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Central Connecticut Economic Development Alliance

Membership

The Central Connecticut Economic Development Alliance (CCEDA) is a special committee of  CCRPA. The CCEDA's primary function, as described in its bylaws, is to promote the economic development of the seven-town Region. The membership of the Alliance is as follows:

Municipal members

Municipality	Person	Function
Berlin	Jim Mahoney	Economic development
Bristol	Mike Nicastro	Chamber
	Jonathan Rosenthal (Chair)	Economic development
	Art Ward	Mayor
Burlington	Mike Scheidel	Chamber
	Rich Stocker	Economic development
New Britain	Bill Millerick	Chamber
	Steve Schiller	Planning/economic development
	Tim Stewart (Vice Chair)	Mayor
Plainville	Mark DeVoe	Planning/economic development
	Robert E. Lee	Town manager
Plymouth	Khara Dodds	Planning/Economic development
Southington	Louis Perillo	Economic development

Non-municipal members

Sector(s)	Person	Organization
Agriculture	Dwight Harris	Johnnycake Mountain Farm
Business	(vacant)	CERC
Education	Victor Mitchell	Tunxis Community College
	Richard Mullins	Central Connecticut State University
Disabled	John Tricarico	Central Connecticut Paratransit Service
Finance	Byron Treado
Health	Lynn Abrahamson	Bristol/Burlington Health District
Labor	Bruce Lyden
Seniors/women	Peggy Sokol	Bristol Senior Center
Small business/minorities/women	Rosita Forte-Dobson	Connecticut Small Business Center
Tourism/women	Janet Serra	Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau
Un/underemployed	Julie Geyer	Capital Workforce Partners
Utilities	John O'Toole	Northeast Utilities

To see the CCEDA bylaws, click here.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

Under the auspices of the Agency, the communities of Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, and Southington have joined together to form the Central Connecticut Economic Development Alliance (CCEDA). With Agency and consultant support, in 2004 a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) was prepared for the municipalities of Bristol, New Britain, Plainville, and Plymouth, which was approved by the United States Economic Development Administration. In 2009 the process of creating a new CEDS was undertaken, with the towns of Berlin, Burlington, and Southington joining the effort. This plan is currently available for public comment and may be downloaded below.

The CEDS is a prerequisite to obtain funding from the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA) for economic development related projects. Development of a CEDS is also an opportunity to make the region, more competitive economically. The CCEDA represents a cross section of the region and performs the following functions:

1. Satisfy EDA requirements for broad representation
2. Provide overall management of the CEDS Process
3. Establish a vision for the corridor
4. Tap into the knowledge base of the corridor
5. Develop a consensus on the goals, objectives and strategies of the corridor
6. Demonstrate commitment to continuation of the process through annual updates

A CEDS Coordinating Committee, which includes staff from the participating municipalities, assists the CCRPA staff and the CCEDA in the preparation of annual updates to the CEDS.

Documents

Official documents

• CEDS Approval Memo
• 2011 CEDS (final)
• 2004 CEDS (final) | updates: 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

Presentations

• Public meeting, March 8th, 2011
• Public meeting, April 14th, 2011

For other documents, including agendas, minutes, and supporting documents, please see Agendas and Minutes.

Links

Municipal Economic Development Websites

• Berlin Department of Economic Development
• Bristol Development Authority
• Burlington Economic Development Commission
• New Britain Municipal Economic Development Agency
• Plainville Department of Planning and Economic Development
• Plymouth Economic Development Commission
• Southington Economic Development Office

Chambers of Commerce

• Berlin Chamber of Commerce
• Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce
• Burlington Chamber of Commerce
• New Britain Chamber of Commerce
• Plainville Chamber of Commerce
• Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce

State Links

• Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). DECD is the state’s lead agency on economic, community, and housing development. They administer a number of grant and loan programs, as well as promote business development and job growth.
• SCORE Chapters. SCORE is a network of organizations that provide mentoring to prospective and current business owners. They connect veteran business managers with entrepreneurs to provide valuable insight on running a business.
  • Greater Hartford
  • Northwest Connecticut
• CT Works. CTWorks One Stop Career Centers are located throughout the state, offering resources ranging from employment workshops and résumé assistance for job seekers to recruitment services and tax credit programs for employers. Centers also provide Labor Market Information, an electronic job bank and specialized veterans’ services.
• Connecticut Innovations. Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to push the frontiers of high-tech industries such as energy, biotechnology, information technology, and photonics.
• Central Connecticut State University – Institute of Technology and Business Development. The Institute of Technology and Business Development at CCSU runs a diverse array of business support services. They help business improve processes, train employees, and grow their businesses. ITBD also runs a business incubator, where entrepreneurs can find inexpensive space to start a new business.
• Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC). CERC is a non-profit corporation that provides research, assistance, and services to both businesses and municipalities. They host DataFinder, an online demographic and economic data tool, and SiteFinder, an online site selection tool.