West Hartford’s ‘Fast and Furious’ Pandemic Response

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor and economic development director Kristen Gorski about their efforts to keep the town’s business districts thriving during the pandemic. Cantor said her team was very proactive during the height of the pandemic, including purchasing and installing jersey barriers to create outdoor spaces for restaurants. “We were one of the first communities in the state to expand outdoor dining and that was a real quick expansion,” Cantor said. Gorski said communication between the town’s 4,000-plus employers was key to letting businesses know what state and federal relief dollars were available. “What we did was very fast and furious to try and update our businesses through those email communications in live time,” Gorski said. “As many people will remember, it was information coming out quickly and it was important to get it to the businesses so they had the best chance to be successful as possible.” Hear more from Cantor and other lawmakers at CBIA’s The Connecticut Economy conference September 30. Please rate, review, and subscribe to the BizCast wherever you get your podcasts—we appreciate your support! If you have a story to tell, contact Ali Warshavsky.