The Connecticut Small Business Development Center will begin its ninth full year at the Chamber in October 2021. Funded through a cooperative agreement between the United States Small Business Administration, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the University of Connecticut, the SBDC has 17 full-time business advisors located around the state.

In Middletown, CTSBDC business advisor Jim Jackson is housed at an office at the Chamber, serving startup and new venture businesses across the state. Jim and other advisors are available at no cost to business owners for confidential advice and assistance, including access to the many local, state and federal programs designed to aid small business.

Since its opening, the Middletown office has worked with over 830 small businesses. For an appointment with Jim, call the Chamber at 860-347-6924 x249 or email him at Jim.Jackson@uconn.edu. Note that due to the pandemic, the CTSBDC program is now operating on a hybrid service model with virtual/online video meetings in addition to some in-person meetings at the Chamber.

LEAD CT was developed to cultivate the region’s emerging leaders in their organizations, businesses and community. Led by Kelly Therrien and Foster Charles, the goal of LEAD CT is to provide training both professionally and personally, develop peer to peer focus groups and introduce or further develop a variety of skills. LEAD CT is a great platform for development and investment into the community by creating an opportunity to learn of ways to connect, build relationships, and become involved.

LEAD CT rolled out it’s first leadership focused year long training titled, “Develop Your Leadership Potential: Stop Doing, Start Leading” brought to you by the team at Dale Carnegie. This specialized training goes beyond traditional leadership training programs because it focused on the essential skills that were needed to build strong teams and equip new leaders with the right attitudes to step up and take charge. Also, specifically designed to address the challenges that new leaders face, to help them change their mindset, and give them confidence with proven strategies and tools that are used by the most successful leaders.

Created by a special act of the CT General Assembly in 1993, the members of the Middlesex County Revitalization Commission (MCRC) are the chief elected official, or designee, in each of the fifteen towns in Middlesex County, plus a representative from the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. It is a key economic development tool in Middlesex County. The Middlesex County Revitalization Commission (MCRC) continued to be a valued regional lender under Connecticut’s Small Business Express Program (EXP) and the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) over the past year. The Small Business Express Program (EXP) provides loans and grants to Connecticut’s small businesses to spur job creation and growth. MCRC also partnered with the City of Middletown to develop a pandemic mitigation emergency loan fund for Middletown businesses. This low interest loan for up to $10,000 was another tool available to Middletown businesses as we collectively defended against the economic affects of the pandemic. The city funded this program, and MCRC served as its administrator. MCRC is currently looking to serve as a resource as the region gears up to deploy vital economic recovery focused American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds in the coming months and years.

On June 19, 2018, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce opened the Middletown Entrepreneurs Work Space (MEWS+) in Middletown, CT. The co-working initiative is designed for startups, small businesses, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the Wesleyan University community. The focus is to create a space for entrepreneurs to collaborate and turn ideas into businesses; encourage communication between public, private, and institutional organizations; and develop an innovative partnership of entrepreneurs and professional resources to bolster economic growth in Middlesex County. Over the past year or so, and through the pandemic, the MEWS+ team has provided over 150 hours of mentorship. We held over 40 events, including a variety of webinars, and our very popular online Midweek Marketing series. The MEWS+ Leads group meets biweekly with a core group of 15 independent business owners, and that list continues to grow. We have established an Incubator Program, which graduated four companies from the Fall 2020 cohort, and six more in the Spring 2021 cohort. Perhaps the crown jewel of the MEWS+ operation is our COLLISION pitch competition, which brings startups and people with big ideas together, to compete for the attention of potential investors, and for other avenues of growth for their business. Pitches are evaluated on originality, potential, functionality, and social impact. Also, over the past year, we have continued to develop our relationship with The Hive, a co-working space that opened in March of 2020 in downtown Chester. Since this idea fits in with the long-term goals of making the MEWS+ a county wide effort, and it fits in with the Hive’s efforts to grow its brand, we established a partnership. We have assisted Hive Leadership with outreach to the business community in the down county region, and have begun to schedule MEWS+ hosted events and programming at The Hive. Like with any comprehensive effort, it is important to have great partners, and do we ever. Some of the most important stakeholders, and strongest corporate citizens in Middlesex County are sponsors and supporters of the MEWS+. The City of Middletown, Wesleyan University, Liberty Bank, Middlesex Health, Tower Laboratories and Pratt & Whitney have stepped up to support the MEWS+, and we are very grateful for their support. The MEWS+ looks forward to a bright and innovative future.

The Middletown Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) is a partnership between the City of Middletown and the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. MSBDC is designed to increase business opportunities for Middletown residents and businesses. The center provides one-on-one business counseling and entrepreneurial educational opportunities to prospective business owners, and conducts regular site visits to existing Middletown businesses. MSBDC has assisted a number of firms with financing, either from their own bank or non-bank lenders, with guidance throughout the application process. In 2020, the Middletown Small Business Development Center was temporarily converted into a COVID mitigation center.

Throughout the pandemic, the Middletown Small Business Development Center:

- Became proficient in all relief programs including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), Employer Retention Tax Credits (ERTC), DECD Bridge Loan and more, and provided technical assistance to businesses as needed.

- Worked with City of Middletown staff on deployment of small business loans and grants and provided underwriting and other support for emergency municipal loan program.

- Hosted vaccine clinics for businesses in partnership with local Departments of Public Health and helped provide access to testing and other resources.

The MSBDC will continue to be a vital tool for Middletown businesses as we move forward.

The award-winning Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program has been a most successful and effective way in which the Chamber has encouraged the development and growth of small, minority owned businesses. In April of 2019, the Program graduated its 22nd Class, bringing the total number of graduates, since the inception of the Program in 1997, to over 268 people. All 22 years of the program were funded by a generous grant from Aetna, Inc. This unprecedented funding finally ended in 2020 and a new program sponsor is being recruited for class 23 to start in the fall of 2021.

A one year long entrepreneurial and business development course, specifically designed to assist minority small business owners in the community, who have not had formal business training, to become more successful by developing the attitudes, skills, and qualities necessary for effective business ownership, planning, and success, taking them from the Side Street to the Main Street of the business community. Each fall, applicants are invited to attend a Mandatory Program Orientation and Application Process. Sixteen people are then selected to participate in the next year’s class. The Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program is designed and facilitated by Jim Jackson of The Essex Group.

The Side Street to Main Street Business “Know-How” Program is funded by a generous grant from Eversource Energy. An intensive four-session Program which provides practical knowledge for starting and building a small business in Connecticut, Business “Know-How” is targeted and designed specifically to assist minority small business owners already in business, or who are seriously planning to start a business in Middlesex County and surrounding areas within the Eversource Energy footprint. The program completed its 10th year of classes in July 2021. The program is designed and facilitated by Jim Jackson of The Essex Group.

Designed as a companion to the Chamber’s award-winning Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program, Business “Know-How” is a preparatory course which offers a bridge for business owners hoping to participate in the Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program. Participants in the Business “Know-How” Program learn a variety of business-related skills from both the program’s expert facilitator/instructor, and through classroom group discussions of the homework assignments. Those who complete the program gain an extra rating point if they apply for the Side Street to Main Street Business & Leadership Development Program.

In early 2021, the chamber stepped up to serve as Lead Convener of the South-Central Manufacturing Industry Partnership. This partnership was created in response to the Connecticut Governor’s Workforce Council’s prioritization of regional sector partnerships as a way to harness the economic power of critical job sectors and better coordinate public support for those sectors. Manufacturing was chosen for our region because it is such an important industry sector for the Middlesex County economy. This industry led partnership is tasked with identifying strategic initiatives and policy positions that will support this vital sector moving forward. The four key priorities for action include Talent, Competitive Cost Topography, Promoting Manufacturing, and Advancing Technology and Innovation. Action Teams were created to address these issues and the work is continuing in earnest. A network of core support and community partners has been developed to help implement the strategies identified by the partnership. The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will continue to help the manufacturing community in our region and in our state in any way that we can.

With “Over 29 Years of Mentoring” the Hal Kaplan Middletown Mentor Program, is a partnership between the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the Middletown Board of Education, providing mentors who can spend quality time with children in elementary grades 2-5 attending Middletown Public Schools. Mentors are good listeners, people who care, people who want to help young people bring out strengths that are already there. Mentors are volunteers from the local business community, the City of Middletown Fire and Police Departments, as well as private individuals. The need exists for a trusted friend who will commit to listening, sharing and understanding a young person. It is important to note that all prospective mentor candidates must complete an online applicant profile, DCF background check, and Middletown Board of Education Volunteer screening, and participate in an informative training session, under the guidance of Schools Mentor/Mentee Placement Coordinator, Sylvia Webb.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2021 continued to be a challenging year for the Hal Kaplan Middletown Mentor Program as it has been for everyone. The schools were closed to visitors, and students were attending two days per week, or virtually learning full-time. Since this is a program that is school based, during the school day, most mentors could not meet in-person with their mentee. There were some mentors who worked in the schools, who could have in-person meetings with their mentee. Confidentiality for both the mentees and mentors made it difficult for mentors to connect with their mentees, since this is an “on school grounds” program. Fortunately, a staff member at each school agreed to be the go-between.

The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce has continued to implement successful workforce development programs throughout the past year. As a result of our great working relationships with Workforce Alliance, the Connecticut Department of Labor, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Community Renewal Team, and the City of Middletown, the chamber is able to serve as a bridge that connects job seekers to employers. A strong workforce is the key to a strong economy, and the chamber is proud of its workforce development initiatives.

Some examples include:

The 2021 Middletown Summer Youth Employment Program ran from early July to late August, 2021. We are fortunate to have the capacity, through our dynamic membership, to place these youngsters into subsidized employment in a wide variety of professional fields for six weeks in the summer months, working 15 to 20 hours per week. Six weeks might not seem like a long time, but it provides a solid foundation and a great glimpse into what life in the workforce is like, and the effort that is required to thrive in it. Before beginning the work experience, applicants are put through a comprehensive pre-employment screening process which considers their hobbies, interests, work experience, future plans, comfort level on the computer and on the phone, and other important factors such as transportation and availability in the summer months. Our host sites come from the public sector, the nonprofit sector, and most notably the private sector. This program teaches our young people not only the fundamentals of employment, but also the pride that comes with putting in a solid work week and receiving a paycheck that was earned through hard and honest work. This year, over 70 youngsters primarily from Middletown were placed into summer employment at over 30 businesses and organizations in Middletown. It is critical that we have host worksites from a wide variety of industry sectors that are willing to step up and provide the work and supervision that is necessary to truly make this an effective workforce development initiative. The chamber would like to take a moment to thank the businesses and organizations in Greater Middletown that stepped up to serve as host worksites this summer. In addition to our host worksites, this program would of course also not be possible without the support of our funders. We also thank all of them on behalf of the chamber for their unbelievable support of this, and many other community initiatives that they support in our area. Our 2021 team of funding partners is as follows: Workforce Alliance, the City of Middletown, Peach Pit Foundation, Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Liberty Bank Foundation, State of CT Judicial Branch, Jarvis Products Corporation, and Middlesex United Way.

The Middletown Worker Preparation Program is wrapping up another successful year. This program has been a valuable asset to the Middletown community since 1991. The primary mission of the program is to help unemployed and displaced workers in the City of the Middletown find employment. The program’s goal has always been to put the people of Middletown in the best possible position to secure employment and earn wages that will allow them to provide for their family and contribute to the fabric of the Middletown community. We like to describe our role as being a “bridge between job seekers and employers.” As a business organization, the chamber has strong links to a wide range of employers in Middletown and in Middlesex County. One of the chamber’s main functions is to help our members as they seek to hire quality employees. Before beginning the job search, chamber staff members help clients create effective resumes and prepare for job interviews while providing job coaching and employment retention training. Chamber staff maintains consistent contact with clients and employers to foster the best possible environment for not only placement into employment, but long-term security in the job.

Middlesex Youth Career Development Services is designed to empower out of school youth ages 18-24 providing them on the job training, paid internships or access to certificate programs. Students worked with the program coordinator to set specific employment and/or education goals while in the program, and were placed into employment after completion of the certificate program. Middlesex Youth Development Career Services is a partnership between the Community Renewal Team (CRT) and Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.