Law Firms Upbeat On Growth Prospects

Despite a faltering economy that triggered a spate of law firm mergers and cutbacks, the legal business remains strong in Greater Hartford. And federal healthcare reform holds the promise of a vast growth opportunity for firms both large and small. While corporate finance transactions and real estate deals bottomed out in 2009, an uptick in commercial litigation, patent proceedings, intellectual property and employment law cases helped many firms survive the downturn, according to Francis Brady, president of the Connecticut State Bar Association. More >>>

TicketNetwork Shops For Home

The eight-year marriage between TicketNetwork and Vernon is on the rocks. Vernon’s largest private employer has begun talks with other towns about relocating and expanding just weeks after the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission shot down a proposal to build a 2,500-seat amphitheater adjacent to the company’s headquarters on Frontage Road. “The town has sent a clear message,” said TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro. “If you’re looking to expand company headquarters in Vernon, go to another location.” More >>>

Health Care Law A Win For Small Businesses

With sweeping federal health care reform now on the books, business owners are scrambling to make sense of a new range of tax breaks, coverage responsibilities and potential pitfalls by turning to benefits consultants, accountants and insurance brokers for advice and perspective. Although the $940 billion legislation alters the way small businesses buy and supply health insurance, many of the changes won’t kick in until 2014. And clear answers are at a premium today. More >>>

Rock Cats Bucking Recession By Scoring More Sponsors, Fans

With opening day just round the corner, the New Britain Rock Cats are building on their successful grassroots marketing strategy by targeting budget-conscious fans seeking cheaper tickets, less expensive concessions and a positive family experience. The Rock Cats — the Double A minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins — also continues to draw corporate sponsors by promoting customized advertising packages, company events and networking opportunities, according to John Willi, the team’s vice president and general manager. More >>>

Hartford’s Office Vacancy Rate May Hit 23% Before Rebound

Vacancy rates for Class A office space could soar as high as 23 percent while rents continue to inch lower before the Hartford commercial market turns around later this year, according to area real estate experts.

“Nationally this has been a pretty severe downturn, but I think we’re seeing the bottom now,” said Bob Firger, an attorney and partner at MacDermid, Reynolds & Glissman, a boutique law firm in Hartford that focuses exclusively on the commercial real estate market. More >>>

Hartford Hospital’s Life Star Off Critical List — For Now

A year after its own life-and-death struggle, the helicopter program at the Hartford Hospital is busy saving lives and making friends. However, like the patients it rushes from crash scenes and trauma sites, Life Star is never far from death’s door.

The Life Star Helicopter program took flight in 1985, an idea developed by Dr. Lenworth Jacobs, who headed up the trauma center at Hartford Hospital 24 years ago and still works and teaches there. More >>>

Creative Deal Allows School To Flip Switch On Solar Power

A private girls’ high school in Middlebury flipped the switch last month on a 520-panel solar power system that will account for at least 25 percent of the electricity use on campus and save an estimated 15 percent on the school’s annual utility bill. It’s a good deal for the Westover School but it’s also a good investment for its partners. And it’s a tribute to emerging business models in the green technology field. More >>>

New York Tax Prep Franchiser Eyes Hartford Market

While many businesses are slowing down due to the rocky economic climate, Smart Tax, a tax preparation franchise concept founded in 2006 by financial whiz Nick Rizzi, is just starting to speed up. And the Greater Hartford area is squarely in the crosshairs of its expansion strategy. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based tax preparation service grew to three locations before Rizzi decided to expand the business via franchising. That was in November. More >>>

Ellington Plastics Firm Molds Success By Reinventing Itself

Three years ago, when local companies began to buckle under the strain of an economic downturn, Dymotek knew it faced significant hurdles if it was going to survive much less reach its goal of becoming a leader in the plastic molding industry. Company executives took a hard look in the mirror and decided it was time to change what had been a successful business plan. In January 2007, the Ellington firm derived more than 55 percent of its business from a single customer in the automotive industry. It was an account that put the company on pace to doubling its revenue within five years. More >>>