Date: Fri 13-Oct-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

EDC-business-trad-show

Full Text:

Newtown Business Will Be Highlighted At Forum And Trade Show

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Newtown's second annual Economic Development Forum and Trade Show is scheduled

for 8:30 am to 1 pm on Saturday in the Edmond Town Hall gym. The public is

invited to attend.

Co-sponsored by the Newtown Economic Development Commission and the Chamber of

Commerce, the event features a continental breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 am and

a speakers forum from 9 to 10:30 am, followed by the trade show.

A special community service award will be presented to Curtis Packaging

Corporation in recognition of the firm's 150 years of outstanding service to

the community.

Todd Martin, vice president and chief economist for People's Bank, will be the

keynote speaker and will discuss the economic vitality of the Housatonic

region. Active in several business groups, Mr Martin publishes Economic

Perspective, a bimonthly economic review for People's Bank.

Other speakers will include Ralph Hedenberg, regional director of the

Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and Ron Webb,

director of the manufacturing applications center at the Institute for

Industrial and Engineering Technology (ILET), who will discuss opportunities

for manufacturers' assistance.

The free trade show will feature displays presented by several dozen

exhibitors, including Newtown-based businesses as well as companies that

supply goods and services to Newtown businesses. The businesses will

distribute pamphlets and talk with visitors about what they do. Among the

exhibitors will be Advantage Loan Company. All Home Gutters, Allstate

Insurance, Bassett Graphics, Charter Communications, the Connecticut

Development Authority, Creative Memories, Curtis Packaging, David Lerner

Associates, Evagash Design & Associates, Housatonic Valley Economic

Development Partnership, Housatonic Industrial Development Corporation,

Newtown Chamber of Commerce, Newtown Economic Development Commission, Newtown

Rotary Club, Newtown Savings Bank, People's Bank, Peter's Boat, Catholic

Books.

Also, Pony Express, Primerica Financial Services, Rocky Glen Mill, Starlight

International, Summit Graphics & Design, United Heating & Plumbing, Western

Connecticut Federal Credit Union, and Star Brite Painting Company.

EDC Chairman Lyndon Thomas said his commission has been busy since the first

trade show was held last year attempting to improve the business climate in

Newtown.

"We joined a marketing group as part of the Housatonic Valley Economic Develop

Partnership to encourage companies to locate in this area," he said.

The EDC also supported the Walnut Tree Hill Village project as a way of using

residentially zoned land to expand the town's tax base, he said, and backed a

change in a local ordinance to allow large day care centers in nonresidential

zones.

The EDC is promoting the development of the Commerce Road area and the

construction of a link between the road and the planned bypass road through

Fairfield Hills. It backed zoning changes in Sandy Hook Center and is

investigating zoning changes along the west side of Route 25 outside of the

borough, Mr Thomas said.

Mr Thomas said that although the town has added small businesses during the

past few years, other large companies have indicated they may leave town.

Georgia Pacific, which operates a large distribution center on South Main

Street, is consolidating its plants nationwide and could be among those

businesses that Newtown loses, he said.