Mark Masselli and Jennifer Alexander have been tremendous supporters in the community.  Mark is the President/CEO of Community Health Center, Inc., Connecticut’s largest and most comprehensive provider of primary health care services for the uninsured and underserved.  Mark has played an important leadership role or was a founding member of many health and human services initiatives in Middletown, including New Horizons Battered Women’s Shelter, Nehemiah Housing Corporation, and Oddfellows Youth Playhouse.  He and his wife, Jennifer, opened a community dance hall, Vinnie’s Jump and Jive, named in honor of Vinnie Amato.

After graduating from Wesleyan’s College of Letters in 1988, Jennifer Alexander settled in Middletown with Mark, her husband to pursue various volunteer projects.  Jennifer then founded the non-profit Kidcity Children’s Museum, recruiting a Board of Directors and widespread community support.  Kidcity draws 100,000 visitors a year to downtown Middletown.  Jennifer is devoted to making Main Street, Middletown thrive, and is currently the chair of the Downtown Business District, a member of the Middletown Redevelopment Agency, the Central Business Bureau of the Chamber, and is co-chair of the Chamber’s Creative Juice council for people in the arts and creative industries.

Theodore Rossi is the Chairman and CEO of American Hardwood Industries (f/k/a Rossi American Hardwood).  He is professionally affiliated with a number of organizations, where he has been able to showcase his leadership skills and industry expertise.  Ted is also active as a civic volunteer, having given so much of his time and efforts toward many organizations.  He served on the University of Connecticut’s Board of Trustees from 1983 – 1992.  He has been Chairman of Mount St. Johns Foundation since 2004, is an Advisor to the Diocese of Norwich and Bishop Michael Cote, is active on the Haitian Health Foundation, is a Middlesex County YMCA Committee Member, an active Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the East Hampton Democratic Town Committee, and is the Vice President of the Middle Haddam Association.

Albert Hamrah has owned and operated Custom Carpets in Middletown for the past 47 years.  A fixture in Middletown, he has been an active member of the business community for years.  He has served on numerous Boards and Commissions in the community throughout the years.  He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities throughout the years and is highly involved in many charitable organizations and efforts.  Some of the organizations he gives to include: Xavier High School in Middletown, Middlesex Hospital, University of Connecticut Health Center, the YMCA, the Jimmy Fund, the Heart Fund, the Steve Palermo Endowment Fund, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and MAPS, an organization serving the needs of Multiple Sclerosis sufferers in the Middletown area.

The Chief Michael L. Green Award is sponsored by the Travelers Championship and the Chamber and is given at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner to a member of the police or fire community for his/her outstanding service to the community and the Chamber. Candidates are nominated by a town selectman or mayor. Service to the community beyond one’s duty is an essential criterion for selection.

We are so pleased to be awarding Robert J. Shea, Chief of the Portland Volunteer Fire Department, the 2008 Chief Michael L. Green Award.  He is a great role model and is truly deserving of this special award. He is someone in our region many can admire and who has made Middlesex County and especially the town of Portland, a better place to live and work.

Each year the Chamber gives three scholarships to local high school seniors.  The Judge Raymond E. Baldwin, Harry H.S. Phillips, Jr. and Lorraine C. McHugh Scholarship recipients will be honored on Wednesday evening.

Edith Hanson, a senior at Haddam-Killingworth High School, and Olivia Wilson, a senior at Mercy High School, are the 2008 Judge Raymond E. Baldwin and the Harry H.S. Phillips, Jr. Scholarship Awardees. Daniel Hickey, a senior at Xavier High School is the recipient of the Lorraine C. McHugh Scholarship.

The Judge Raymond E. Baldwin Scholarship, based on outstanding scholastic achievement, is presented annually by the Middlesex Mutual Assurance Company.  It is named in honor of the late Raymond E. Baldwin, who served the State of Connecticut as Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the United States Senator.

Edith Hanson is the recipient of the 2008 Judge Raymond E. Baldwin Scholarship.  A senior at Haddam-Killingworth High School, Edith is ranked first in her class and will be studying linguistics when she attends either the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York or Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in the fall.

The Harry H.S. Phillips, Jr. Scholarship is dedicated to the memory of the former president of Newfield Publications of Middletown and is awarded on the basis of displaying a positive attitude toward learning, high academic ranking and community involvement.

Olivia Wilson is the 2008 Harry H.S. Phillips, Jr. Scholarship award recipient.  Olivia is a senior at Mercy High School in Middletown.  This scholarship is dedicated to the memory of the former president of Newfield Publications of Middletown and is awarded on the basis of displaying a positive attitude toward learning, high academic ranking and community involvement.  With her strong academic background, Olivia plans to study psychology in the fall when she attends Boston University.  

The Lorraine C. McHugh Scholarship is awarded in honor of the late Lorraine C. McHugh, my mother.  The scholarship is given to a graduating senior who will attend one of the four Connecticut State University System Schools.  The criterion for selection is based on scholastic achievement, extra curricular excellence and community service involvement.

Daniel Hickey, a senior at Xavier High School is the recipient of the Lorraine C. McHugh Scholarship. Dan will attend Central Connecticut State University in the fall where he plans to study either Physical Therapy or Business.  

I want to give a big thanks to our outgoing Chairman, Len Samela for the outstanding job that he has done over the past year.  I’m so happy to be welcoming incoming Chairman Ken MacCormac, and know that 2008-2009 will be a great year for the Chamber.

For more information on the Annual Dinner or the awards and scholarships, contact the Chamber at 860-347-6924 or by email at