The Spring 2024 Stock Market Game Competition, hosted by the SIFMA Foundation, named Sacred Heart middle school students in Groton as Connecticut winners of its challenge to take a theoretical $100,000 and invest it in the best way.

Winners were Sophia Malafronte, Alyssa Dupont, Madison Castleman, and Veronica Falkenstein, who finished first out of the 245 middle school teams competing in Connecticut.

Other winning schools were from Middletown (elementary) and West Hartford (high school). Winners for the year-long session were from West Hartford (elementary), Oxford (middle school) and Fairfield (high school).

People & Places

Andrea Manning has joined the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT as its Administrative Partnerships Manager. Andrea has an extensive background in the non-profit sector, including in arts and cultural administration.

Her primary responsibilities will include overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Chambers partnerships, including providing administrative support for the Eastern Regional Tourism District, the Southeastern CT World Affairs Council, as well as supporting the Chamber’s other economic development relationships.

Andrea comes to the Chamber from Mitchell College, where she served as Administrative Coordinator for Academic Affairs. Previously she held the Art Education Program manager position at the Art League of Long Island. Additionally, Andrea maintains an artistic practice, exhibiting her paintings and sculptures widely throughout the region. She lives in New London with her partner.

Following the Annual Meeting of Corporators on March 27, Michael Alberts, president and CEO of Jewett City Savings Bank, announced the election of Diane Manning to serve as Chairman and Brian Andstrom to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Elected as the first female Chairman of the Board in the history of the Bank, Manning has been a corporator of the bank since 2004 and joined the Board of Directors in 2007. She has served as the President/CEO of United Services, Inc. in Dayville for over 20 years, and holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Health Systems Management from the University of Connecticut.

Andstrom has more than 45 years of experience as a Real Estate Broker and Developer in Connecticut. A graduate of the Realtors Institute, he also holds a surveying technology degree from Vermont Tech. Joining the Bank as a Corporator in 2012, Andstrom was later elected to the Board of Directors in 2015.

Following the meeting, Alberts also announced Chairman Gary Peloquin, Vice Chairman Gail RookeNorman, and David Panteleakos would be stepping down from the Board of Directors.

During Peloquin’s 16 years as a director, he served as the vice chairman for eight years and as chairman from 2022 to 2024. Rooke-Norman began her historical service with the bank in 1984 as a Corporator and in 2000 was the first female elected to the Board of Directors. In 2022, she stepped into the vice chairman position, also serving as the first in the history of the Bank. Panteleakos joined as a corporator in 2008 and served as a director from 2010 to 2024.

Works by three prominent masters, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet, from Hill-Stead Museum’s collection of French paintings will be conserved at the Fairfield museum through a process viewed by the public. This conservation project is one of a select group of 24 art conservation projects announced this year by Bank of America – projects representing a diverse range of artistic styles, media and cultural traditions in 11 different countries.

The Bank of America Art Conservation Project provides grants to nonprofit cultural institutions around the globe to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art. For more information about the Hill-Stead, contact Ana Alvarez, alvareza@hillstead.org.

On Saturday, May 18, Sound Community Services will host its first End the Stigma: Mental Health Awareness 5K at Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School in New London, with check-in at 9 a.m. and the race starting at 10.

To be a part of this event by walking or running, to raise awareness and end the stigma you can register at https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/NewLondon/EndtheStigmaMentalHealthAwareness5K. For more information, contact Nichole Burns at nichole.burns@soundct.org or call (860) 439-6400.

Top-level sponsors include Dime Bank, Epstein Becker Green, and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. Other sponsors include Backus Hospital, Bartol Heating and Cooling, Inc., Body of Needs, OneDigital, Charter Oak Credit Union, Chelsea Groton Foundation, Cross Sound Ferry, CTComp, East Coast Electrical, Inc., Elite Limousine, Geraghty & Bonnano, LLC, Metro Vein Centers, A Beautiful Co. Builders & Remodelers, Conn RI Paper Supply, Co., CrossFit Playground, Innovast Digital Marketing, Mission Wellness LLC, and Rackliffe Lock and Safe.

A free SCORE webiinar on “How to Use Mailchimp to Create Promotional and Branded Email Campaigns” will be held via zoom from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16. To register, visit https://www.score.org/easternct.

With marketing and e-commerce veteran Anne Driscoll, take a deeper dive into the elements of Mailchimp, an Email Marketing System, to create promotional and branded email campaigns. Topics will include elements of contact lists, campaigns, tags, and segments; campaign templates; automated journeys and triggers; testing, measurements, and success metrics.

For over 30 years, Mudhead sailors have raised funds and awareness for worthy charities. This year the organization will partner with Always Home for the third year.Always Home focuses exclusively on serving Eastern Connecticut families with minor children, and strives to keep families in their own housing and out of emergency shelter so that children never have to experience the trauma of being homeless.

The Mudhead Benefit Regatta is planned at Mystic Shipyard on July 13 starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 at www.mudhead.org and $50 at the door, with kids under 12 free.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce recognized Katherine Cuzco of Project Oceanology in its Community Proud series sponsored by CorePlus Credit Union. Kat has been a member of the Project Oceanology team since 2019 becoming a full-time Marine Science Educator in 2022. Kat also teaches bilingual and Spanish-speaking students (she has even translated many of the materials that Project O uses) while also creating social media content.

The Long Island Sound Study is inviting anyone with an interest in Long Island Sound to participate in engagement sessions and provide feedback on what they would like to see improved about the Sound. The first in-person sessions will take place during the day and evening in the Carousel Building at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven on May 8 from 2–4 p.m. and 6–8 p.m.

You can register for sessions at LISstudy.net/plan. To contribute feedback or ask questions about the revision process, contact LISoundPlan2025@gmail.com or visit longislandsoundstudy.net.

Old Saybrook Home Watch, owned by Shawn Atkinson, has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the second year. The NHWA was formed in 2009 in order to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for Home Watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada

For information, call (860) 575-9269, email oldsaybrookhomewatch@gmail.com or visit https://oldsaybrookhomewatch.com.

Xfinity Mobile and Comcast Business Mobile devices can now connect to millions of new “Xfinity Mobile” hotspots and receive Internet speeds over WiFi up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). By delivering a faster connection over Xfinity’s WiFi network, Comcast is helping ensure customers can stream, game, chat, download and surf wherever they are.

For more information, visit an Xfinity Store or www.xfinity.com/mobile.

Eversource and Avangrid, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, have awarded Sustainable Essex of the Town of Essex with a $9,025 Community Partnership Grant.

In an effort to make energy efficiency affordable and accessible to all, the Community Partnership Initiative grants enable local community groups, nonprofit organizations and municipalities to further energy efficiency adoption and educate residents and businesses on the energy efficiency solutions available to them.

The grant awarded to Sustainable Essex will support outreach to encourage participation in EnergyWise Essex and focus on achieving its energy efficiency goals. Essex residents can sign up for a Home Energy Solutions assessment by calling project partner, New England Smart Energy at (203) 292-8088. For more information, visit EnergizeCT.com.

Chamber News

FriYay! with Miranda Creative at the Regional Innovation Center in New London will be held on consecutive Fridays from 9-2 at 92 Eugene O’Neill Drive, New London.

To set-up an appointment, email Marjory Palomino: mpalomino@mirandacreative.com, though walk-ins are welcome. The weekly open office hours series, a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT, will feature experts in such areas as design, copywriting, digital marketing and social media.

Another program at the Regional Innovation Center is the Banker in Residence from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 7. If you've got questions about your money and your business, this is your chance to ask an expert from Chelsea Groton Bank. Walk-ins are welcome, but to book a time with Jennifer Willingham, email innovation@chamberect.com.

The Eastern CT Chamber also will hold a Business After Hours with Charter Oak Federal Credit Union and Pasta Fresca from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday May 8, at Charter Oak headquarters, 1055 Hartford Tpke., Waterford. Chamber member cost is $20, non-members $30.

The Buzz is a weekly roundup of business news compiled by Business Editor Lee Howard. To get in The Buzz, email businessbriefs@theday.com. To easily access urls cited in print, go to www.theday.com and type “The Buzz” into the search bar.