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BRBC Turns 125
As names and challenges change, business group's mission remains the same
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Business New Haven
8/9/1999
By:
Priscilla Searles
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It began in 1874 as a quasi-governmental agency, the Board of Trade. Its mission wasn't unlike that of today's Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC), promoting what was and is good for the city of Bridgeport.
The parallels between yesterday's objectives and the goals of the present-day BRBC are evident in the statement by Bridgeport Mayor Robert T. Clark in the city's 1875 annual report: "Within the past few months a Board of Trade has been established, and through this instrumentality it is reasonably expected that the business interests of Bridgeport will be largely extended. To this end our unusual facilities for rail and water communications must materially contribute."
It's not hard to understand Bridgeport's preoccupation with rail and water facilities. Located just 56 miles northeast of New York City, it sits on Long Island Sound at the month of the Pequonnock River. With two harbors and a location athwart the main routes between New York and Boston, Connecticut's largest city faces singular challenges, positive and negative, for growth and economic stability.
The Book of Bridgeport, published in 1927, listed the following as some of the objectives of the then-chamber of commerce: smoke abatement, port development, municipal pensions, public school courses and teachers, city planning, street transportation, highway improvement. The same list could have been written in 1999.
Bridgeport's location was key to its early industrial boom. Sewing machines were made in Bridgeport as early as 1856. The Ives Toy Co., manufacturers of the first mechanical trains to run on tracks, was founded in Bridgeport in 1868. The Locomobile Co. of America, founded in 1899, pioneered in the development of steam, gasoline and electric automobiles.
Dozens of manufacturing concerns traced their roots to Bridgeport. By the 1930s Bridgeport had become known as the "industrial capital of Connecticut."
Proud of the fact that many of these early companies are still in business and active members, the BRBC honored some of its longest-tenured companies at its recent annual meeting. Four such companies have a combined 261 years of service to the region's business community. Sikorsky Aircraft has been a member of the BRBC since 1946, Tomlinson-Hawley-Patterson Inc. of Trumbull since the same year, Fairfield-based General Electric Co. since 1927 and West End Lumber of Bridgeport since 1918.
By the early 1900s the Board of Trade had severed its ties to Bridgeport city government and in May 1915 reorganized as the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce. The organization continued to evolve.
By 1949, with 2,000 companies located in the region, its mission included promotion of civic, industrial and commercial welfare of not only Bridgeport but the surrounding area. Because the chamber's membership increasingly came from areas outside the Park City proper, in 1965 the name was changed to the Bridgeport Area Chamber of Commerce. In 1982 it became the Business/Industry Council of the Greater Bridgeport Economic Region. The change was a result of a shift in the region's economy from a heavy manufacturing base to a balance of manufacturing, services and technology.
The BRBC prides itself on changing with the times. Today it has three chamber affiliates: Stratford, founded in 1982; Trumbull, founded in 1985; and Bridgeport, founded in 1993. In 1987 the BRBC began to tackle economic development projects through the newly acquired Bridgeport Economic Development Corp., a community-based non-profit development agency. The following year the organization that had undergone so many changes over the years became the Bridgeport Regional Business Council.
The newly renamed group was quick to realize that non-profit organizations were in a position to make major contributions to the region and in 1990 it formed Leadership Greater Bridgeport. The year-long program prepares people for service in the community by teaching them about teamwork, ethics, economic development and the various facets of the Bridgeport region. The goal is to produce talented and motivated community leaders and problem-solvers who will take these skills back to various non-profit and profit organizations.
Recent graduates of the program represent a cross-section of the community, including representatives of St. Vincent's Medical Center, Red Cross, Bridgeport Police Department, the Discovery Museum and dozens more organizations and businesses.
With women playing key roles in the region's economic growth, an organization was needed to address the needs of this growing group. The Women's Leadership Council was founded in 1994 and offers programs to enhance women's business and boardroom skills. The affiliate also presents annual awards to companies that have shown exemplary progress in the inclusion of women in their leadership.
Today the BRBC has 1,100 members. Its mission is "to work to increase opportunities for the people of the Bridgeport region by acting to create an environment for business expansion, retention and recruitment that will result in jobs and tax base growth."
"The council has many similarities to the original organization," explains Paul S. Timpanelli, its president. "In 1874 the area was changing to an industrial-based economy. Today we have had significant success in changing our development direction by attracting public and private investors into the city and by providing numerous support services for our members."
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