HFD/Conn Economic development

[drc72]

UGH! This is not good press, or good company to be in. This is a very widely-read website.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/americas-ten-dead-cities_n_692305.html#s130894

The city was once the “insurance capital of the world.” In 1950, the city’s population peaked at more than 177,000 and has dropped to 124,000 recently. Hartford was, beyond being an insurance center, also home to a number of manufacturing and publishing businesses. Hartford lost some of its insurance firms as they moved to new locations, primarily because of consolidation in this sector. Five large financial firms have downsized their workforces. These include Met Life, Cigna, Lincoln Financial, Mass Mutual, and, perhaps most depressing of all, The Hartford.

It's sad to see what are cities have become........ Bad policy at the Federal level pretty much killed these once thriving cities.

[beerbeer]

The Huffington Post. They're wrong about everything.

[Hartfordfan]

sorry i hate to bring more bad news. crowne plaza hotel files for bankruptcy.

Crowne Plaza Bankruptcy

[drc72]

sorry i hate to bring more bad news. crowne plaza hotel files for bankruptcy.

Crowne Plaza Bankruptcy

The bright spot is their not closing it, but that could change later on. I hope this all gets worked out.

[The Voice of Reason]

not worried about that bankruptcy at all. its just a result of the owners overpaying for the building. the bankruptcy will just lower their debt load and make them able to produce a profit with the lower occupancy rates we are having.

just a week ago there was a HBJ article about the hospitality industry improving, and that hotels will see numbers continue to rise (earlier than expected) like thye are up 4.? % right now, but still down over 15% from pre recession levels.

basicly business travel is making a major come back right now, and our hotels are begining to get relief in that way. so the CP is going no where it gets a ton of business traffic, and it will do better with less debt.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

brutal comments from most.... thoughts?

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-op-dead-opener-0905-20100905,0,5119707.story

[The Voice of Reason]

brutal comments from most.... thoughts?

http://www.courant.c...0,5119707.story

the article was not so bad, but maybe you are refering to the reader comments. those can always be ignored.

the people who make most comments are the most ignorant people in greater Hartford.

[MadVlad]

Laurence Cohen is a buffoon that has always hated the city, his points are ridiculous as usual, and very short-sighted which is no surprise.

[zimbu1228]

Laurence Cohen is a buffoon that has always hated the city, his points are ridiculous as usual, and very short-sighted which is no surprise.

I knew when i saw the headline Laurence Cohen would be there, and i was kinda disapointed he was rather restrained with his so so so tired anti-hartford rant. Guess he's running outta ideas. Maybe the Courant should give him a 6 month to 6 year leave of absence, not sure i would notice.

And yeah those were loaded comments guaranteed to get all the super negative reader replys

[Hartfordfan]

Real Estate

some good news.

[HartfordTycoon]

Real Estate

some good news.

Good to see that Hartford, Springfield, and Boston all made that list. There is good value for your money in this area and hopefully we can get this commuter rail in place and further integrate the Southern New England economy which does have a tremendous growth potential.

[The Voice of Reason]

I have been a lazy sack lately with posting here. HBJ has been posting a bunch of interesting news as of late.

One major bit of news today is Anthem Health is moving to Wallingford.. the never used MLN HQ is finally getting a tenant.

now this move is just a 9 mile move north for Anthem, and really there was not much chance a company would move its 2000 member work force all the way up top hartford 32 miles away.

But for me a big fan of Hartford, I am glad that these jobs are now 16.6 miles from new haven, and 23.7 from Hartford.

those 9 miles go a long way towards making these jobs more accessable to hartford. The only terrible shame is that this office is right on the highway, and not near the planned commuter rail at all.

ALSO

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news14764.html

St Josephs new downtown campus is getting stated in the XL Center/H-21

[HartfordTycoon]

Some good things may be happening behind the scenes right now. Looks like announcements may actually be coming soon regarding tenants at Front Street and Howard Baldwin wants to possible do some things with the vacant retail at H21.

Hartford Business Journal

There’s movement on Front Street with some announcements imminent.

That urban food market on Asylum Street is getting ready to open, giving downtown dwellers new convenience and, more importantly, hope for better days ahead.

Howard Baldwin is talking with cash-strapped property owner Northland about soaking up some of that vacant retail space with a team store and a sports bar.

[The Voice of Reason]

Sports bar and a team store is a no brainer kinda thing.

I actually thought about it myself. but well I am a big ol wuss with my limited money.

a team store in the CC would do well. it just needs to be on Trumbull, not inside the mall like the other one. and a Whalers bar would do well downtown. just do you damndest to embrace all out teams that play downtown, but focus on Hockey, with Uconn being 2ndary. coaches is barely even a true sports bar. I feel like we have lots of bars that show sports, but nothing that really impresses me as a true to its core sports bar. Damons is on that path, but they are in the boonies.

[MadVlad]

That bar would be a phenomenal idea. Also, I'm thinking he'd have a full-on NHL store of some sort, meanwhile selling a large amount of Whalers stuff, Whale/Wolf Pack stuff, and whatever other sports they can to make some dough. I find it interesting that he's in full talks with Northland/Larry G despite Larry G being totally opposed to everything Baldwin has tried. Howard truly has no business ego, he'll let anything go if it serves his goals, which is awesome.

[beerbeer]

That would make three sports bars downtown and pretty close together, Black Bear, Coaches, and the new one. I would think that a sports bar at the XL Center and across the street from a hotel would have the advantage.

[The Voice of Reason]

I agree it would have the advantage.

Black bear is out in the boonies(not really, but for most office workers it is) and its less of a sports bar than a college meat market bar.

Coaches does well for Uconn, but other than that, its not an ideal sports bar. Its almost a little too classy. I will say, I have never had the urge to watch an NFL game there, but would concider it at Black bear... but more likely I would go to city steam still because even though its not a sports bar its bar area is set up well for sports and its much larger than the dinky bar in coaches.

but I like coaches for other random bar moments.

ya know what. for get most of that. its all on the wrong side of the civic center.

I rarely visit the bars on that side of downtown due to the inconvenience. and if I do, its mainly black eyed sallys, Agave etc.. for food

anyhoo, random new bar would have a huge leg up

and i also think any store should do its best to sell:

Pack/Whale

NHL

Uconn M/W

Colonials

and honestly, general Hartford stuff for any tourist/visitor types (we may not have many, but we should have some stuff those them)

[MadVlad]

The Hartford theme would be incredibly key to it's success. Enough with the Red Sox, Yankees pats, Giants, etc. yes, obviously, they have to cater to people that want to watch those sports, and they well should, but the decor could still be 100% Hartford, no problem.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Hello? Hartford? Anyone listening? (I would love to know how many city council members actually read the Wall St. Journal......)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to open dozens of small stores in the nation's cities, in an effort to push back against the dollar chains and other competitors nibbling at its customers. The prospect of Wal-Mart stores dotting America's biggest cities would change the urban landscape and the profile of the world's largest retailer, known for its blocky suburban edifices stocked with low-cost goods. The new stores, roughly a quarter to a third the size of a supercenter, largely will sell groceries. Bill Simon, head of Wal-Mart's U.S. stores business, said Wal-Mart envisions opening in the next few years 30,000- to 60,000-square-foot Neighborhood Market groceries and new, smaller outlets modeled on the bodegas it operates in Latin America. Its supercenters average 185,000 square feet. Mr. Simon said he believes there is room for "hundreds" of small Wal-Mart stores in the U.S., offering food and consumer staples. The retailer first will test their urban appeal with 30 to 40 stores over the next few years before a full-scale launch. The move is an about-face for Wal-Mart. At the start of the recession, it focused on attracting more middle-class customers who were "trading down" to discount stores by remodeling to feature neater aisles, fashionable clothing, and eye-grabbing discounts on fewer items. But Wal-Mart now admits the gambit alienated many of the blue-collar customers who had made it a retail behemoth in the first place. So after shuffling executives, the company is hurriedly restoring the ungainly pallets of merchandise to its center-store aisles and reworking its marketing strategy to emphasize the "every day low prices" formula that the company's late founder Sam Walton made famous.

[HartfordTycoon]

Hello? Hartford? Anyone listening? (I would love to know how many city council members actually read the Wall St. Journal......)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to open dozens of small stores in the nation's cities, in an effort to push back against the dollar chains and other competitors nibbling at its customers. The prospect of Wal-Mart stores dotting America's biggest cities would change the urban landscape and the profile of the world's largest retailer, known for its blocky suburban edifices stocked with low-cost goods. The new stores, roughly a quarter to a third the size of a supercenter, largely will sell groceries. Bill Simon, head of Wal-Mart's U.S. stores business, said Wal-Mart envisions opening in the next few years 30,000- to 60,000-square-foot Neighborhood Market groceries and new, smaller outlets modeled on the bodegas it operates in Latin America. Its supercenters average 185,000 square feet. Mr. Simon said he believes there is room for "hundreds" of small Wal-Mart stores in the U.S., offering food and consumer staples. The retailer first will test their urban appeal with 30 to 40 stores over the next few years before a full-scale launch. The move is an about-face for Wal-Mart. At the start of the recession, it focused on attracting more middle-class customers who were "trading down" to discount stores by remodeling to feature neater aisles, fashionable clothing, and eye-grabbing discounts on fewer items. But Wal-Mart now admits the gambit alienated many of the blue-collar customers who had made it a retail behemoth in the first place. So after shuffling executives, the company is hurriedly restoring the ungainly pallets of merchandise to its center-store aisles and reworking its marketing strategy to emphasize the "every day low prices" formula that the company's late founder Sam Walton made famous.

Larry G and the city should be pushing hard to get one of these at H21. That would be a huge boosts for Downtown. I wonder what incentives were offered to get them to open in Charter Oak Marketplace. Maybe they can go back to some of the same contacts they made. Nothland already outfitted a space for a larger urban grocery so it seems like this should be something they could legitimately have a shot at if they tried.

[beerbeer]

The CEO of Wal-Mart (U.S.) is a UConn grad. Somebody should know him.

William S. Simon, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UConn, was promoted to president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S. on June 29.

“Bill is a strong leader who has made a positive difference from his first day at Walmart,” said Mike Duke, President and CEO of Walmart, in a statement announcing Simon’s promotion. The company has retail units in 55 different countries. Simon will report to Duke.

“He’s been responsible for successfully running more than 3,700 stores and leading 1.3 million associates in the U.S.,” Duke said. “Bill transformed the customer experience at Walmart through faster service, a friendlier shopping environment, and cleaner stores. He also helped develop and launch our game-changing $4 prescription drug program, and has continued to drive innovation and improvement throughout Walmart U.S.”

Simon, 50, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UConn in 1981, and an MBA in 1988. He joined Walmart in 2006, and most recently held the position of chief operating officer. Simon also worked for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve after 25 years’ service.

Simon hasn’t forgotten UConn. He gave the keynote address during the School of Business’s celebration of the MBA program’s 50th anniversary in 2007, and gave a presentation to MBA students in 2009.

Simon and his wife, Tammy Kay Simon, who earned a bachelor’s degree from UConn’s School of Nursing in 1988, live in Bentonville, Ark., with their two sons.

[MichaelQReilly]

Sports bar and a team store is a no brainer kinda thing.

I actually thought about it myself. but well I am a big ol wuss with my limited money.

I always thought that this building would make a great English-style soccer pub, and if I had more balls I would go for it myself.

[The Voice of Reason]

NU to buy NSTAR!

this makes a 9.5 billion market cap utility, and something I have been hoping for for years. I think I even posted about it here several times.

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news15219.html

the only thing that makes me nervous is that the HQ will be split between hartford and Boston.

lets hope Hartford wins in the long run.

problem is that the CEO will be the Nstar guy, so I am not overly optomistic.

[HartfordTycoon]

NU to buy NSTAR!

this makes a 9.5 billion market cap utility, and something I have been hoping for for years. I think I even posted about it here several times.

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news15219.html

the only thing that makes me nervous is that the HQ will be split between hartford and Boston.

lets hope Hartford wins in the long run.

problem is that the CEO will be the Nstar guy, so I am not overly optomistic.

Definitely not overly optimistic about retaining the HQ in the long run but hopefully we can somehow. Maybe the state can offer some incentives to make it happen. I definitely want this monster to be Headquartered here if at all possible. How does a dual headquarters even work? I guess the only thing that might bode well is the fact that NU is so much larger and has so many more employees and the identity is remaining as NU so the culture of the company will probably be much more NU than NStar. Also NU is pretty active in the community hopefully moreso than NStar ever was in Boston so there may be a general feeling to just keep being NU and to stay in Hartford long term.

[MadVlad]

Sigh.... can't catch a break, can we. The writing is on the wall for this one, Boston will win, we will lose...