CBIA BizCast

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with CBIA HR counsel Diane Mokriski about the most frequently asked questions of 2021 and what she expects in 2022. Mokriski addresses a range of questions, including whether an employee should be paid if they are out with COVID-19, paying employees for snow days, and if a company can offer unpaid internships to college students home over winter break. “Unpaid internships—the labor department doesn't favor them,” said Mokriski. “They really want people to get at least minimum wage, with limited exceptions.” CBIA members can use the HR Hotline for free and speak with Mokriski directly about their HR problems or questions. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Dr. Charles Lee, director of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington. Lee’s team is responsible for determining which COVID-19 variants are present in Connecticut, using genomic sequencing to identify strains in positive samples. The state is using resources like Jackson Labs to sequence 25% of all positive cases to determine how many cases of the original variant, Delta, or Omicron cases there are in Connecticut. “The entire length of the virus is 30,000 bases so we sequence the entire 30,000 bases and look for the changes along all 30,000 bases,” Lee said. “Of course doing that by hand is a nearly impossible task—we have computers that help us do that quickly.” They then notify the state lab of which variants they detect. Lee said they primarily analyze positive tests from nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Ninety-nine percent of the variants analyzed recently were the Delta strain of the virus. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Jacqueline Gallo, the chief operating officer of Whitcraft, about the aerospace manufacturer’s work release program. Gallo started filling open positions on the second shift at the company’s Eastford facility with Enfield Correctional Institution inmates in 2018. Gallo said not only did Whitcraft need workers, she personally witnessed family members have a hard time finding a meaningful career after incarceration. “They are getting a fair wage and have full benefits,” said Gallo. “When they get released we keep them on as employees and hope they will continue to work with us.” Gallo said Whitcraft is working with the state to develop the first women’s work release program at York Correctional Institution. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Foxwoods Resort Casino president and CEO Jason Guyot. Guyot, who began his career at Foxwoods as a bellhop in 1995, became interim president in April 2020 while the casino was closed during the pandemic. He was named president and CEO in March this year. “It wasn't like there was any one day where I said ‘hey, I want to be CEO of Foxwoods,’” said Guyot, the first member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe to lead the company. “I have been here for almost 20 years of my career and built my career here and had a lot of support through that. “Last year in 2020 when the council asked me to fill in in the interim role, I really jumped at the opportunity. I felt I was ready.” Foxwoods currently has about 3,000 employees, down from a pre-pandemic high of more than 5,000. Guyot said Foxwoods is using a variety of tactics to address the labor shortage, including hosting job fairs. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Mark Boughton, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, about the state’s new tax amnesty program. Boughton says those who owe back taxes can come forward between now and Jan. 30, 2022 and receive a 75% reduction in interest and waived penalties. “Our community always asks how much money is really out there,” said Boughton. “It’s about $500-$800 million going back to about the mid-1970s. I don’t think all of that is collectable, but there are a lot of recent disputes.” The state offered a similar program in 2017 but Boughton said it is unlikely another amnesty will happen again. Those interested in the program can visit the Get Right CT website to learn more. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Dinesh Wadhwani, president and CEO of ThinkLite LLC about the company’s innovative air purification systems. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Wadhwani and his brother were working with Boston Children’s Hospital to install LED lighting that also removes pathogens from the air. Although business was stalled at the height of the pandemic, their air purification light systems became a high demand item. “This is not COVID-centric, this is just detecting viruses in the air in general,” said Wadhwani. “Today it could be covid, tomorrow it could be another mutant of it or it could be anything else. The point is you can detect when there are germs in the air and tackle it.” 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with ConnectiCare president Eric Galvin about the costs small businesses face when offering employees health insurance. Galvin, who has led the company since 2017, says numerous factors, including the cost of care and government mandates impact insurance costs. He said consumers can help drive down costs by, for instance, seeking out where they can get the cheapest prescriptions. Galvin said when it comes to a small business picking a plan for their employees, it’s about striking the right balance for their workforce. “If you have a younger workforce that might be healthier, you might want to think about plans that are leaner in benefits so you get a lower monthly premium,” he said. “If you have a workforce that may have folks with chronic conditions, who might be higher utilizers of care you may want to go with a richer plan.” 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with RSM's Ryan McGurk ahead of the release of the annual Connecticut Manufacturing Report at the Oct. 29 Made in Connecticut: 2021 Manufacturing Summit. RSM partnered with CBIA and affiliates CONNSTEP and ReadyCT on the report, which reviews the state of the sector, examines the impact of state and federal policies, and explores the outlook for the next 12 months, including growth factors, legislative priorities, and hiring and investment trends. McGurk said that just as manufacturers pivoted last year to respond to the pandemic, they are pivoting again to leverage new opportunities and address a number of significant challenges. "A lot of companies had to pivot and pivot very quickly," said McGurk, RSM's senior manager, industrials audit policy leader. “Whether it was opening a third shift or figuring out how to practice and develop social distancing which in the past, wasn't a concept especially on the manufacturing floor where you might have to work closely with other people of the production team or operations.” McGurk said the labor shortage remains one of the biggest obstacles to growth for Connecticut manufacturers. 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with TD Bank’s Mike LaBella about the way the bank helped manufacturers secure PPP loans this past year. LaBella will kick off the Made in Connecticut: 2021 Manufacturing Summit Oct. 29 at the Trumbull Marriott. LaBella said TD Bank helped secure 133,000 loans from Maine to Florida worth a total of $12.5 billion dollars. In Connecticut, they helped manufacturers secure more than 6,000 loans worth a total of $540 million. LaBella said although the pandemic and workplace conditions have improved since March of 2020, manufacturers still face an abundance of challenges. “We aren't out of the woods yet,” said LaBella. “We face an expanding number of issues the pandemic has caused and that's really the effect on the supply chain, the increasing cyber fraud, we have trade conflict with China, changing oil and commodity prices, interest rate risks and political conflicts. “So we are dealing with the manufacturers to alleviate the risks we can.” 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.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Horst Engineering president and CEO Scott Livingston following the celebration of the company's 75th anniversary and opening of their new East Hartford headquarters. Livingston’s grandfather started the business in 1946 in the second story of a barn in Hartford. Today, it’s a highly regarded manufacturer of precision parts for the aerospace, capital equipment, medical device, naval/marine, and power generation industries. The new facility is an advanced manufacturing showcase, featuring natural light and open spaces and an array of high-tech machines and equipment. “Giving people access to the outdoors through large windows really changed the way we renovated the building,” Livingston says. “I think we hit a home run. It's inspired by factories I visited in Europe in Switzerland, Germany, and also in Japan.” 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.