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GAO Decison and Fourth of July Remarks |
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Monday, 30 June 2008 |
Yogi Berra was famous for saying, “It’s not over till its over.” This phrase has become a motto of individuals who refuse to quit despite overwhelming circumstances in athletics, in the business world, and in life. This past week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed the validity of this statement in its decision to suggest the reopening of the Air Force tanker bid.
For those who may not know, the Boeing and Pratt and Whitney corporations recently were defeated by a foreign competitor for a lucrative $35 billion contract with the United States Air Force.
Following the Air Force’s decision, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce joined our state’s Congressional Delegation and union members from the Pratt facility in order to protest the decision. We became involved because Boeing’s bid included engines made by Pratt and Whitney’s Middletown facility and would have been a tremendous boost to the line operating there.
Not only would those in the state benefit from the initial manufacturing demands of the contract, but they would also benefit from the necessary aftermarket service and repair work on those same engines. Because of this necessity, it is reasonable to conclude that this County and state of Connecticut will benefit from this contract for years to come.
The GAO’s decision is positive news for the Pratt and Whitney plant here in Middletown and all of Middlesex County. We commend our Connecticut Congressional Delegation and our state and local leaders for their hard work during this important process. Now, there is independent and unbiased confirmation that major fundamental errors were made during this competition. As a community, we urge the Air Force to act on the GAO’s recommendations and reopen the contract.
Thus far, huge thanks should be given to our Connecticut Congressional Delegates: the Honorable Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman along with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Congressmen John Larson, Joe Courtney, Chris Shays, and Chris Murphy. These tremendous leaders represent this state with its best interests at heart.
The GAO was able to arrive at such a conclusion from its findings of misleading and unequal discussions with the bidders on the part of the Air Force. According to the committee, Boeing/Pratt was not advised of a key change of the Air Force’s assessment of the corporation as a viable candidate for the contract. Since the company was not advised of this change, it was unable to act in a timely fashion.
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Chamber Breakfast and Job Fair Recap |
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Monday, 23 June 2008 |
Last week I wrote that the atmosphere of the Travelers Championship would provide excitement for those of us in Middlesex County. After a week that featured a celebrity pro-am as well as competitive tournament atmosphere at the TPC River Highlands course in Cromwell, it is safe to say that the event truly brought about all that is positive in this great County.
Much thanks to everyone at the Travelers Championship organization for making this tremendous event possible. Again, without the support of people like Travelers Championship Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Andy Bessette, and Tournament Director Nathan Grube and his staff, the County would not be able to enjoy the great tradition of this tournament.
The Chamber Breakfast held last Tuesday provided to be a great kickoff to the week’s fun-filled events. As always, the June breakfast was a well-attended event and included members of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and non-members alike.
Those in attendance were able to listen to some candid remarks delivered by golf pro Jay Williamson, the morning’s featured speaker. As you may know, Jay was last year’s second place finisher in the tournament. Before Jay spoke, Henry Hughes, who is a fixture within the local, national, and international golf scene, was honored for his life-long contributions to the game as well as the community.
Henry is currently the CEO of the Players Championship, but traces his roots back to the great state of Connecticut as a Wethersfield native. With his leadership of the Greater Hartford Open in the 1970’s and prior extensive volunteerism with the Greater Hartford Jaycees, Henry is an outstanding ambassador of our state. Both PGA Pro Brad Faxon and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem spoke on Henry’s behalf and did a great job of paying tribute to his efforts.
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Monday, 16 June 2008 |
This week will prove exciting for Middlesex County as we once again welcome a major PGA tournament event to our region.
We are set to embark on an exciting time for professional golf at the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell as the Travelers Championship kicks off today. This will be the second year with Travelers as the title sponsor for the tournament, and judging on the success of last year, this is sure to be an exciting week ahead.
The 2008 Travelers Championship promises to deliver another year of exciting golf action. The world's most elite golfers, including D.J. Trahan, Ryuji Imada, Johnson Wagner, and Brian Gay will compete for a purse of $6 million.
The Chamber gives a big thanks to Travelers and its Chairman and CEO, Jay Fishman, for continuing this great tradition and to Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers, for all of his hard work.
A terrific charity event, this golf tournament has been the sole fundraiser of the Greater Hartford Jaycees. For 56 years, the Jaycees have planned and operated this tournament through volunteers raising over 23 million for charity. Proceeds from this event go to such projects as feeding the hungry, building affordable housing, helping children, and much more. The Greater Hartford Jaycees is an organization of approximately 600 volunteers, ages 21-39, which promotes leadership training through community service.
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Monday, 09 June 2008 |
Health care is important to each and every one of us, and the Chamber’s Health Care Council has been working hard to address different issues related to health care and our community. A truly outstanding group of individuals, the work they’re doing is having a real impact on Middlesex County and I want to thank them for their enthusiasm and effort.
The mission of the Middlesex County Health Care Council is to maintain a line of communication between the business and healthcare community. The council will identify opportunities for development and implementation of collaborative solutions that strive for an efficient, high quality and effective Health Care System making Middlesex County a 100% Access and Zero Health Disparities County.
Through out the past several years, the council has created several exciting programs and initiatives with the help of many dedicated business and health care representatives. Under the leadership of Chairman Jim Cama, the council strives to bring the tough issues to the table for discussion. Again this year, the flu vaccination initiative was a great success, providing vaccines for over 500 people in and around Middlesex County.
The council is currently working on a program focused on healthcare literacy, made possible with the support of Anthem, ConnectiCare, Middlesex Hospital and Pfizer. All of the partners in the program are in the process of exploring ways in which to promote this important project. Throughout the past year members have reached out to over 4,000 people with this important message. According to the Institute of Medicine, nearly half of all American adults have difficulty understanding and using health information. Low health literacy costs the health system billions of dollars each year. This is an astonishing figure and by helping each and everyone in our community better understand our health, we can help curb the cost of healthcare while at the same time improving the quality of healthcare.
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Middlesex Chamber Annual Dinner |
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
This Wednesday, June 4th we will have our 113th Annual Dinner at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell. Each year the Chamber holds this special event to honor award and scholarship winners and swear in the incoming Chairman. The dinner will take place on Wednesday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., in the Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cromwell. William Howard of Howard, McMillan, Attorneys of Middletown will be the Master of Ceremonies for the 2008 Annual Awards Dinner.
I want to thank our members for all of their hard work and volunteerism that they put forth each year. The Chamber would not be what it is today if it weren’t for our members.
Each year, the Chamber presents the Distinguished Citizen Award to one or more individuals who has served as an inspiration to others and is recognized by the Middlesex community as having unselfishly given his or her time and talent to produce a lasting benefit to the area. The Distinguished Citizen Committee chose the winners from a list of over 180 nominees.
I am so proud to have announced that the 2008 Distinguished Citizen Award winners are Mark Masselli and Jennifer Alexander, Theodore Rossi, and Albert Hamrah. They have contributed to making Middlesex County a better place to work and live and we are extremely proud of all of them.
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