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Almanac
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Business New Haven
10/20/1997
By: BNH
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The Power of Purse Strings
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven raised $53,000 to benefit its fund for women and girls. Billed as “Celebrating the Growth & Achievement of Women,” 380 guests, less than a dozen men, gathered at the Lighthouse Point Carousel on September 30th to show their support through donations of time and money. Women have traditionally responded to the needs of the nation through contributions of time as volunteers, said Jean Caron of the fund's advisory committee, and now they are going beyond that role and becoming community philanthropists. One of the benefits of the advances women have made in the workplace over the last 20 years is that more of them have the financial means to make larger financial contributions. The Community Fund for Women and Girls was created by an anonymous donation to the foundation for the express purpose of supporting and creating opportunities that improve the quality of life for women and girls. The $53,000 brings the fund's value to $125,000.
Ooh, the Web You Weave
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Enterprise Forum of Connecticut announced its winners of the 1997 best websites for the state. For business: Bill Tchakirides, president of Hybrid Communications in Marlborough, www.connecticutrestaurant.com. For non-profit: Cynthia Simms, marketing coordinator of ConnectiCare in Farmington, www.connecticare.com. For educational institution: Martin Ewing, director of Yale's science & engineering computing facility, www.yale.edu. For government agency: Jonathan Hand of Connecticut's Dept. of Labor in Wethersfield www.ctdol.state.ct.us. Judges evaluated more than 70 websites entered in the contest based on marketing strategy, creativity in graphics and copy, interactivity, technical innovation, and overall relevance.
Cracking Down on Delinquent Taxpayers
The city of New Haven announced that its tax collection rate inched up a full percentage point to 91.7 percent in fiscal year 1996-1997. Among the measures used to boost tax collections, the tax office employed an in-house attorney to expedite foreclosures, implemented more systematic notices on delinquent accounts, and purchased improved computers and maintained better data to track down debtors. The city did allow that some of the improvement is due to its innovative use of tax lien sales, but pointed out that progress was made even if officials subtracted out the impact of those sales - raising two points from 87.5 percent in FY 1995-1996 to 89.5 percent in FY 1996-1997. Mayor John DeStefano Jr. cited the improvement as further proof that the city's tax base is stabilizing and improving.
It's Only Temporary?
Based on a survey by a Washington-based economic and market research firm called Lauer, Lalley, Victoria Inc., temporary services were up for the second quarter of 1997. The National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS) based in Virginia privately contracted LLV to conduct quarterly surveys of members and non-members after the Bureau of Labor Statistics stopped tracking the industry. The survey revealed improvements in all three measurements of industry performance - revenues, employment and payroll. Revenues were $12.5 billion, up 10.7 percent from the first quarter in 1997 and up 14.9 percent from the second quarter of 1996. Average daily employment was 2,502,100, up seven percent from the first quarter of 1997 and 10.6 percent increase from the ADE in the second quarter of 1996. Payroll generated $9.2 billion, up 10.5 percent from the first quarter of 1997 and up 20.5 percent from the second quarter of 1996.
Role Reversal
The U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Bureau of the Census recently released a report that examines the tendency of fathers in married-couple families to take care of their preschool-age children during the mother's working hours. It also explores what type of fathers are more likely to provide care and why. To review the data, ask for My Daddy Takes Care of Me? Fathers as Care Providers, document no. 1253; report document no. 1254. 1-888-206-6463.
And Now The Good News
The Connecticut Dept. of Labor reported a falling unemployment rate between June and July, down 4.8 percent as nonfarm jobs increased by 7,800 to a total 1.6 million. Almost incredibly, no sectors reported job losses in July. Government employment, including Indian tribal government jobs, was up 2,800; services 2,300, manufacturing 1,400 and trade 1,000. Although modest, construction and mining rose by 200 jobs and transportation, communications and utilities by 100. Finance, insurance and real estate was unchanged. Labor statistics supervisor Salvatore DiPillo said: “Nonfarm employment is at its highest level since July 1990, and we've gained back more than 100,000 of the jobs we lost during the recession. [And] the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since March 1990. Of significant note is that manufacturing employment, which has been on a steady decline since 1984, remained stable over the past year.”
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