Support the Troops, Honor the Veterans Breakfast

A big welcome to retired U.S. Army General Gordon R. Sullivan, who will speak at our Chamber’s breakfast meeting this month.  Last year, the General gave a great and inspirational talk, and there is no better way to prepare for Veterans Day than to have him here as our featured speaker. As you all may know by now, each November, the Chamber has a theme of Honor the Veterans and Support the Troops at its breakfast meeting.  It is so, so, important to recognize these individuals who have given, and give so much to our nation.  Phil Cacciola, a war veteran himself, is the chairman of the Chamber’s Honor the Veterans and Support the Troops committee, which works hard all year to pay a fitting tribute to our servicemen and women at the November breakfast meeting. I would like to commend the committee for all of its hard work in putting this annual event together.  I am certain that if it were not for Phil and his great committee, the event would not be as successful as it usually is.  This year, we expect a crowd of over 600 to hear General Sullivan speak and Phil has been vital to the organization of such a large event. Every year, we recognize a veteran from the county with the William J. Pomfret Veteran Community Service Award.  This year, Ron Organek of Middletown is the recipient. The award is presented in recognition of distinguished service on the part of a veteran of our Armed Forces to the citizens of Connecticut and selfless devotion to the ideal of commitment to public service.  Ron has displayed this devotion throughout his time as a resident of Middlesex County and we are thrilled to recognize him today. With such a big event this morning, it is important to recognize the great event that we had last week, the Chamber’s Business to Business Expo.  Along with the Expo, the Chamber hosted a job fair for those in search of employment.  I am proud to say that we not only had participation with a diverse set of businesses, but also a diverse population of job seekers. There were over 1,400 who attended the fair, and of this group, there was an amazing cross section of employment backgrounds.  There were entry, mid, and executive level workers who all sought jobs.  Clearly, job fairs like this one can be instrumental in assisting those of all backgrounds to gain entry, or re-entry into the workforce. Adding to the success of last week, the Chamber’s Housing Committee once again received a $5,000 grant from the Liberty Bank Foundation to continue its initiatives through 2010.  This grant means so much to the community because the committee, through grant funding, aims to raise awareness and create initiatives to address the need for more affordable housing in the county and state.   Thanks to not only the Liberty Bank Foundation for once again stepping up to the plate to help our citizens but to council chairman Bob Fusari for his great leadership. An equally big home run last week also happened in Westbrook with the overturning of the cease and desist order placed on the Captain Stannard House.  The Westbrook Zoning Board of Appeals did the right thing in this situation, along with all the other Chamber members who were in support of this cause. I commend the board for making this call.  I would also like to congratulate Jim and Mary Brewster, owners of the Stannard House.  I wish them continued success. As the month of November rolls along, I can’t encourage you enough to get out and enjoy some outdoor sporting events, college football in particular.  I can see that many have heeded this suggestion by attending the Yale versus Brown football game at the Yale Bowl on Saturday.  The Chamber gave out over 1,500 complimentary tickets and they were all put to good use.  Big thanks to everyone who attended the game and to Yale Athletics for being such a great friend of the Chamber and providing the tickets at no charge. For more information on Chamber activities, please contact Matt Fraulino at  (860) 347-6924 or email him at

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393 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457
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