CBIA BizCast

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Candace Freedenberg, founder and chair of the woman-owned social enterprise Untapped Potential. Freedenberg says the organization works to remove barriers and create necessary stepping stones for women to get back into the workforce. “I looked at this as an economic opportunity,” said Freedenberg. “Whenever you have stagnated talent, a skilled workforce, and those with education and experience that are not able to add to the labor market, it’s untapped human capital.” Launched in 2015, Untapped Potential was this year named Woman-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The CBIA BizCast is made possible through the generous support of Google. 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.

Kevin Hussain, Associate Vice President at AI Engineers, shares his inspiring journey from immigrant to industry leader. He emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, advocating for access in education and infrastructure. Hussain discusses the challenges he faced as a student using public transport and stresses the need for representation in engineering. He highlights innovative strategies for fostering inclusivity in STEM, tackling barriers for underrepresented groups, and the mental health needs of aspiring engineers.

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Travis Christ, chief marketing officer for Avelo Air, about the airline maintaining its low-fare strategy as inflation drives up the cost of fuel and other supplies. Avelo launched in 2021 in Burbank, California, and made its maiden flight from Connecticut’s Tweed New Haven Airport last November. The demand was so high for the flights Avelo offered to six Florida cities, Christ said it expanded to a total of 14 destinations, despite many airlines facing a shortage of pilots. “We do fly 737s, which is a main line big jet which is what pilots want to fly,” said Christ. “For the pilots who want to fly home every night and do not want to be on the road all the time, it's a great option.” The CBIA BizCast is made possible through the generous support of Google. 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 Paul Dunford, co-founder of Green Check Verified in North Haven. Green Check Verified helps provide cannabis banking solutions and expert advisory services for financial institutions. The company began exploring the industry in 2014 and noticed that firms didn’t know how to connect with banks who were willing to work with them. “The biggest thing we had at the beginning was figuring out how we get financial institutions who have been told for years and years you cannot touch this, that you can, and here is how,” said Dunford. Dunford and co-founder Kevin Hart developed software that analyzes in real time the sales and inventory data flowing through each cannabis business in a portfolio and identifies any exceptions to the applicable regulatory requirements for their license type. The two first financial institutions Green Check worked with were in Connecticut. The CBIA BizCast is made possible through the generous support of Google. 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 John Walker, co-founder of Athletic Brewing in Stratford. Walker helped Bill Shuflet brew the original ales in 2017 when the avid athlete decided he wanted to enjoy a beer without worrying about alcohol affecting his performance the next day. Athletic Brewing was recently named to TIME’s list of the most influential companies, with Walker saying that the rapid growth is due to the passion behind the product and the brewery’s mission. Athletic is investing some of the proceeds from its success in philanthropic projects, including donating 2% of sales to protecting and restoring local trails. “It comes down to the team and it comes down to a passionate group of people who want to do this, who love what we do, who are making great products but are also making a huge impact in our environment and our communities,” said Walker. Athletic Brewing will celebrate the grand opening of its new MIlford headquarters in June. The company also has a location in San Diego. 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 Terrence Cheng, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. Cheng was previously the campus director of UConn Stamford. He said he took this role last July as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference across the state, managing 12 community colleges, four state universities, and Charter Oak State College. As the state struggles to resolve the labor shortage crisis, Cheng said he is exploring ways to speed up the process to get students the experience and training they need to enter the workforce. “What we have been doing is attaching that internship, apprenticeship type work into curricular for sometime now,” he said. “How do we make it even more accelerated? How do we offer more credentials?” 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 Adam von Gootkin, co-founder and CEO of Highclere Castle Spirits. Gootkin and his family have distilled spirits since the 1800s in Connecticut. Their history inspired him to first create Onyx Spirits Company and now Highclere Castle Spirits. Highclere Castle Gin is distilled in England using botanicals from the Highclere Estate, but is headquartered in Essex, Connecticut. “I wanted to liquify the spirit of the castle that set the incredibly high bar for hospitality,” said von Gootkin. The castle name gained even more fame after the popular television series Downton Abbey was filmed there. 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 Shawn Peterson, direct to consumer business manager at the PEZ Visitor Center in Orange. Peterson’s passion for PEZ, collecting dispensers, and writing a book on the candy’s history brought him to Connecticut for a new career. He said the company offered him the role to create and oversee the center. Peterson said the visitor center attracts many people traveling from out of state. He often hears that visitors decided to stop in because they were stuck in traffic on I-95 and saw the sign. “We had visitors from all 50 states and 50 different countries,'' said Peterson. “We’re right on the major artery of I-95 here, so millions of people pass within a mile of here everyday.” 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 Shipman & Goodwin LLP’s Brenda Eckert, an employment and family immigration law attorney. Eckert participated on a panel at CBIA’s Economic Update conference last month that focused on the role immigration can play in helping address the labor shortage. She sees increasing competition for foreign workers, noting Connecticut can support immigration by improving access to affordable housing and transportation. “One of the challenges for a U.S. employer seeking to employ a foreign worker, or to tap into employing an immigrant workforce, is to create a reputation where the state or local communities within the state is not a problem for immigrants,” said Eckert. 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 Karraine Moody, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut. The organization recently changed its name and now serves families east of the Connecticut River. Moody says Habitat does more than build homes, teaching people how to become homeowners while investing sweat equity and learning financial literacy. The organization's goal is to create generational wealth through homeownership. “It sets the standard that homeownership is possible,” said Moody. “It sets the standard that economic stability is a critical need. “ Moody said Habitat works with the city of Hartford and the Hartford Landbank to identify neighborhoods where they can fix up blighted properties. 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.