Re-Entry, Side Street and Others

I hope that everyone had an opportunity to get out and enjoy the many offerings of the Durham Fair this weekend.  As always, Durham Agricultural Fair President Gene Chiappetta and his entire volunteer staff did a great job of organizing and implementing the event.  I would like to take the time to thank all of these individuals for making the fair—and all of its benefits to the County—possible. Just as the fair provides a boost to the County’s economy, there are programs sponsored by the Chamber that will provide some other benefits to those in the area over the next few months.  One such offering is the Middlesex Chamber Fall 2008 Re-Entry program. I continue to be excited about this program because it helps to provide a quality workforce to not only our member organizations but also Middlesex County.  The program is made available to anyone with basic keyboarding and computer skills seeking to become more proficient with advanced office skills.   To help individuals accomplish this end, the Fall 2008 Re-Entry program offers classes such as Beginning/Advanced Word Processing, Business Math Refresher, Beginner Excel, and PowerPoint. We are very grateful at the Chamber to have some outstanding instructors for these courses like Anita Vallee, Hal Kaplan, and Stu Wood. These are people who have a wealth of experience in the business field; much thanks to them for their time and effort. The 2008 Fall Re-Entry program includes additional course material that gives those who complete the curriculum a real competitive advantage in today’s challenging job market. Participants have the opportunity to take courses that focus on resume preparation as well as interviewing skills and business etiquette.  These skills are absolutely necessary to secure a job and we are proud to offer such classes in the program. Clearly, this program is great for anyone who wants to re-acclimate himself or herself to the modern workforce.  Fall 2008 Re-Entry is a real home run of a program for these individuals because it is made available at no cost to the participant. With this said, there is not a single program in the state that offers—at no charge—what our Re-Entry program does.  Since its inception in 1986, it has earned a Presidential Citation, the Governor’s Laurel Award and an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly for the value it adds to the community. I am proud to say that over this period of time, more than 1,550 people have taken advantage of the program.  I think I can speak for all of these individuals and more when I say much thanks to the organizations that continue to make the Re-Entry program possible:  the State Department of Labor, Office of Job Training and Skill Development, and Middlesex Community College.   Another great program that the Chamber looks to begin next week is the Side Street to Main Street Business and Leadership Development Program.  In this, the 12th year of the program, we at the Chamber are very excited about it. For those who may not know, the program is designed to help minority-owned business leaders who may not have had formal business training, but strive to move their business forward for success.  In particular, the goal is to get these businesses situated on Main Street, Middletown. The Side Street to Main Street Program begins on October 8 with 15 intensive weekly sessions for skill building and business planning.  Then, there are quarterly follow-up sessions where participants meet with business facilitators from the program over the course of an entire year. Because of the generosity of the Aetna Foundation and the Essex Group, a program that would normally cost $5,000 per participant is made available at no charge.  This year, we had an overwhelming number of applicants—72—for the 16 available slots.   I have always said that a key to a successful community business environment is diversity.  Since the program began, it has changed the landscape of Main Street, Middletown.  With this landscape, we in the community are all fortunate to have a tremendous variety of businesses in Downtown Middletown. It is important to note that our leaders at the national level, too, see the value of the Side Street to Main Street program.  To date, the program has won several awards since its beginning in 1997.  These accolades include the NAACP Business Award as well as the Vision 2000 award as the State Model of Excellence for Minority Business Development by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office. Finally, the Chamber’s Healthcare Council has been working on an initiative that many current employees of Middlesex County can benefit from.  Beginning on October 15, in cooperation with Middlesex Hospital Homecare, the Chamber plans to make flu vaccinations available to its member businesses.   We all know that the flu season can be known to deal crushing blows to employees and employers alike.  Studies show that an employee who contracts the flu, on average, misses 7 days of work.   This is seven days of lost productivity on the part of the employee, which ultimately depreciates the productivity of a business.   Imagine any team that you follow losing a player for seven days; it puts the whole club at a disadvantage. The Chamber and Middlesex Hospital Homecare are really taking a proactive approach to remedy this situation through the “Get Your Vaccine” days at member business locations.   At these locations, a Registered Nurse will administer the vaccinations.  There is a $35 fee, but most insurance companies will cover the cost.  Also, the fee can be covered by the employee, employer, or can be split between the two. Either way, I strongly encourage all leaders of our member businesses to participate in this practical program. For more information on Chamber activities, please contact Matt Fraulino at (860) 347-6924 or email him at

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