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Almanac
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Business New Haven
3/9/1998
By: BNH
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Cluster Bar
The state's Industry Cluster Initiative advisory boards finally made their recommendations to Gov. John G. Rowland last month. These included focusing on economic development within five broad industry “clusters,” as well as recommendations in such areas as workforce development, infrastructure, urban development, tax incentives and the state's regulatory environment (see related story, page 3). The five (marked down from six, and previously from eight) industry groups on which the state will focus economic-development efforts: financial services; telecommunications and information; health-care services; manufacturing; and high technology.
Rumble in the Valley
Proponents of regional “cooperation” were dealt a blow February 24 when voters in Seymour and Oxford rejected a proposal to create a new school district encompassing both Valley towns. The referendum was placed on the towns' ballot after a temporary regional high school study committee spent two years studying solutions to ease growing population at already-overcrowded, 40-year-old Seymour High School. Oxford, which has no high school of its own, sends about 250 students to SHS on a tuition basis. The remainder of high school-aged students, about 200, attend private or vocational high schools.
Wanted: Workers
The Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) is sounding the alarm about the lack of skilled workers in the state's manufacturing sector. The culprit? Connecticut's vocation-technical schools simply aren't turning out enough manufacturing job candidates. In 1996, fewer than 400 voc-tech students of a total of 9,500 were enrolled in manufacturing technologies programs. CBIA recommends that the voc-tech system do more to steer students into manufacturing programs, place a greater emphasis on academics, and allow students in “traditional” high schools easier access to technology training programs on a part-time basis.
Happy Together
The New Haven-based Genaissance Pharmaceuticals has entered into a research-and-development collaboration with Terrapin Technologies of San Francisco. The two companies will work together on “validating novel biological targets and identifying compounds which exhibit pharmacological activity important to the treatment of estrogen-related problems” affecting women's health. Whew.
Graphics Call
Gateway Community-Technical College is looking for a new logo - and it's willing to pay big bucks for it. Well, not really big bucks. In fact, only 500 of them. (But think of the glory!) Since her arrival in 1996, Gateway President Diana Van Der Ploeg has been trying to reposition the school as an academic, cultural and economic force in the community. She believes her institution needs a new visual signature to reflect Gateway's growing importance. The competition will take place during March and Apri. For particulars, call 203-789-7844.
Hopping on Board
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced last week that the state has joined a class-action lawsuit against Oxford Health Plans of Norwalk, it was announced February 27. The suit alleges that the company and its top executives misled investors by concealing significant operations and financial problems the HMO encountered in 1997. As of Friday, October 24, 1997, the state's retirement fund held 9,400 shares of Oxford valued at $646,250. The next trading day, Monday, October 27 - when Oxford's perilous financial condition became public knowledge - the value of the state's investment fell to $242,050 - a 63-percent loss.
Doing More with Less
If orders for temporary workers are any indicator, New Haven businesses are indeed doing better these days. The Elm City office of Interim Personnel reports that demand for so-called flexible workers is up 15 percent over six months ago, with strong demand showing up in the clerical and light-industrial service sectors. Interim also notes a rise in the number of companies outsourcing functions such as human resources or mail room.
Just the Two of Us
A landmark agreement between Yale University and the New Haven Preservation Trust will help shape the future designs and uses of six historic Yale buildings. Among them is the 1868 Davies Mansion at 393 Prospect Street, which will undergo an exterior renovation based on historical evidence. Also included is the John Pierpont House (now the Yale Visitor Information Center) at 149 Elm Street, the oldest structure facing the New Haven Green. The agreement calls for continuing consultation between Yale and the Preservation Trust in determining specifics of designs for the six historic structures.
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