CT Small Businesses Find Opportunities at CT Business Matchmaker

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CT Small Businesses Find Opportunities at CT Business Matchmaker

May 02 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford Events 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, CT, small business, small business resources, small businesses, University of Hartford

The CT Business Matchmaker 2016 at the Gengras Student Union on the University of Hartford Campus. (Photo courtesy Shana Sureck Photography)

The University of Hartford will host the CT Business Matchmaker 2018 Thursday, June 14 from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT.

Register to attend the CT Business Matchmaker 2018

The high-energy networking event connects small businesses and contractors with large companies and agencies during a fast-paced series of 10-minute one-on-one interviews.

“Bringing together large companies and agencies with small businesses in the fast-paced Matchmaker environment creates the spark for emerging relationships that will fuel the state’s economy,” said Fred Wergeles, Director of the University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center.

INVALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

CT Business Matchmaker 2018 will offer an invaluable opportunity for small business owners to expand their contracting relationships. During the event, small businesses will present their products and services to potential customers in a series of 10- minute, one-on-one interviews with Primes. All Prime participants—including state and federal agencies, large corporations, municipalities, and educational institutions—come to the event with business needs they are seeking to fill.

At the event, small businesses meet with primes (including large and medium-sized companies, municipalities, government agencies, and educational institutions) to present their products and services in a series of 10-minute one-on-one interviews. This winning process enables primes and small businesses to quickly identify potential partnerships.

SPONSORS AND PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

Gold Sponsors of CT Business Matchmaker 2017 include:

About The University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center

The University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center provides training for new and expanding small businesses, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs, throughout Connecticut. Part of the nationally renowned Barney School of Business, the Entrepreneurial Center helps small business owners and employees gain the business skills needed to succeed in the marketplace through business advising, technical assistance, educational programs, and networking events. The Women’s Business Center, which specializes in serving women in business, is the largest initiative of the Entrepreneurial Center.

VISIT: hartford.edu/ec
FOLLOW: on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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Connecticut Valley Brewing Company

April 30 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: beer, breweries, Connecticut, Connecticut Valley Brewing Company, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, small business, startup brewery

The Connecticut Valley Brewing Team (left to right): Maxx McNall, Marketing Assistant; James Dodd; Cellerman, Andrew Blakeslee; Cellerman, Steve Palauskas, Owner; Ashley Blanchard, Director of Operations; and Jay Desroches, Head Brewer.

Steve Palauskas, Owner at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company told Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price about his entrepreneurial experience and how the brewery got started.

NAN: Do you have experience launching other startups?

STEVE PALAUSKAS: I started a service company in the early- to mid-90s. It was fun to start a business, take the risk, and see what you could do with it. I still have that business. It’s productive—45 people work for me there. I like to employ people. I like the challenges.

NAN: Why open a brewery?

STEVE: I’ve always enjoyed manufacturing. And I’ve always enjoyed beer and the process of making it. I started homebrewing years ago. My wife Lori encouraged me to start a brewery years ago. We just couldn’t open at the time because the other business really got going and was building at a fast pace. When that business was self-sustaining, she said: Why don’t you do it now? That was about four years ago.

At that time, the market for craft beer was really evolving. It was the perfect time to open a brewery in this area in South Windsor. It’s a prime business town. There’s a good demographic in the area. When we started looking for property the town presented this property to me. I thought it would be perfect for a brewery.

NAN: It’s a huge space.

STEVE: That was purposeful, so we could grow into it and easily add on, rather than having a brewery that was much smaller. If we grew we’d have to move and dismantle everything. This is much better. And like I said, I like challenges. The challenge here was to put up a building and make it work.

NAN: So, this was all built from scratch?

Connecticut Valley Brewing Company in South Windsor, CT.

STEVE: Yes. I built this. I started October 2016. We finished building it last July and then we opened the taproom in October. It took about a year and a half to get everything together. We collaborated with designers and architects and went from there. So, it’s brand new, purpose-built as a brewery. We have plenty of space to do events and plenty of space to brew.

NAN: How do you know when your beer is marketable?

STEVE: Of course, people will tell you your beer is good. But you don’t know if it’s really true or not. It’s great to have a friend say they love your beer, but they’re my friend, so they’re going to tell me what I want to hear.

At one point, everyone was filling my head with ideas and telling me the beer was good. But the idea wasn’t really validated until we started contract brewing at another brewery in the state. When we started doing that people did not know who were and they were commenting about how good the beer was. That was about two years before we started on this building.

So, I was contract brewing and things were going very well. We put our beer out there and we could see the demand was high and people liked the New England-style of beer. At that point, I was already in deep with United Bank, trying to figure out how to get the money together to build the building. When they saw the product was viable and the market was growing the bank got behind the project and really pushed it.

NAN: How has your prior startup experience helped with this venture as far as developing a business plan and hiring people?

STEVE: It’s not jumping into a pool not knowing what’s happening. It’s manufacturing, and it doesn’t matter what I’m manufacturing. If you provide a good product, people are going to come back time and again.

NAN: I’ve heard there’s a good sense of camaraderie amongst the Connecticut breweries.

STEVE: Local breweries definitely help each other out. If we have an issue, we’ll call Broad Brook Brewing Company or Willimantic Brewing Company and ask questions or ask for supplies. Everyone works together. It’s a good environment.

NAN: You’ve been a business owner for some time now Tell us something we don’t know about what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur.

STEVE: It’s super stressful. You go from having it to being broke. People think you’re loaded. But you get paid and then everything is gone again. It’s just the normal stress factor of managing money, time, and resources.

NAN: How do you find balance in that? Or how do you learn to go with it?

STEVE: You get calloused. There’s nothing you can do about it. You get paid when you get paid. It just takes a different person to own and operate a business. I can’t sit in a cubicle. I’d rather have the stress and the challenges of doing this. And it’s fun to employ people. You find people you want to work with.

NAN: That’s a good tip. Any other advice?

STEVE: You find people who think they know what they’re doing, and you mold them to what you want them to do. That’s the thing, they have to be wanting and able to do a job. I’ve hired thousands of people throughout the years, so I know by seeing a person that this person would be good for that position. Even though they don’t think they are, I can mold them into that direction. You give them the opportunity to screw up, correct them, and then you make them work where they need to be.

NAN: Many breweries have been popping up throughout Connecticut. What differentiates yours?

STEVE: All breweries start at a location and they support that community and that area. That’s kind of what we’re doing here. We’re supporting this community in South Windsor.

NAN: How are you marketing?

STEVE: Social media is huge for us, it’s great with the younger crowd, but we’re looking into news print too. We also rely on word of mouth. Untapped brings us a lot of customers, too.

NAN: Where do you distribute your beer?

STEVE: We distribute throughout all of Connecticut. And we’re expanding into Massachusetts and other areas. In the future we plan to just keep pushing out to the market—of course making sure the beers are good, so people enjoy them. We’re also changing with the trends and pushing out to different market areas that will accept it.

Find out more abut Connecticut Valley Brewing Company

VISIT: ctvalleybrewing.com
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Untapped | Twitter

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Relic Brewing Shares Updates About the Startup

March 29 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: breweries, business growth, Connecticut, CT brewery, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, small business, startup

Relic Brewing recently opened a new taproom at its location in Plainville, CT. (Photo courtesy Christine Dangelo)

Innovation Destination Hartford met with Relic Brewing Owner and Head Brewer Mark Sigman in April 2016 (read the interview: Entrepreneur Brewer: Relic Brewing). Since its launch in 2012, Relic has been brewing a variety of craft beers and “keeping pace with the industry,” which, as Mark noted back in 2016, is how to be successful.

Another inroad to success: The brewery recently added a taproom whisky bar where customers can order 0.5-oz or 1-oz pours from more than 800 spirits. Rotating whisky, mezcal, tequila, rum, or gin flights will also be available

“Since August we’ve been accumulating a truly world-class collection of fine and rare spirits to complement our beer, and we’re thrilled to finally get the word out so that people can come and experience this for themselves,” said Mark.

In addition to providing a variety of craft beers, Relic has accumulated a large collection of fine and rare spirits.

“What we’ve created is unlike anything we know of in the country and we truly believe is at the forefront of what’s new in the increasingly popular craft food and beverage scene. Our customers have so far been shocked, delighted, and returning for more—more flavors, more education, and best of all, more fun,” he added.

What makes Relic innovative? According to brewery, it’s the staff’s passion and depth of knowledge. And the fact that customers can experience the tasting in an informal setting. Relic’s innovation is the combination of approachability, affordability, and expertise paired with craft beer, the brewery noted.

Find out more about Relic Brewing

READ: Innovation Destination Hartford interview with Relic Brewing Founder Mark Sigman
VISIT: www.relicbeer.com
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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Small Business Financing Tips

March 16 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford Blog 0 comments Tags: business owners, entrepreneur, entrepreneur resources, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, finance, financing, small business

If you’re an entrepreneur looking for a way to finance a small business or grow an existing company, you’re likely feeling a little lost and confused. Many people have great ideas that could solve problems and meet the market’s needs, but they don’t know how to fund their business idea.

Learn the top financing options for entrepreneurs to simplify the process and help turn your idea into a reality or expand your current business.

MY ENTREPRENEUR STORY

Serial entrepreneur Marsha Kelly shares her entrepreneurial experiences at best4businesses.com.

Before I reveal some lending options, I want to give you an overview of my story and why I am passionate about these financial resources. Although I loved building my company from scratch and watching my returns grow, my limited resources stopped my business from reaching its full potential.

Getting a loan that matched my needs enabled me to take my bottom line to new heights. I could outsource to utilize talent from around the world, improve my branding, and break into other markets. New and exciting opportunities will pop up and promptly disappear if you don’t act fast, and the right lending options can prevent you from being left behind.

Here are some financing options for small business owners to consider.

401(K) FINANCING

You can fund your business with ease if you have money in an IRA 401(k) account, and it’s not as hard as it might sound. In most cases, people need to pay taxes and expensive fees when they withdraw money from a retirement account early, but you can get around that roadblock without much trouble. The way to start, buy, or expand a business with your retirement savings is called a Rollover for Business Startup (ROBS). You can pull $50,000 or more out of your account to launch your business in no time. Find out how to set up a ROBS account.

WORKING CAPITAL

Working capital loans are a valuable tool when you want to grow an existing business. These loans will keep your company on track. You can use them to fund your everyday expenses, such as buying inventory or paying your staff. When your sales slow down and you need a way to keep your head above water, this path could be the perfect solution. You can get the money into your account quickly and you can take this path when you need a short-term lending option. The biggest downside, though, is that your lender will have the right to claim any remaining equity before your investors if you file bankruptcy.

BUSINESS LINE OF CREDIT

If you want to get funds to run your business and plan to do the same in the future, get a business line of credit. Doing so enables you to borrow and repay loans when you need them, and you won’t have to fill out additional applications each time. In simple terms, a business line of credit is a credit card for your business and you can use the funds how you want.

INVOICE FACTORING

Invoice factoring is another great option when you need money and don’t have time to wait. Most companies and small businesses have unpaid invoices sitting around the office, but you can turn them into liquid assets before you know it. Depending on several things, you can sell your unpaid invoices for 60% to 95% of their value and the factoring company will then collect the invoices. Since you won’t get the full amount your customers owe when you take this path, weigh the pros and cons before making a final decision.

LOAN KABBAGE REVIEW

If you’re interested in getting working capital loans, invoice factoring, or other alternative funding options, consider the benefits of going to Kabbage. I have looked at several top review sites to get a clear picture of what you can expect if you opt for this path. As far as benefits are concerned, you can get your funds sooner than you would with other lenders; Kabbage approves some borrowers within a few hours of receiving their application. Learn more about Kabbage loans for small business.

Also, Kabbage will even give you a loan if you have bad credit. When you decide to move forward and take out a loan with this finance company, you can get between $2,000 and $100,000. However, Kabbage compensates for the risk of lending to those with poor credit by raising their fees, and some people pay an annual percentage rate of 99%.

ACCOUNT RECEIVABLE FINANCING

Although a lot of people view account receivable loans and invoice factoring as the same thing, these funding options are different. Learning what separates them will help you choose the option that makes sense for your needs. Learn the difference between factoring and invoice financing, which is rather than selling your unpaid invoices, you will borrow money and use your invoices as collateral.

If someone takes this path and is unable to repay the loan, the lender can collect the invoices to compensate for the balance. The amount you can expect to borrow with account receivable loans depends on a few things. You can give your lender peace of mind if you show that your customers have a history of paying their bills.

MERCHANT ACCOUNT ADVANCES

If you accept credit cards as a payment option, a merchant account advance could be the right solution for you. It enables you to take out a loan based on your average profit. The lender will take a percentage of your credit card payments until you have repaid the loan and closed the account. You won’t need to break your budget to repay the loan during times of slow sales, putting your worries to rest.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FINANCING OPTION FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Financial restraints should not stop you from growing or starting a business, and they won’t harm your progress if you follow a proven plan. Keep your needs and goals in mind when you decide what lending option is right for you, and you will be pleased with the result.

About the Author
Marsha Kelly is a serial entrepreneur who has done time in corporate America, selling her first business for more than $1 million. Marsha shares her entrepreneurial experiences at best4businesses.com.

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CT Entrepreneur Reflects on His Best Lessons From 2017

January 19 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: business owner, Connecticut, CT, entrepreneur, small business, small business owner

Michael Keiser is Co-Founder of The Entrepreneur Circle and BKV Solutions.

Michael Keiser is Co-Founder of coaching, marketing, and advisory company The Entrepreneur Circle and Co-Founder of management consulting startup BKV Solutions. Here he reflects on the most valuable lessons he learned in 2017:

Quit “selling.”
Provide people with a valuable experience ahead of time of what it would be like to work with us. Provide good information, positive experiences, and good reasons for people to hire you. Building that level of trust with people helped our business grow 45% this year.

Be challenged more.
I’m much more open to being challenged by ideas, my partners, close advisors, and clients. It helped me to get out of my own way and build a greater capacity for learning and growth.

Surround myself with people who help me thrive.
Being around people who inspire me has helped me become a better version of myself.

Build an even stronger network.
The relationships I created this past year have had an amazing impact on our business.

Tell myself the truth—always.
It’s very easy to believe our own garbage and block ourselves from important learning. With the help of a few close confidants, I’ve learned that telling myself the sometimes-unpleasant truth made a huge difference in my life and business.

Leave room for what’s important.
It’s easy for me to get sucked in to work and other things. I learned that, even though I took more time for the important people and things, I got more work done that any other time in my life.

Stop resuscitating things that need to die.
Whether they are business ideas, toxic relationships, or various shiny objects, I learned that sometimes it’s time to stop beating a dead horse and move on. We often talk to our clients about the “elimination of the unacceptable.” I finally took some of my own advice and found that it provided me with a lot more capacity to get important things done.

The sure-fire way to “win” is to work harder than everyone else.
Whether it’s your competition, your colleagues, or yourself, there is no way to skip the hard work and become a higher performer at the same time. I understand what people mean when they say, “Work smarter, not harder.” But, I tend to disagree. Yes, we want to work as smart as possible. But that will never beat the person who’s willing to work a little later, put in the extra effort, and do the work while others are watching Game of Thrones.

Interested in learning more about Mike and his entrepreneurial endeavors?

VISIT
mentalcompass.com
bkvsolutions.com

FOLLOW
Facebook /theentrepreneurcircle
LinkedIn
Twitter @TheEcircle

READ THE INTERVIEW
Entrepreneur Co-Founds Business Advisory Startup

READ THE IDH BLOGS
Business Realities for Successful Entrepreneurs
Quit Trying to Convert the Non-Believers

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Thomas Hooker Brewery Finds a Home in Hartford

December 28 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: beer, brewery, Connecticut, Connecticut beer scene, CT, CT beer, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Hartford, small business, Thomas Hooker

Thomas Hooker Brewery opened a tap room and pilot brewery in Hartford, CT.

Serial entrepreneur Curt Cameron launched and sold a startup and owned, operated, and sold two larger stores before becoming owner of Thomas Hooker Brewery. Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price spoke to Curt about his entrepreneurial experience and how and why the brewery recently created a presence in Hartford.

NAN PRICE: Have you always wanted to own your own business?

CURT CAMERON: Not so much a brewery. I always laugh because most people who start breweries have a love of home brewing. And that is not me.

NP: That is funny—most of the craft brewery startup owners I’ve met began by homebrewing.

CC: My desire was more to build a brand than it was to brew. I don’t brew beer. I’ve always hired people to do that. I enjoy more the business component of things.

NP: So, how did you end up owning a brewery?

CC: My degrees are in business and computer science. After school, I worked at a software company where I did well. I left making lots of money to make almost no money. A friend and I started a landscaping company, which we grew nicely. I ran it and sold it off. Afterward, I traveled for a bit and then got back into the software business.

When my son was born, I was traveling three days a week, which was not very conducive to being a new dad. So, in 2001 I opened my first liquor store, which was fairly large. And then I opened another bigger store. That industry helped me realize the craft brewing world was really taking off.

Eventually, I sold the wine stores took another year off. I was looking at different opportunities and one of the attorneys I had worked with asked me what I knew about Thomas Hooker beer. I remember saying: It’s a good brand, but they don’t do much with it. He asked if I thought they’d want to sell it. I said: I don’t know, but let’s go ask

He and I approached the owners and they agreed to sell us the brewery and made it very easy for us. We took it over in 2006.

Beers on tap at the Thomas Hooker Brewery at Colt in Hartford, CT.

NP: Give us a little history. When was the brewery actually founded?

CC: It was founded in 1996 as the Trout Brook Brew Pub. In 2003, the second owners rebranded it to the Thomas Hooker Brewery. Thomas Hooker ale was their best-selling beer, so they renamed the company.

The brewery was in Hartford when we took over. It was originally located in the old Spaghetti Warehouse building on Bartholomew Avenue in Parkville.

When we took over ownership, we know we didn’t want to be a restaurant. With an eye toward production brewing, we found a building in Bloomfield that fit our needs and moved the brewery out of Hartford to Bloomfield. So essentially this brewery started in Hartford then we moved it out mostly for real estate purposes.

NP: Why did Thomas Hooker Brewery decide it was important to come back to Hartford and have a presence in the city?

CC: We’ve always said we’d love to get back to Hartford. I even tried coming to the Colt building before we moved out to Bloomfield. But, at that time it wasn’t nearly as far along as is now, and we were looking more for production space.

Before the ballpark was built, we were going to buy a big piece of land right off I-91. That never panned out. Then we were going to go to the Hartford Times building, but the University of Connecticut ended up in that space. We looked at a couple other locations, but the planets didn’t align.

And then eventually the managing partner here at the Colt building asked if I wanted to look at a space. It was at the North Armory and I wasn’t interested in it. He said he had one other space that had been a nursery school. When he showed it to me, I thought: This is the place. It’s got a patio, great windows, and production space. I can work with this.

NP: When did you open in Hartford?

CC: We officially opened the taproom and small batch pilot brewery July 20, 2017.

NP: Thomas Hooker is one of the first breweries in Connecticut—and you continue to innovate.

CC: When we started I think we were the fourth craft brewery in Connecticut. It’s funny how you find inspiration. I remember when I first took the company over I was in a restaurant where I knew they didn’t have our beer on tap. I would always ask anyway: I see you don’t have any Thomas Hooker on tap, do you ever think about bringing it in?

I remember there was an older lady at the bar who asked where that beer was made. I told her it was made in Hartford, and she said: If it’s made in Hartford, it can’t be any good.

That conversation always stuck with me. It’s been a little bit of motivation. I wanted to prove that good things can come from Hartford. So, we continue to build and grow the brand and then obviously the market has sort of grown up around us.

If anything, our big challenge is that we are not the new guys anymore. How do you stay relevant and exciting? I think it’s by creating not only great product but having a great facility, like being located in the Colt building.

NP: You mentioned you were the fourth craft brewery. What are your thoughts about the growing brewery scene in Connecticut?

CC: There’s the good and then the not so good. Obviously, not too many people would want to be in an industry that all the sudden has 10 times the competitors enter the market within a couple of years. So that can be challenging.

The great part is that when I started, it seemed the general feeling was that Connecticut didn’t have any good beers. Now, I love the fact that Connecticut craft brews are getting the recognition they are due.

We’ve got some phenomenal breweries here in Connecticut. With any industry that has a whole bunch of competitors start up in a short period of time, there’s going to be a fallout. There are going to be some winners and there are going to be some losers. What we’ve got going for us is we’re pretty much paid for and we’ve been doing this for a while, so I think we’ve got a little more knowledge than a lot of startups.

Our biggest challenge is staying relevant—and we need to do that by constantly innovating. Gone are the days of making one beer and having everybody just buy it. You’ve got to change, innovate. That’s one of the things we’re really focusing on. And one of the reasons we opened at Colt. It’s a test facility for us. This is where we’ll pilot brew products. That’s the other thing we love about this facility—it’s got a great little pilot system.

Thomas Hooker Brewery at Colt remains innovative by pilot testing 100-gallon batches of beer.

NP: So, you’re testing different beers at Colt then you can take them back to the brewery in Bloomfield to make larger batches?

CC: Exactly. We brew 100-gallon batches at Colt. What we brew in Bloomfield is essentially 14,000 12-ounce beers. You don’t want to be doing too many test batches at that size. What we’re doing in Hartford is great. We brew 100 gallons and let the public taste them and give us thumbs up or thumbs down. The beers we really like we can fine-tune and then brew on a production level.

NP: Let’s talk about distribution.

CC: We’ve kind of come full circle. At one point, we were in seven or eight states. I had to ask myself: With the explosion of the number of brands, why would Thomas Hooker be relevant in Florida?

It used to be that we were a smaller subset of brands and people would ask for the beer. But if you don’t have a physical presence to really tell your story, and you don’t have the marketing to do advertising, how does your story really resonate with the consumer? It doesn’t.

Over time, after I expanded to all these states, I slowly started to pull back. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just asking for your brand back. If you give your brand to somebody, they can get rid of it at any time, and they can also decide to keep it in perpetuity. Some wholesalers can make things challenging. Rather than letting you go to a competitor, they would rather sit your beer on a shelf, so you don’t become competition.

So, I wait for what I call “the equity event”—if a distributor gets bought or merged, that’s one time I can get my brand back. I’ve pulled the brand back from Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. I pulled out those states because I thought the wholesalers were doing marginal jobs with our product. And, frankly, we are at capacity in Connecticut and we love our Connecticut wholesalers.

We’re only distributed in the southern part of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia corridor. Believe it or not, our largest growth market right now is Norway. We’ve built a partnership with a Norwegian distributor who specializes in importing American specialty food products and beer for the Norwegian and European markets. We send container after container of beer to Norway now.

NP: Aside from that, it’s really working for you to have mainly a Connecticut focus.

CC: Yes. I call it doing deep rather than wide. We’re distributed by the Budweiser network in Connecticut. They’re wonderful partners to us. We have a couple sales reps in Connecticut. We stay focused right here, and thankfully we’re able to sell all our product in a smaller footprint.

NP: Where do you see the company in the next few years?

CC: I’m not completely sure. A lot of it is going to be market-driven. I think the challenge we run into is not knowing what this market is going to do.

Our plan is to expand our production capabilities to satisfy our current demand. We have already purchased a 30,000 square-foot building next to the brewery, which gives us plenty of expansion room. I’m sort of proceeding with caution because of the fickleness of this market.

NP: Any advice for those thinking of opening a craft brewery?

CC: My advice for anyone looking to get into this business today: Unless you’ve got millions of dollars to build a huge production facility, stay small and open a tasting room. Build your brand and knowledge of the industry on a smaller scale before spending millions on a large-production facility.

Find out more about Thomas Hooker Brewery

VISIT:
hookerbeer.com
hookerbeer.com/colt

FOLLOW:
Facebook /hookerbeer and /hookerbeercolt
Instagram @hookerbeer
Twitter @hookerbeer

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396

Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford: Sarah’s Coffee House

December 19 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, CT, entrepreneur, Greater Hartford, Hartford, Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs, HYPE, small business, women business owner, women-owned business

The Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford blog series is a collaboration between Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE) and reSET Social Enterprise.

The videos showcase the commitment Greater Hartford entrepreneurs have for their work and the city of Hartford, examine how young entrepreneurs have chosen their work, and provide examples of the ways in which they are making an impact in their communities.

Uyen Mai, Owner of Hartford-based Sarah’s Coffee Shop, says she wanted to do something globally oriented and community-based.

Sarah’s Coffee House supports direct trade by sourcing organic Arabica coffee beans directly from farm families and co-ops to guarantee fair practices and high-quality products. The process of direct trade ensures that smaller coffee farmers are not exploited by those purchasing their crop.

Uyen’s advice to other entrepreneurs is: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” She adds, “Reaching out to people was one of the greatest things I could have done for the business.”

Watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=RLPncHd1aqw

 

Learn more about HYPE in our interview with HYPE Executive Director Kim Bishop and HYPE Program Director Jackie Valliere:
Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE)

Interested in meeting more entrepreneurs who love Hartford? Watch more videos:

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Entrepreneurial Team Launches Connecticut-Based Cigar Company

December 11 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Startups 0 comments Tags: cigars, Connecticut, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Highclere Castle Cigar Company, small business, startup

Serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Onyx Spirits Company Adam von Gootkin recently teamed with Foundation Cigar Company Founder Nicholas Melillo and George Herbert, the Eighth Earl of Carnarvon, to launch Highclere Castle Cigar Company

Highclere Castle Cigar Company co-founders Adam von Gootkin, George Herbert, and Nicholas Melillo (left to right) enjoy cigars at the startup’s launch event at Mickey Blake’s in Southington, CT.

In October, Mickey Blake’s Cigar Lounge hosted a launch event for Highclere Castle Cigar. Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price met up with the team there to discuss cigars and entrepreneurship.

NAN PRICE: Adam, you and I met in early 2016.You’ve been busy since then, mentoring startups, growing Onyx Moonshine, and now launching Highclere Castle Cigar Company. How did that come to be? I know there’s a story there.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: A couple of years ago, my Onyx business partner Peter Kowalczyk and I were looking at unique ways to expand beyond just a Connecticut-made product and add another business to our portfolio. We’re big fans of Scotch whiskey and English gin.

The thought struck me as I was watching an episode of Downton Abbey. What if we open a distillery at the Highclere Castle estate in the United Kingdom? The castle is well-recognized and the history of enjoying spirits and entertainment there is very deep.

One thing led to another and, before I knew it, I was on the phone with George Herbert, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon. Lord Carnarvon owns Highclere Castle and the Highclere Estate, which is where Downton Abbey is filmed.

LORD CARNARVON: Adam got in touch with me out of the blue with ideas to create high-quality products that have a resonance with Highclere Castle and its history. We discussed ideas for cigars and spirits—because we are farmers at home and we grow a lot of barley.

NAN PRICE: So, how did you get from the distillery to cigars?

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: The initial reason for pursuing this project was to produce spirits in line with the Highclere Castle legacy of entertainment and agriculture production. We wanted to use the barley and botanicals grown on the estate to produce excellent spirits.

We’re developing the Highclere Castle Gin and Whiskey now for launch next year, but it’s quite a long project as there’s farming and significant investment involved.

LORD CARNARVON: We decided to go forward with creating a fine cigar, as our first step in the project. There’s long history of entertaining at Highclere Castle, right from the time after the building was built in the 1840s—my wife recently wrote a book about it (At Home at Highclere: Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey).

Fine cigars were an important part of that scene. For someone who’s never been to Highclere, we wanted to create something to make them feel as though they might have been part of that once great way of life.

NAN PRICE: You say Adam got in touch “out of the blue”—how did you originally connect?

LORD CARNARVON: In the tradition of Great American entrepreneurs, Adam is not at all frightened of being upfront. He just sent an email saying: Will you call me? And I did.

NAN PRICE: You had never met?

LORD CARNARVON: No! In a way that’s how you have to make things happen. I’m sure that day I was doing a myriad of boring day-to-day business things.

NAN PRICE: And then along comes Adam, from “across the pond.”

LORD CARNARVON: Right. Bringing people together across the world is part of making progress and creating things.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: Well said. We ended up having a phone call and we just hit it off. I quickly realized he had great vision for what they are doing at Highclere and we were looking to expand the projects we were doing. It was very good timing.

Geordie and I became friends after my wife and I visited Highclere. I think friendship is how business should really start.

Meanwhile, I was talking with Nicholas Melillo, who had also become a good friend of mine. He’s very well-known and well-respected in the cigar industry. We became friends because, like me, he is a completely self-started entrepreneur.

NAN PRICE: How did you two connect?

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: Nick and I were introduced by the owner of Mickey Blake’s. After an hour it felt like we’d known each other for 20 years. We had his cigars and my moonshine, and by the time we were done we knew we wanted to do something together.

NICHOLAS MELILLO: When I met Adam we immediately connected. We have a lot in common, especially with business and launching startups. I launched Foundation Cigar Company two years ago and used to run another company for 12 years, so I have similar startup and business experience. In a way, there are a lot of similarities between the spirit world and handmade cigars.

We had talked about doing a cigar initially. We didn’t really know what we were going to do at time. Eventually, Adam called me and told me about Highclere Castle. There couldn’t be more of a perfect fit.

It’s funny, I told my brother about how Adam met Lord Carnarvon and once he heard the story he said that sounds exactly like something Adam would do.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: I remember calling Nick and telling him about the Highclere Castle project. I said: Imagine if we could team up to produce a super-premium cigar—the type that Lord Carnarvon’s great grandfather would have been smoking on the day he discovered King Tut’s tomb, or perhaps the type of cigar the characters in the era of Downton Abbey would have enjoyed.

NICHOLAS MELILLO: I was intrigued. At this point in my life, I’ve made conscious decisions about my business interactions. Life is too short to be involved with people who don’t have the best intentions. With this business venture, everything has been so natural, right into the creation of the product. It’s been a real pleasure. I’m still in awe of the project.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: The whole thing is very natural. When business happens naturally, you are going with the current. If you’ve got to push, fight, scream, and claw, you’re going against the current. I often find that makes it difficult for business—maybe the business shouldn’t be.

But, when you have a reason for a product to be, that’s the first thing, because there’s a market readiness for it. When you have a team that’s equally obsessed with the idea of quality and has the know-how to execute, that’s the magic formula for success and doing a good job. It helps to be fulfilled while you’re doing the work.

NAN PRICE: When did the company officially launch?

Highclere Castle Cigar Company cigars. The startup launched in July 2017.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: We formed the Highclere Castle Cigar Company in spring 2017.

Once everyone was on board, Lord Carnarvon, Nick, Pete, and I traveled to Nicaragua, where we spent more than a week in the factory and in the field to create the perfect cigar. Nick crafted about 20 different cigar blends before we settled on one. And he brought in some incredibly rare and expensive tobaccos to use in his blend.

LORD CARNARVON: We spent the most fascinating week when we began to put this story together last spring in Nicaragua. We learned from Nick about the whole process—everything from the seed in the ground to the tobacco leaves to the maturation to the fermentation to rolling the cigars by hand.

What was amazing about choosing the cigar Nick created was that we all chose the same blend.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: Yes! We did a blind test and we all selected same cigar.

NAN PRICE: Let’s talk about the significance of having the company’s headquarters here in Connecticut.

NICHOLAS MELILLO: Connecticut’s history in cigars and tobacco has been very rich. I always wanted to have our office here in Connecticut, in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley. That dream came true this past March.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: The fact that we are locating our headquarters here in Connecticut speaks to Connecticut’s long history with the tobacco industry—Connecticut was a world leader in cigar production. It’s also one of the reasons we chose Connecticut Shade as our cigar wrapper.

NICHOLAS MELILLO: Connecticut is one of the very few states in the United States that grows black tobaccos, which are cigar tobaccos. As Adam said, Connecticut was the epicenter. We’d really like to resurrect the cigar industry here in Connecticut and educate people about the history of smoking cigars.

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: This project is a neat gap over several continents—it’s the United Kingdom, it’s Connecticut and the United States, and it’s Nicaragua, where the cigars are made.

It’s really an amalgamation of a few different people with very different backgrounds and expertise, all of which have an entrepreneurial bend that have come together with one common passion. That’s what makes it particularly interesting.

NAN PRICE: It all comes down to passion—in this case for both cigars and entrepreneurship. What’s next for Highclere Cigar Company?

ADAM VON GOOTKIN: We launched the cigars in July at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) in Las Vegas. The first week of October they shipped to stores all around the country. Early next year, we’ll launch in Britain and we’re exploring Asia now. We’ve gotten great reviews so far. We’ve already presold 40,000 cigars and are projected to sell more than 90,000 next year.

Right now, I’m focused on continuing to do a great job with Highclere Castle Cigar Company and continuing to grow Onyx Spirits.

Simultaneously, we’re preparing to launch what will be an incredibly high-end Highclere Gin, using botanicals and herbs from the estate and a recipe we’re working on with Lady Carnarvon. This should hit the market by summer of next year, and I’m looking forward to pairing it with the cigar.

Learn more about Highclere Castle Cigar Company by visiting highclerecastlecigar.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram @highclerecastlecigar, and Twitter @HighclereCigar.

Find out more about Adam von Gootkin in our interview Onyx Moonshine: Reviving the American Spirit In Connecticut or read our review his book Living Proof: Onyx Moonshine’s Journey to Revive The American Spirit. Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamvonGootkin.

At Home at Highclere: Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey, by The Countess of Carnarvon is available at Amazon.com.

 

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Entrepreneur Launches Startup Brewery: Boondoggle Beers

December 08 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: beer, brewery, Connecticut, CT, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, small business, startup

Boondoggle Beers Founder Micah Kerr served tastings of his Departure Citra Pale Ale beer at Manchester Wine and Liquors.

Website Curator Nan Price Innovation Destination Hartford spoke to Boondoggle Beers Founder Micah Kerr about the process of launching a startup brewery in Connecticut and his plans to create a presence in Hartford.

NAN PRICE: Have you always been entrepreneurial?

MICAH KERR: That’s a fascinating question for me to answer I’ve always felt that I was entrepreneurial, but I’ve also always been frozen by fear of failure. So, I haven’t really done anything in an entrepreneurial sense—until now.

I’ve worked in the corporate world for many years and I learned that it really wasn’t right for me, even though I did obtain certain level of success. It was probably the worst thing for me, because I should’ve just embraced my entrepreneurial side and done something years ago! But alas, here I am. I felt it was time to do something; time to be happier. I was 39 when I made the choice to really go for this.

NP: Why did you decide to open a craft brewery?

MK: I’ve been a fan of craft beer since the mid-90s. Those were the beers I was first buying, and my friends and I brewed beer in our dorm. As the industry grew and became more visible, I flirted with the idea of opening a craft brewery. I thought about it more seriously about eight years ago. And then I realized: If I don’t do this now, I’ll regret it forever.

NP: When exactly did you launch?

MK: Officially, I got my state permit August 29 this year. That allows me to sell product.

NP: How was that process of obtaining the permit?

MK: It was daunting. There is so much regulation, and with alcohol even more so. The entire process took three years. Granted, a lot of that was on me for trying to maintain a full-time job during that time.

I think if you have some financial resources, it’s probably not too bad. But for a layperson like me, I didn’t have the ability, the bandwidth, and maybe even the education to pore through the documents required and fill everything out promptly and accurately, so it took a while.

NP: Would you say that’s been the biggest startup challenge?

MK: Yes, because any other major challenge I’ve had has been more on the personal side. Also, the challenge of not having enough capital is something I think every startup deals with.

NP: A lot of entrepreneurs—especially first-time entrepreneurs—experience some sort of pivot. What about you?

MK: My whole business plan changed eight times. As a first-time entrepreneur, I had no expectations. I just rolled with it. Naïveté is amazing, right?

I take the mentality of: Attack what’s in front of you. I’m still doing that now that I’m open. I’m doing that more than ever. Some things I’m not 100% certain what I need to do, so I’ll figure them out later. There may be repercussions, and if there are, I’ll deal with them then.

Obviously this is a practice that needs to change for my long-term success, and I am working on it, but I think in these earliest of days it’s necessary to be more reactionary than calculated.

NP: Many craft brewery stories start with a homebrewing experience, like yours. At what point did you realize that what you were brewing was marketable?

MK: I don’t know if I ever had the “a-ha moment.” I hate to sound terribly confident, but I knew what I was making was good. More importantly, with something like beer, it’s also knowing you’ve differentiated yourself from the market in some degree.

NP: And how have you differentiated? What makes your product unique or innovative?

MK: In homebrewing eight years ago, I was making some beers that are appreciated now. For example, my double honey IPA. I’ve been making the same recipe for years as a homebrewer and now people are drinking it and they like it.

As far as being innovative, I guess it’s just a matter of trying to keep up with some of the newer trends. And, obviously, it’s not about hobby, it’s about a business. So, you have to earn revenue at some point.

NP: Let’s talk about location. You don’t have a physical presence yet?

MK: Correct. The way the whole craft beer industry works is, typically people have a tasting room where they’re brewing beer, because by state law you’re allowed to do X, Y, and Z. But, you’ve got all these town restrictions as well.

As I was figuring out how I wanted to move forward, I had to accept that in Wethersfield, which is where I live and I was going to be operating, it wasn’t going to work for me to have a tasting room. And that’s fine. For me, the tasting room has a very good chance of becoming a distraction to a brewery.

NP: How so?

MK: A tasting room may provide good margins that enable you to earn revenue in the early months as you’re getting going; however, it can also keep you from getting your brand out—as in distributing.

Many breweries that have been around for a few years are just now starting to move beer off premise. For what I want to do, it’s more important that I get off premise, establish myself as a brand in the region, establish sales, and then use that stronger position to open a tasting room right where I want it.

NP: And you’re thinking of Hartford, correct?

MK: Yes, I’d like to be right in Hartford. It’s expensive. A lot of breweries end up opening in an industrial site because it’s zoned correctly and more afforable. But I want something that I think is long term. I really feel like beer is experience-based.

I want to bring my customers to Hartford. I love the city and I believe in its success. I want to be part of that. I want to bring a concept that doesn’t exist right now, and I want to do it on my terms.

NP: So, you would basically have two locations – one where you’re brewing and one where you’re serving.

MK: Right. It’s actually more traditional to do it that way.

NP: How have you getting the word out about the brewery.

MK: At this stage in the game, I found the social media platforms are obviously the most economical.

NP: Some breweries build up a social media presence before they even open.

MK: I didn’t do that. I have a very strict policy in my life: It’s fail privately. I’ve had so many setbacks and so many issues leading up to the opening of this business, there’s no way I was going to be that guy all over social media and at every event bragging: Hey, try my amazing beer!

Every three months I had to say we had a setback. It meant that when I did open, I realized: Oh my gosh! I’m opening! And then there was a bit of a scramble.

Honestly, my brand presence is very small at this moment. I’ve done a small amount of advertising on Facebook to see how that works.

I’ve also been at a couple beer fests. When you go to a beer fest, you’re donating the beer. You’re also giving up a lot of time and then several hundred dollars of product when you have scant revenue. But it helps to get your name out there. For example, Small State Great Beer had 3,000 people.

And then I’ve gone door-to-door to what feels like every bar and restaurant in the state to see if they want to try any new beer. That’s what spreads the brand—it’s social media connected with access.

Also, beer drinkers can use apps like Untapped to see that see my beer is now on draught at The Social Bar in New London or Engine Room in Mystic. They can see the rating of, which is what other beer drinkers think of it. So, they may try it, or they may not. And then they can add their feedback. That kind of stuff becomes really valuable.

NP: Let’s talk about distribution.

MK: I did my first can release at the end of October. It was very exciting. Boondoggle is in four package stores, which is intentional. My goal is to be in about a dozen and make them essentially known locations I work with, so people can come to those 12 package stores to get my beer rather than having to go to one tasting room.

NP: Do you plan to keep the distribution local or will you eventually expand to other states?

MK: I do plan to expand. I’m from New York, originally. I have friends who own restaurants in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Eastern Long Island. My intention is to be able to sell beer in about six months or so on Eastern Long Island. But honestly, I’m more focused on getting my feet under me. If my feet get under me, then it’s about contacting distributors and making it happen.

NP: As far as having those friends in the industry, was that helpful to you as you were launching?

MK: Absolutely. And it still is helpful to me every day. The craft beer industry in that regard is amazing. I like the general friendliness and helpfulness of people in the industry. We help each other out as people, but there is competition. As more and more craft breweries pop up, all the sudden I’m competing for tap lines with someone who’s been in business for five years.

Competition is inevitable. It’s a business, when it’s all said and done. As the industry is growing at a slower rate than the number of competitors, it is likely to get a bit tighter for craft brewers. There will be fallout. I hope that the generally open and pleasant attitude of fellow brewers doesn’t change.

NP: As you said competition is inevitable, but it must be helpful to know you’re not going it alone.

MK: Yes, if you’ve got a question there’s someone who will answer it for you. The trick is probably knowing who and when to ask, because I think most people are willing to share the information. I know I am, I just don’t know how much information I have to share yet!

Learn more about Boondoggle by visiting www.boondogglebeers.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram @boondogglebeers and Twitter @BoondoggleBeers.

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Successful Physical Therapy Startup With 3 Locations in CT

December 04 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, CT, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Granby, Hartford, small business, small business owner, startups, Uncasville

David Bostic PT and Orthopedic Manual Therapist is Founder of Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists, which has locations in Hartford, Granby, and Uncasville.

David Bostic PT, Orthopedic Manual Therapist and Founder of Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists (CTPTS), spoke with Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price about his evolution from working at a small private practice to working for a larger company and then ultimately opening his own orthopedic manual physical therapy (OMPT) practice with three locations in Connecticut.

NAN PRICE: Did you always know you wanted to open your own Physical Therapy practice?

DAVID BOSTIC: Yes, I did. However, when you train as a physical therapist (PT), no one teaches you how to create and then manage a business.

There has always been a small portion of therapists in private practice. What has changed now is that it takes seven years to become a PT. Many of the young people who are coming out are more entrepreneurial and want to practice at what I call “the top of their license.”

Students now graduate with a doctorate in physical therapy (DPT). Certainly, you can get a job working in a hospital or working for someone else, but many therapists now prefer to practice more autonomously. They want to have input into the type of care they are delivering. They want to have options like being able to teach. They value work/life balance.

Physical therapy has increasingly become corporate-owned. My experience is that when something is corporate-owned, frequently the focus on quality goes down and the focus on quantity goes up. I worked for a company that had such high productivity requirements that it didn’t allow the PT to provide quality care. And who suffers? The patient.

About seven years ago, I felt the need to open my own freestanding practice so I could practice the way I wanted to, based on my many years of experience, my education, and my advanced clinical training. In 2006 I completed a fellowship program in OMPT.

I opened my first practice in Granby in 2011. I chose Granby because it was a small town and I already knew several physicians who were practicing there.

In 2013, after two years in Granby, I opened my second practice in Uncasville. The type of therapy we provide is unique. I was asked to expand to that part of the state because it was underserved.

I opened my third practice in Hartford in 2016 for similar reasons. I’m from Windsor and I want to bring the quality of physical therapy that we deliver to this area.

Our Uncasville location is a satellite clinic that’s open three days a week. Granby and Hartford are open five days a week.

NP: Do you plan to open additional locations?

DB: The plan is to have influence in the Greater Hartford area: Granby, Simsbury, Windsor, Bloomfield, Hartford, West Hartford. We may open another practice in the Windsor/Bloomfield area in 18 months or so.

NP: Tell us about your involvement with the MetroHartford Alliance. Why was it important for you to become an investor?

DB: When I came to Hartford, I knew I needed to get in front of as many people as possible, so they could learn about the level of care CTPTS provides. My belief has always been that it’s better to attract than to promote. But now I know it’s necessary to self-promote in order to grow your business—especially in this time of social media and the crossover of roles between personal trainers, chiropractors, and alternative practitioners.

I joined the MetroHartford Alliance because I didn’t know many business people here in Hartford—and I think making connections with other business owners is very important.

I support local businesses. For example, I use local printers, painters, carpenters, caterers, and electricians. Also, I partner with other companies with similar visions, like Boundless Performance Systems. Owner and Founder, Antwan Harris and I collaborate to provide unique experiences in physical therapy and performance training.

NP: In addition to collaborating with other local businesses, how are you connecting with potential clients?

DB: We’re a service profession, so it’s imperative that we give back. For example, we have a plan called “Give Back Jack.” When someone comes in based on a referral from a current patient, we put a gold dollar coin in a jar. Once we get $50 or $60, we donate it to a local charity. We also support local high schools in the towns where we practice.

Getting involved and giving back is not only a core value of CTPTS, it helps us meet people who are also doing good things. Then, when they need our service, they think of us. It’s an organic, authentic way of networking.

NP: Do you use any other vehicles for marketing? Social media?

DB: Yes. Part of my growth strategy is to develop a more robust online presence, but I’m mindful to not over market online. I don’t want to inundate people with constant emails, for example. I don’t think that’s the way to grow a PT practice. I think it’s better to engage with the community, do good work, and grow slowly.

Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists Founder David Bostic demonstrates a closed kinetic chain shoulder/core exercise using the Redcord Mini.

NP: That’s good advice for this type of industry. Do you have any other advice?

DB: Finding work/life balance can feel almost impossible as a business owner. It’s easy to work more than you play. Business owners need to take care of themselves, eat right, exercise, and get enough rest. If you are not well, then you can’t be the therapist, or the leader, or partner you need to be. That’s probably the first thing I would say.

The other thing I would tell someone starting out is to find a mastermind group. Reach out to people who are already doing what you want to do—and ask questions! People who are successful in their business love to talk about it. Don’t be afraid to ask.

NP: Do you feel like you have a good support network?

DB: Absolutely. That’s one of the first things I developed before I opened the doors. Most entrepreneurs succeed when they understand that you don’t have to do it alone. There’s help out there, you just have to go after it.

Successful entrepreneurs are lifelong learners. You have to look at ways to elevate what you’re doing—but don’t throw away the classic, tried and true methods in your effort to be trendy. Trendy can be temporary. It’s better to have substantive, steady growth and to put down good roots. Roots that will serve your patients, your staff, and ultimately your community, for many years to come.

NP: You have a clinical background—and you now have three practices and 13 employees. Tell us about your experience learning to manage employees and to run a business.

DB: I approach it the same way I approach a physical therapy problem. I assess what I know, I figure out what I don’t now, and then I use best practices.

For example, when I decided to open my own practice I knew I needed to rent office space. I’ve never done that before, so I researched leases and rental properties and I talked to people who were already business owners with PT practices. I was able to leverage their knowledge to help my learning curve become less steep.

NP: What makes your practice innovative?

DB: Well, number one, I’ve had the good fortune to recruit, hire, and train extraordinary people. They help me deliver OMPT at a level even I didn’t realize was possible. They are compassionate, industrious, motivated, and entrepreneurial.

Number two, we understand true evidence-informed practice. We built our practice for people who have been to other therapists, chiropractors, and acupuncturists but are still in pain. They have had all this care that was not evidence-informed and as a result have not experienced good outcomes.

Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists Founder David Bostic uses the Redcord tools on a client. “Redcord is a highly innovative approach and one of the tools I used to create my practice,” he explains.

As a privately owned practice, I decide what type of care is delivered. I believe what sets us apart is the evidence-based approach that guides our clinical decision making. We take our clients’ beliefs, values, and opinions about their pain and capabilities and blend that with the therapist’s experience and the information we glean from clinical studies. In other words, our treatment plans have to make sense to the patient and to the therapist and they must be based in science.

And three, we have specialized tools at CTPTS. For example, the Redcord Professional Workstation, which is a suspension-based corrective exercise system. No one in Connecticut uses this except us.

Redcord is a highly innovative approach and one of the tools I used to create my practice. It’s just one of many our services that makes us unique and gives us our competitive edge.

Learn more about Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists by visiting ctpts.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @callmyPT.

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