Despite the bad economy companies continue to choose Connecticut. Mailroom solutions provider Neopost has moved its corporate headquarters and 150 jobs to Milford and Columbia Elevator has moved 60 jobs to Bridgeport. Neopost already had 230 employees in Milford before adding these 150 jobs from a California facility. Peter Lichtgarn, the company's director of corporate communications said, “We have streamlined our organization, and we will now have all of our senior decision-makers based in Milford.”

Neopost makes postage meters, folding and inserting machines, and other mailing equipment.

Columbia Elevator Products Inc. moved to Bridgeport from Port Chester, NY. The company brings with them 60 jobs and plans to expand to 100 employees within the next 3 years.

Connecticut offered Columbia a unique set of incentives with the company occupying a brownfield site. The state is providing $2 million to remediate a former medical supplies factory. Governor M. Jodi Rell said, “This development is a textbook example of how turning around a brownfield can lead to new growth and new jobs.”

Columbia is one of only a handful of elevator companies that provide the architectural elements of elevators, such as cabs and fittings. Columbia President Louis James Blaiotta Jr. said, “We were attracted to Bridgeport because of its location central to our core business, 60 percent of which is within 500 miles of Manhattan. This factory site was a find for us. We like the city and the location, and we're looking forward to joining the business community here.”

Southwest Airlines will begin direct service from Bradley International Airport to Denver in March. The company cited demand in the region as the reason for the expansion.

The move comes at a time when airlines are typically cutting service. However, Southwest so an opportunity in Connecticut and decided to take it. The flight to Denver will depart at 8:10 AM daily.

Bradley International Airport is located just north of Hartford and serves as Connecticut’s major air gateway. The combination of easy parking, short lines, little traffic and multiple flights make it a good alternative to New York City airports.

Delta, Southwest, American, United and Continental serve Bradley with direct flights to more than 28 destinations.

Construction in downtown New Haven is moving ahead rapidly with the new 32-story tower “360 State Street” rising out of the ground.

The developer’s financing has stayed solid because of strong apartment demand in the city. When completed in 2010 the $180 million investment will house 500 apartments and a grocery store.

Yale University is moving 600 employees to Science Park in New Haven to jumpstart activity there. They will occupy the recently renovated Winchester rifle factory.

Investment from developer Winstanley Enterprises, a new parking garage, street lighting and commercial space is rekindling interest in the park. Located adjacent to Yale University, Science Park offers unique access to the school.

In another move Covidien announced it is moving 300 jobs to New Haven from other locations. Covidien Surgical Devices is based in North Haven with 2,800 employees.

Over the next 3 years the defense contractor will add 95 new jobs and 75,000 sq. ft. of space. The maker of power generation and distribution equipment considered other states before deciding to expand in Connecticut. The state is assisting the $11.6 million expansion with a $3.5 million low interest loan.

Adding 35 new jobs the social security advocacy company expanded into a building in Shelton. The company supports people dealing with problems with social security and disability payments. Growing rapidly the company now employs 50 people.

Detergent maker Sun Products chose Trumbull for a new product testing laboratory. The facility will employ 50 people. In choosing Trumbull the company gets a 46,000 sq. ft. research building near its Westport, CT headquarters. Sun Products is the maker of Wisk, All, Sun and Snuggle laundry products.

This year The United Illuminating Company (UI) and Connecticut Light Power (CL&P) energized the Middletown-Norwalk Line. The line creates a new route to deliver electricity to Southwest Connecticut where electricity demand is growing faster than anywhere else in Connecticut. With the new 345-kilovolt (kV) line and upgrades to existing 115kV lines, reliability in the region has greatly increased.

The line will also reduce costs to customers in the region. Prior to the 345kV line, customers were charged federal penalty fees for electricity congestion in the region. Now, with the new transmission line, millions of dollars in congestion charges will be eliminated.

The project, one of the largest electric infrastructure upgrades in the country, is a joint effort of CL&P and UI and consists of 69 miles of 345kV high-voltage transmission lines. “Southwest Connecticut and the region enter a new era with this important transmission upgrade,” said James P. Torgerson, President & Chief Executive Officer of the UIL Holdings Corporation and UI Chief Executive Officer. “The Middletown-Norwalk project is an example of how technology and partnership can help enhance electric reliability for the region.”

The line will also connect Southwest Connecticut to more clean and efficient power sources. It will connect customers to more modern, state-of-the-art generation plants throughout the region, reducing the need to operate older, less efficient power plants in Southwest Connecticut. The line represents a significant upgrade in the technology and quality of the transmission system. The project completes a loop linking the Southwest part of the state to nearly 400 miles of 345kV lines that already run through the rest of Connecticut.

The 345kV transmission line was completed a year ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Bridgeport/Stamford Metropolitan Statistical Area was ranked #4 in Forbes 2009 List of Most Livable Cities. The ranking took into account 5-year income growth per household, cost of living, crime data, unemployment and Sperling’s Leisure Index.

Several towns in Connecticut’s Central Coast are a part of the Bridgeport/Stamford MSA. These towns include Stratford, Shelton, Trumbull, Fairfield, Easton and Bridgeport. Portland, Maine received the number 1 ranking in this year’s list.

New Haven based Phoenix Press is building a 151-foot wind turbine at the confluence of the Quinnipiac River, the Mill River and the mouth of New Haven Harbor. The project is being supported by a $263,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. The Clean Energy Fund is paid for by Connecticut utility customers and used for assisting renewable energy projects.

The turbine is expected to produce about one-third of the company’s energy needs, some 165,000 kilowatts of electricity, and save the 55-person firm about $65,000 a year in utility costs. Overall the project cost will be close to $500,000. In addition to the Clean Energy Fund grant Phoenix Press is using state and federal tax credits to reduce the cost.

Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, today announced that it has made an investment of $515,000 in Helix Therapeutics LLC (Helix) of New Haven, Conn., through its Eli Whitney Fund. This investment is part of a $965,000 round also involving LaunchCapital, individual investors, and a capital line of credit from Webster Bank. Helix is the first company to receive assistance through CI’s Pre-Seed Support Services Program and then go on to qualify for investment through the Eli Whitney Fund. This latest investment in Helix represents CI’s fourteenth investment in early-stage Connecticut technology companies since July 2008.

Joseph J. Catino, Ph.D., president and CEO of Helix Therapeutics LLC observed that the support and commitment of CI was critical in this difficult economic time. “Our other investors were clearly encouraged by CI’s unwavering commitment to the start of Helix. We are delighted to have the opportunity to move this exciting technology and innovative therapeutic approach forward right here in Connecticut through the support of CI and local investors.”

Helix is pursuing therapies for HIV/AIDS and genetic disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, B-Thalassemia and Gaucher’s Disease, which together represent a $500-800 million market opportunity.

Clean Diesel Technologies has moved its headquarters from Stamford, CT to Ten Middle Street in Downtown Bridgeport. Clean Diesel Technologies is a clean-tech company which provides sustainable solutions to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower the carbon intensity of on and off-road diesel engines. Clean Diesel’s patented technologies, over 300 patents and patents pending, allow manufacturers and operators of diesel engines to comply with increasingly strict regulatory emissions and air quality standards, while improving fuel economy and power. The company’s solutions, which are in commercial use worldwide, significantly reduce engine emissions including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter.

Clean Diesel Technologies, founded in 1995, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Diesel International, LLC, based in London England. The firm is publically traded, trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol CDTI, the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol CDT and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Xetra) under the symbol CDI.

Connecticut ranks #1 in the country for energy efficiency, tied with California and Oregon. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released its annual list in October. States were rated on “a wide range of the proven effective and readily available efficiency strategies”. Areas covered included building codes, transportation and land-use policies, utilities’ efficiency programs, financial incentives and support research.

The United Illuminating Company (UI) provides electricity to Connecticut’s Central Coast and offers an extensive menu of energy efficiency incentives through the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund. UI can offer design grants for energy efficiency in new construction as well as pay the incremental costs for more efficient equipment. For existing facilities, UI will pay up to 60% of the replacement costs for switching to energy efficient equipment like lighting.

Connecticut’s ranking also benefited from the services provided by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. The fund pays out as much as $4 million to subsidize on-site renewable generation projects for Connecticut companies. In other words, businesses can get funding to generate their own clean, renewable power.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says Connecticut’s strong energy efficiency program allows it to deal with energy prices, energy security and global warming.

The United Illuminating Company has been approved to build new electric generation plants though its 50-50 joint venture with NRG, GenCon Energy. The joint venture is approved to build 400 MW of peaking generation at 2 Connecticut locations. The new units in Middletown and Milford will provide power to Connecticut homes and businesses during peak electric energy usage periods during the summer and winter months. They are expected to be on line by June 2011.

The new generation will replace older, costly power plants that are maintained solely to provide power on peak usage days. The new plants will reduce the cost of power to customers. In all, 700 MW of peaking power will be added to the Connecticut grid. The GenCon Partnership was developed in accordance with a law passed by the State of Connecticut’s General Assembly in 2007 which sought a long term solution to meet peaking needs.

The State of Connecticut, working with community and regional banks, is providing $100 million in direct loans to business and manufacturers. The loan commitment is supported by loan guarantees, cash reserves and participation loans from the Connecticut Development Authority. The Program is designed to ensure a continued free flow of credit in the state’s economy.

Animation from “Horton Hears a Who” Courtesy 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios

Blue Sky Studios, the digital animation studio responsible for box-office hits Ice Age and Horton Hears a Who, is moving their operations and 300 jobs to Connecticut. The company is leaving it’s facility in White Plains, NY to occupy 106,000 square feet in Greenwich.

Connecticut attracted Blue Sky Studios with an aggressive package of incentives. Blue Sky will receive at least $15 million in annual corporate tax credits, a $750,000 exemption on sales tax for construction materials used during office renovations and an $8 million loan of which $6 million will be forgiven.

Blue Sky CFO/COO Brian Keane told Site Selection magazine, “The state has taken the lead to create the necessary economic environment to make itself attractive to businesses like ours.”

Recently the state of Connecticut has focused on attracting high-tech companies like Blue Sky Studios. In 2006 Connecticut established a 30% tax credit for production expenses and costs of film, TV and web productions done in the state. In 2007 the credit was expanded to include investments in buildings and other infrastructure.

Studio Planned for Former Engine Plant

A developer says he will convert a 75-acre Army Engine Plant into sound stages and production facilities. The company called Hollywood East won an auction for the purchase of the facility from the federal government. While the $9.6 million bid has been accepted Hollywood East must still submit a reuse plan and deal with contamination issues before the sale is finalized. In 2007 more than 20 feature films were shot in Connecticut including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull.

Unilever United States plans to move 116 jobs to Connecticut from a facility in Illinois. Unilever’s R&D facility in Trumbull already employs more than 500 people. When consolidation is complete the Trumbull operation will have 775 employees.

The State of Connecticut is providing Unilever with a $3 million loan to expand the facility. No principal is due for the first 2 years of the 10-year, 2.5% loan. If the company meets job creation targets $1.5 million of the loan will be forgiven.

Governor M. Jodi Rell told the Connecticut Business Times, “This project is a victory for Connecticut on several fronts, including retaining the quality jobs we currently have and adding new ones.” In addition to the jobs coming from Illinois Unilever will transfer 130 workers from its Clinton, CT facility to the Trumbull location.

Unilever manufactures food, home care and personal care products.

Fortune Magazine cited two Connecticut Central Coast communities in their list of the “100 Best Places to Live and Launch a Business.” Hamden ranked #33 and Fairfield came in at #64.

With nearly 60,000 residents and Quinnipiac University Hamden borders New Haven. Fortune said, “It's a bustling town in its own right, complete with good schools and quaint New England charm. Last year nearly 7% of the town's businesses were startups, lured by Hamden's development incentives, which include tax abatements for real-estate improvements, startup grants averaging $30,000, and low-cost loans at 1% over prime.”

Fairfield boasts two universities and the world headquarters of General Electric. Fortune said, “Fairfield's economic development office provides technical support and financial aid to new or expanding businesses with five or fewer employees. Thriving retail and service startups serve the city's moneyed residents (whose median family income is $100,920), so it's no wonder longtime successful industries include finance, insurance, and real estate. The development of a new commuter rail station and a commercial office space just off I-95 promise to create new business opportunities when it is complete in a few years.”