Frank E. Winkler Manager, Economic Development and Groton Utilities Spokesman
It takes a combination of business entities to make an area’s economy work. As we know, some are small, some are big and some are simply larger than we are willing to admit or accept.
If you add the fact of municipal ownership to the equation, then the mix becomes more interesting and more dynamic.
Groton Utilities is one of those municipally owned and operated businesses which exist in various parts of the country. The businesses are usually associated with utilities. This is the case for Groton Utilities which is owned by the City of Groton.
Our origins are in the utility industry, specifically water and electric. More than 100 years ago, the City’s fore founders decided to buy a local, privately owned water and electric company. Originally the focus was on street lighting. Today, the focus is to power a combination of homes, a pharmaceutical company, a submarine builder, small and medium businesses, and yes, we still provide electricity for those street lights.
For 106 years, we have prided ourselves on delivering timely, responsive and quality customer service. People think we simply sell electricity, water, cable television, Internet service and digital phone service. But, service is indeed our core business.
Part of the responsibility of a business is not only being a part of the community, but also giving back to the community. It may be something like co-sponsoring the summer concert series, Concerts in the Park, or the winter concert series, City Cabaret. Or it may be supporting the Groton Fall Festival and the Groton Holiday Lights Parade.
Service after all is a commitment not only to our customers, but also to the community. While the city owns the utilities, our service areas extend beyond our boundaries. We serve our neighbors in the rest of Greater Groton and provide certain services to the surrounding towns.
The business of business becomes more complex as time passes. It is no longer acceptable to promote yourself simply as a pursuer of profits, but you must also be a community partner.
Groton Utilities has tried to strike that important balance between our business responsibilities and our community commitments. We will continue to try to maintain that delicate balance.
Sincerely, Frank E. Winkler
Manager, Economic Development and
Groton Utilities Spokesman
Alexa Shelton, Events Director, Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce
The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival is excited to announce their collaboration with the Mystic Seaport on this year’s featured artwork. The design, which focuses on the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan, will be showcased on the 2010 Art Festival t-shirts as well as on the cover of the Art Guide.
The Charles W. Morgan is the last wooden whaleship in the world and the oldest commercial vessel afloat. A registered National Historic Landmark, the Morgan was built in 1841 in New Bedford, MA. The Morgan made 37 voyages during its 80-year whaling career, traveling to every ocean on the planet. The Morgan arrived at Mystic Seaport in 1941 and is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration project. Much of the wood used in the restoration project is Live Oak, a species that grows only in the south and was the preeminent material for shipbuilders in the 19th century. Protected by the federal government, Live Oak can only be acquired after a natural disaster or an infrastructure project such as road construction. Much of the Live Oak for the restoration has been salvaged from Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan. These fallen trees are truly becoming part of American history.
The artist of this year’s piece, Julia Sverchuk, chose to highlight Live Oaks in her design. Julia was born in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York in 1994. She received her BFA at Parsons The New School of Design and also studied at Dalvero Academy. As part of her post graduate work at Dalvero, Julia and her fellow students have visited Mystic Seaport and, while focusing on the Charles W. Morgan, have all created unique individual works of art. Because of the restoration, Julia’s Live Oak: One Life for Another, truly adds a unique element to the project.
The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival Committee was delighted to collaborate with the Seaport and with Julia to feature this stunning and thoughtful piece of art work. To pick out your own piece of art don’t miss this year’s 53rd Annual Mystic Outdoor Art Festival on August 14th and 15th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, along the streets of historic downtown Mystic. Views of the Mystic Seaport and the famous Mystic Drawbridge display the community’s maritime history while over 275 artists and artisans participate in this annual event, showcasing over 100,000 pieces of artwork. For more information and to view this year’s signature art work please visit: www.mysticchamber.org
Sincerely, Alexa Shelton
Events Director
Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce
Nancy Gray, Director of Membership and Development, The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce.
Despite the rain clouds encountered from these difficult economic times, the sun still shines on us and I’m here to talk about the good things happening in our area and to let you know that Northern New London County is very much alive and growing.
The City of Norwich for example is experiencing huge growth in the dining arena with the recent opening of five new restaurants, some introducing the diversity of new cultural foods to our area.
Starting in downtown with Miss Saigon’s Vietnamese Restaurant located on Water Street. There you are greeted by a welcoming staff and given a menu of delicious choices. Unsure what to choose, the staff will assist you to make sure you are happy with your choice. Then, there is Aki, offering a Japanese fare exquisitely displayed for a surprisingly pleasant and awesome dining experience of authentic Japanese foods made to perfection. They are located on Main Street, across from the old YMCA building.
For an outdoor choice, feast your eyes and appetite on The Surf and Turf Restaurant located at the Norwich Marina, a place you will want to frequent during the hot summer months, for a cool drink and great food from sandwiches to entrees, there is something for everyone’s palette in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Moving north to Norwichtown you will discover Prime 82, just off exit 82 from Route 395, West Town Street in the Courtyard Marriott, with its jazzy décor, music, super service and great choices on the menu, they are sure to make your dining experience memorable. Just a little further down the road, you will find the newly re-opened Yantic River Inn, under new management, serving up a delicious early morning breakfast to a late night menu at the bar. Yantic River Inn and Prime 82 both offer banquet facilities for private parties.
The choices for dining in Northern New London County are endless. For a complete list of our member restaurants, pubs and cafes please visit our website at www.norwichchamber.com. There you will find restaurants offering, Irish, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Fresh Seafood, Chinese, Cape Verdean, Portuguese, Mediterranean and Polish cuisines. So here you have it… add us to your summer fun for your next dining experience! Bon Appetite!
The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce is proud of our supporting role to businesses in the communities we serve to include Griswold, Lisbon, Sprague, Preston, Montville, Ledyard, Bozrah, Franklin, Salem and Norwich. If you or someone you know has a business and is in need of connecting and networking call me at 860.608.6165.
And lastly, we are always looking for good people. If you would like to get on a volunteer list to assist on various projects and fun events at the Chamber, please give us a call at 860.887.1647.
Sincerely,
Nancy Gray
Director of Membership and Development
The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce
Mitchell Grossinger Etess, President and CEO, Mohegan Sun
June is always a very exciting time of year at Mohegan Sun. I think we share the same sentiment as many Southeastern CT residents — there’s a certain buzz and excitement in our region each year as the temperatures warm up, the leaves on the trees are out and we know that summer is upon us.
Here in Mystic Country, we’re often at our best in the summer. Tourists from all over the country, and many times, within our own state, visit our beautiful beaches, wooded trails, great family attractions and our non-stop entertainment offerings.
The Greater Mystic Visitors Bureau is in full swing now with a marketing and media plan that will directly assist our region in attracting tourism consumers. The GMVB website, mystic.org, is up and running and is an incredible new resource for potential visitors and local businesses. I would like to thank Dr. Stephen Coan and Peter Glankoff of Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration for their leadership on these efforts, as well as, Ed Dombroskas from the Eastern Regional Tourism District and George Galinsky, who has been involved on behalf of Mohegan Sun. Countless business and industry leaders have rallied together again, as has been done so many times in the past, to support Greater Mystic. This is especially important this year with the lack of any state funding to promote and draw visitors to the region.
Along with our partnerships within the region for the upcoming tourism season, here at Mohegan Sun, we’re gearing up for what we know will be a very exciting summer.
Our 13th Annual Hot Summer Fun celebration begins on July 1st and we’re thrilled to bring back our Wild Wednesdays parties/fireworks on the rooftop of the Riverview Garage, special deals throughout the rest of the week and some of the best concerts touring this summer. In fact, during Hot Summer Fun, we’ll host 144 shows and events in just 64 days, with something for everyone in Mohegan Sun Arena, The Cabaret Theatre, the Wolf Den and The Shops at Mohegan Sun. Many of these great shows and events are also free.
I hope that we see you for Hot Summer Fun and that this season, you’ll be able to enjoy our region’s great resources and offerings. Have a fantastic summer!
Sincerely,
Mitchell Grossinger Etess President and CEO
Mohegan Sun
Christian E. Porter, Operations Manager, Grossman’s Seafood Inc.
We Need Volunteers!
Sunday, July 18, from 11:00am-4:00pm, Grossman’s Seafood Inc., will host the 2nd Annual Operation Lobster Dinner. This year’s event will be larger and we are looking for over 70 volunteers.
As you may know, Operation Lobster Dinner was created to express gratitude to our military neighbors and their families, for all the sacrifices they make for each and every one of us. Often, we forget about the families, whose sacrifice is as important as the soldiers themselves. On July 18th we plan to provide 600 lobster dinners which will include: lobster, steamers, drawn butter, corn on the cob, baked potato, coleslaw, dinner rolls, etc… at no charge to these families. The event will also feature live bands and children activities including, moonwalk and face painting.
This year we have some great enhancements.
1. Increased Lobster dinners from 500 to 600.
2. The National Guard will provide a Color Guard, helicopter and heavy equipment for display.
3. Work Vessels for Veterans will again provide a vehicle to a returning veteran and is also working on other gifts.
4. A special scholarship program will be set up to provide financial support for a military family.
The cost for this event is large, but as we learned last year, the support from Local businesses and organizations was terrific.
This year, we hope that you are just as passionate about this as we are, and provide financial support. Your donation will help pay for the cost of this event, with all additional proceeds going to Work Vessels for Veterans and our Scholarship Program.
The event will be held at Grossman’s Seafood at 479 Goldstar Highway, Groton.
If you would like more information please call Christian or Sean at 860.448.9273 or you can e-mail Christian at christian.grossman@sbcglobal.net.
We are looking forward to another great event!
Thank you and God Bless,
Christian E. Porter
Operations Manager
Grossman’s Seafood Inc.
