startup Success
July 20, 2023 12:33 - 28 minutes - 65.3 MBStarting a business and launching a new product can be a daunting prospect. From creating a prototype to connecting with manufacturers and suppliers, there is a lot for entrepreneurs and startups to navigate. That’s where FORGE Connecticut comes in. FORGE helps connect innovators with product development assistance, regional manufacturers, and supply chain resources. “There’s a lot of great innovation coming out of Connecticut,” said vice president Adam Rodrigues. “There’s over 4000 man...
Zelman Real Estate Redevelops Connecticut
July 06, 2023 15:48 - 22 minutes - 51.4 MBBrian Zelman took what he calls a “circuitous” path in real estate. “I’ve always been interested in real estate from a young age,” said Zelman, principal of Zelman Real Estate on the CBIA BizCast. The Bloomfield native, who now lives in West Hartford, began his career as a residential broker, before migrating to commercial real estate and land development. Those developments started in the retail and healthcare spaces, but migrated to multifamily housing.
Bright Feeds Tackles Food Waste
June 22, 2023 15:40 - 23 minutes - 52.8 MBBright Feeds, a Berlin-based startup, is working to solve the food waste crisis by turning unwanted food into high-quality animal feed. But for CEO Jonathan Fife, that mission is a long way from where he started his career at an investment in New York City. “While I was at the investment firm, I met our co-founder, Tim Rassias, who’s a serial entrepreneur who had started several successful businesses," Fife said. “He originally had the idea and got me into this craziness.” Fife and Rassi...
Lectra Invests in Connecticut
June 08, 2023 15:14 - 22 minutes - 50.6 MBThe clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the planes we fly in, and the furniture in our homes. We may not often think about how these things are made. But that’s not the case for Lenny Marano, Lectra president of Americas. “We're a strategic partner to those in the fashion, the furniture, and the automotive value streams,” Marano said. Lectra, a Paris-based technology company, acquired Gerber in 2021. In April, Lectra officially reopened a manufacturing facility in Tolland. The move came ...
CBIA BizCast: DoorDash Delivers for Communities in Need
May 25, 2023 11:46 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBMost people know DoorDash for its food delivery service, but the company does much more than that for its more than 6,000 merchant partners in Connecticut alone. In 2018, DoorDash launched Project DASH, a social impact initiative to fight food insecurity. Project DASH is a last-mile delivery service allows organizations like food banks to use DoorDash for their deliveries. “We do have the logistics and we do have the social impact resources to solve for these problems around food insecuri...
CBIA BizCast: Virginia's Solution for Small Business Healthcare Costs
May 11, 2023 14:20 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBLater this year, the healthcare landscape for Virginia small businesses and their employees will change dramatically when they gain access to broad new options for affordable, quality health insurance. “This is a game changer,” said Democratic state Senator Monty Mason, a key figure behind bipartisan legislation permitting what are known as association health plans. “I think this has the capacity to be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation as far as impact on people." Healthc...
Leander Dolphin's Path to Success
April 28, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutes - 64.9 MBShipman & Goodwin managing partner Leander Dolphin’s career as an attorney is marked by numerous successes. However, law wasn’t always part of her career aspirations. “What I wanted to do when I went to Wesleyan was I wanted to be an English professor,” she says. “I wanted to write books. And I wanted to focus my study on African-American literature, particularly by women.” But Dolphin’s plans began to change when an advisor told her that while she was talented, she lacked discipline and...
Unlocking Connecticut
April 17, 2023 16:40 - 20 minutes - 47.6 MBFor best friends Lora Karam and Beverly Canepari, traveling around Connecticut is more than just a hobby, it’s a growing business. Karam and Canepari are the creators of Unlocking Connecticut, a website and social media pages devoted to highlighting the best places to visit, shop, and eat around the state. Karam said their goal is simple, “promoting small business and having fun at the same time.” “We try to keep it light and engaging and spreading the message of businesses in Connecticut...
CBIA BizCast: Nessel Helping New Moms Return to Work
March 29, 2023 17:00 - 25 minutes - 58.6 MBThe CBIA BizCast team sits down with Nessel founders Stephanie Boms and Della Leapman. For mothers who are breastfeeding, having a dedicated and comfortable lactation space at work goes a long way toward making them feel supported by their employers. But those spaces aren’t always available. That’s where Nessel comes in. “We provide lactation furniture, we provide lactation pods, we do custom design work, and we do consulting to help do some executive education,” said Boms. “Our mis...
State’s CFO Stresses Fiscal Stability
March 15, 2023 19:40 - 27 minutes - 62.5 MBThe BizCast team speaks with Connectiut comptroller Sean Scanlon, who was elected in November 2022. Scanlon said one of his first priorities was to ensure that the fiscal guardrails implemented in the bipartisan 2017 budget, remained in place. Scanlon said those fiscal reforms drove five consecutive years of budget surpluses, the biggest rainy day fund in state history, and paying down almost $6 billion in state employee pension debt. Another initiative is to get businesses signed up for M...
Branford's Autac a Family Affair
February 28, 2023 19:43 - 18 minutes - 42.9 MBThe BizCast team speaks with Autac, Inc. president and CEO Marie-Louise Burkle. For the last 75 years and counting, it’s been all about family at the Connecticut manufacturer. “I grew up here, I spent a lot of time here as a child,” said Burkle. Her father Robert Burkle started the company in Hamden in 1947 to provide coiled cords for the trucking industry. He eventually moved the company from Hamden to Branford, and in 1977 Autac began manufacturing its own wire and cords.
Australia's Birdon Group Expands in Connecticut
February 16, 2023 15:06 - 26 minutes - 59.8 MBThe CBIA BizCast team talks with Birdon Group CEO Jamie Bruce and Birdon America president Robert Scott. The company recently added a facility in Portland, Connecticut where they are looking to modernize and expand. “We looked at the other six facilities, but what we really liked about the site here in Portland was the opportunities we could see with the site,” said Bruce. “It reminded me a lot of Port Macquarie where I'm from in Australia, a similar size community."
New DECD Chief Alexandra Daum
February 02, 2023 18:42 - 24 minutes - 56.3 MBThe CBIA BizCast team speaks with Alexandra Daum as she looks to use her business background in her new role as DECD commissioner. “I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the table so to speak,” she said. “I know what it’s like to be a small business owner and the ups and downs and certainly have experienced those ups and downs myself.” She said her main priorities are to get the word out that Connecticut is a good place to do business and strengthen our cities.
Building the Future of Healthcare
January 21, 2023 15:00 - 20 minutes - 47.6 MBHartford Healthcare president Jeff Flaks speaks to the CBIA BizCast team about the company's commitment to Connecticut, including its new partnership with Google. “We have a huge impact as the second largest employer in the state of Connecticut and as an organization of our size and scale, we can do more.”
Positioning Manufacturers For Success
January 05, 2023 14:40 - 23 minutes - 54.3 MBThe CBIA BizCast team spoke with RSM industrials senior analyst Kendra Blacksher about how employers are navigating and thriving in the uncertain economy. Blacksher and RSM supported the creation of the 2022 Connecticut Manufacturing Report, which highlights the needs of manufacturers in the state. She also moderated a panel of manufacturing leaders during CBIA’s Made in Connecticut: Manufacturing Summit.
CBIA BizCast: Positioning Manufacturers For Success
January 05, 2023 14:40 - 23 minutes - 54.3 MBThe CBIA BizCast team spoke with RSM industrials senior analyst Kendra Blacksher about how employers are navigating and thriving in the uncertain economy. Blacksher and RSM supported the creation of the 2022 Connecticut Manufacturing Report, which highlights the needs of manufacturers in the state. She also moderated a panel of manufacturing leaders during CBIA’s Made in Connecticut: Manufacturing Summit.
CBIA BizCast: Building Vibrant Downtowns with CMSC
December 14, 2022 15:08 - 28 minutes - 64.6 MBConnecticut Main Street Center executive director Michelle McCabe joins the CBIA BizCast team to talk about what the organization is doing to revitalize downtowns across the state. The Connecticut native has been working for nonprofit organizations for many years. She recently brought her skills and passion to CMSC. “Main Street itself is an ecosystem. It’s a place where so any different people, interests, and activities not only come together, but have to work together," McCabe said. "I...
Building Vibrant Downtowns with CMSC
December 14, 2022 15:08 - 28 minutes - 64.6 MBConnecticut Main Street Center executive director Michelle McCabe joins the CBIA BizCast team to talk about what the organization is doing to revitalize downtowns across the state. The Connecticut native has been working for nonprofit organizations for many years. She recently brought her skills and passion to CMSC. “Main Street itself is an ecosystem. It’s a place where so any different people, interests, and activities not only come together, but have to work together," McCabe said. "I...
Infinity Powering The Future
November 30, 2022 14:08 - 20 minutes - 46.1 MBIt’s an exciting time for Bill Smith, the founder and CEO of Infinity Fuel Cell & Hydrogen, Inc. The company is at the forefront of the hydrogen fuel cell industry, highlighted by their involvement in a NASA program to launch one of their fuel cells into space on an unmanned ship in September. The fuel cell, which has been in the works since 2005, is now being tested to simulate conditions in outer space. The technology has other potential applications as well, drawing interest from the ...
CBIA BizCast: Infinity Powering The Future
November 30, 2022 14:08 - 20 minutes - 46.1 MBIt’s an exciting time for Bill Smith, the founder and CEO of Infinity Fuel Cell & Hydrogen, Inc. The company is at the forefront of the hydrogen fuel cell industry, highlighted by their involvement in a NASA program to launch one of their fuel cells into space on an unmanned ship in September. The fuel cell, which has been in the works since 2005, is now being tested to simulate conditions in outer space. The technology has other potential applications as well, drawing interest from the ...
Improving Children's Health
November 18, 2022 15:34 - 21 minutes - 161 MBCBIA’s BizCast team sits down with James Shmerling, the president CEO at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to discuss his 42 year career, navigating through the pandemic, and the role of children’s hospitals in the community. “We have to understand and appreciate that there is a definite role for children’s hospitals,” Shmerling said. “But we have a much bigger role in trying to promote their health out in the community, engage with families, and work with social service agencies.”
CBIA BizCast: Improving Children's Health
November 18, 2022 15:34 - 21 minutes - 161 MBCBIA’s BizCast team sits down with James Shmerling, the president CEO at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to discuss his 42 year career, navigating through the pandemic, and the role of children’s hospitals in the community. “We have to understand and appreciate that there is a definite role for children’s hospitals,” Shmerling said. “But we have a much bigger role in trying to promote their health out in the community, engage with families, and work with social service agencies.”
CBIA BizCast: Downes Construction Builds Workforce With Apprenticeships
November 04, 2022 17:02 - 26 minutes - 61.3 MBCBIA’s BizCast team sits down with Downes Construction vice president of field operations John Fraioli and apprentice carpenter Michael Feliciano to discuss the company’s apprenticeship program. Fraioli, who was born and raised in New Britain, started as an apprentice carpenter himself with Downes 42 years ago. “I’ve seen our company grow from probably 15 employees to now at 65 employees,” Fraioli said. Feliciano is a recent graduate of New Britain High School, who learned about Downes an...
Downes Construction Builds Workforce With Apprenticeships
November 04, 2022 17:02 - 26 minutes - 61.3 MBCBIA’s BizCast team sits down with Downes Construction vice president of field operations John Fraioli and apprentice carpenter Michael Feliciano to discuss the company’s apprenticeship program. Fraioli, who was born and raised in New Britain, started as an apprentice carpenter himself with Downes 42 years ago. “I’ve seen our company grow from probably 15 employees to now at 65 employees,” Fraioli said. Feliciano is a recent graduate of New Britain High School, who learned about Downes an...