The Mystic Fire Department held a swearing-in ceremony for Fire Chief Christopher M. Clarkin, who also will serve as fire marshal, and Deputy Fire Chief Jay. R. Alvaran on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Clarkin joined the fire service as a cadet at the Noank Fire Department in 1991 at the age of 14 and later joined the Old Mystic Fire Department at the age of 18. Hired full-time in 2004, he worked for the department until 2019 when he was hired by the Mystic Fire Department.

He is certified as a State of Connecticut Fire Officer III, EMT-B, Rescue Technician, and Hazardous Materials Technician. Clarkin also has been certified as a fire marshal since 2005.

Alvaran joined the fire service as a firefighter with the Mystic Fire Department (Mystic Hook & Ladder Co.) in 2015 and has previously served as company lieutenant and captain. He was hired full-time by the Electric Boat Fire Department in 2017 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2021.

Last year, Alvaran was hired as a firefighter with the Providence (RI) Fire Department. He is certified as a State of Connecticut Fire Officer II, EMT-B, Rescue Technician, and Hazardous Materials Technician. His awards include CT State Firefighters Association Citation for Bravery, MFD Commendation of Merit, MFD Commendation of Valor, and a PARATECH Rescue Award for life-saving actions.

Mitchell College has been re-accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The college was last reviewed in 2013 and was first accredited in 1956.

Dr. Tracy Y. Espy, president of Mitchell College, cited NECHE as authoritative, recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education for institutions that pass a rigorous 18-month self-study involving faculty and staff.

·NECHE took part in a four-day site visit to confirm the accuracy of the self-study, focusing on NECHE’s Standards for Accreditation.

Jewett City Savings Bank has announced four promotions of employees.

Diana Rose, Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, has been promoted to Executive Vice President. A member of the American Bankers Association Marketing Network, New England Financial Marketing Association, American Bankers Association, Connecticut Bankers Association, and the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Rose is also a board member of the Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation, where she currently serves as treasurer and the volunteer coordinator for the Tackle the Trail race.

Mark Light has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Banking Officer. Light holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. He serves as treasurer of the Willimantic Renaissance, a Board Member of the Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation, and a member of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.

Matthew Voelker has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Junior Commercial Loan Officer. He most recently held the position of Senior Commercial Credit Analyst. He has a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Business Information Systems. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

Brian Streigle has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Streigle served in four combat deployments during his 20 years with the U.S. Army. He received a Master Resilience Training certification through the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded a Bronze Star during his years of service. He is also a graduate of the Leadership LC Valley Program through Lewis Clark Credit Union in Idaho. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

SCORE Eastern CT will host a free webinar on "The ABCs of a Business Plan and Understanding a SWOT Analysis,” sponsored by Liberty Bank, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, via Zoom.

Register by visiting https://www.score.org/easternct.

Webinar presenter Tanisha Baptiste is an economic development specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration, Connecticut District Office, acting as a Business Opportunity Specialist, and as the Assistant to the Veterans Business Development Specialist. To learn more about becoming a SCORE volunteer, visit https://www.score.org/page/volunteer-score.

The Western Connecticut State University Tickborne Disease Prevention Laboratory is recruiting Connecticut residents for a five-minute survey aimed at understanding backyard lawn maintenance practices.

The goal of this survey is to gain insights into how people manage their lawns and the potential implications it may have on blacklegged tick movement at the backyard edge and tickborne diseases.

Interested participants can access the survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/CTlawn. For any inquiries related to the study, contact Sandra Zapata-Ramirez at zapata007@wcsu.edu, Dr. Neeta Connally at connallyn@wcsu.edu or (203) 837-8749, or WCSU Communications and Marketing at pr@wcsu.edu.

Brides on a Budget Bridal Show at Hope Lodge Venue will be held Sunday, March 10 from 12-3 p.m at 1 Lake St., Moosup.

For information or to get tickets, visit http://www.bridalshowsbykelly.com/Register-for-free.

Diane H. Arnold, president & CEO of Essex Savings Bank, citing support for volunteer fire departments, has announced a donation of $2,500 to the five towns that house its branch offices.

The bank serves the Connecticut River Valley and shoreline with offices in Essex (2), Chester, Madison, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook.

The Rotary Club of Groton is now accepting applications for its 2024 Scholar Awards. Students from Robert E. Fitch Senior High School, Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School, and the Marine Science Magnet High School are eligible to apply for the $2,000 one-time awards, sponsored by the Groton Rotary and local businesses.

Scholar awardees will be selected on their demonstrated scholastic achievements, school and work leadership performance, and community service to others. Financial need and the applicant’s 2024 educational intentions will also be considered. Go to grotonrotary.org for information. The deadline for submitting applications is April 19.

The Rotary Club of Mystic is announcing the opening of its 2024 Spring Grant Cycle to area 501(c)(3) organizations.All applications will remain open from Feb. 20 through March 31. This cycle provides a total of $8,250 to be awarded, and only online applications will be accepted.

Visit www.mysticrotary.org under the Community Grants section for applications, directions, and general information. For more information, email.mysticrotary@gmail.com.

The Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellows Program recently elected 27 new fellows, according to Victoria Woodin Chavey, president.

More information about the fellowship program can be found at www.ctbarfdn.org.

This year’s fellows are Elizabeth Bozzuto, Dennis Carnelli, Jesse Conrad, Benjamin Cordiano, Stephanie Cummings, Garlinck Dumont, Joshua Feldman, Shanique Fenlator, Anna Ficeto, Jason Gagnon, Tiffany Hubbard, Robin Kallor, Christopher Klepps and Ryan McKeen.

Also, Yamini Menon, Michelle Querijero, Agata Raszczyk-Lawska, Michael Rose, Henry L. Rowland II, Nandita Ruchandani, Michele Sensale, Nada Sizemore, Kenneth Slater, Shawn Smith, Emily Wagner, Natalie Wagner and Janice Wolf.

The program is named in honor of James W. Cooper, who served as president of the CBF from 1973 to 1975.

The Women’s Business Development Council has announced Dr. Laura Blake as its new Program Manager, East Region. Blake will be based in WBDC’s downtown New London office to support a number of current and future projects in Eastern Connecticut.

In her role as program manager, she will be responsible for managing and delivering WBDC’s programs and services throughout the east region of Connecticut to women entrepreneurs and other clients at all stages of business development. One of the first areas of focus for Blake will be to help promote the New London/WBDC Small Business Grant Program.

Before joining WBDC, Blake was the Management Chair and Associate Professor at Nichols College School of Business. She has also held faculty positions at Assumption University and Mitchell College.

Stonington residents enrolled in college and high school seniors pursuing higher education can now apply to the seven scholarship awards administered by the Stonington Community Center.

Scholarships available include the Josh Piver Memorial Fund, the Francis Drake Endowment Fund, the Robert and Doris Ramsbotham Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Frank Turek Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Mary H. Boatwright Endowment Fund, the Whitman Award Scholarship, and the Beth-Ann Stewart Arts & Pottery Scholarship.

Applications are due to the COMO by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26. Learn more at www.thecomo.org/scholarships.

Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn in Westerly have been cited by Forbes Travel Guide as 2024 Five Star Award winners.

In addition to winning a Five-Star rating for hotel accommodations, Ocean House received Five Stars for the Ocean & Harvest Spa and for COAST, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. Ocean House is the only hotel in New England and one of only 15 hotels in the world to be a Triple Five Star property.

“We are honored once again to have the distinction of 20 combined stars for both Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn,” said Dant Hirsh, president and managing director of Ocean House Collection, in a release.

Other New England properties to win Five Stars were Four Seasons Boston (MA), Four Seasons One Dalton Street (MA), Mandarin Oriental Boston (MA), The Chanler at Cliff Walk (RI), Wequassett Resort and Golf Club (MA), and Wheatleigh (MA).

For information, visit www.oceanhouseri.com, www.weekapauginn.com, www.watchhillinn.com or call 855-892-4572. See the full list of honorees on ForbesTravelGuide.com.

Jen Willingham, an assistant vice president at Chelsea Groton Bank, will be leading its Banking in Residence program. Bankers will be available at the Regional Innovation Center, 92 Eugene O’Neill Drive, New London, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The program, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT, will involve members of the Chelsea Groton Bank cash management team who will be there to answer banking questions posed by local business owners.

“Often times, people aren’t quite ready to schedule an appointment with a banker, but they may have a few questions on their mind,” Willingham said in a release.

The bank will provide education, offer connections to community resources and subject matter experts, and assist community members with accounts, loans, cash management services, transactions, and more. Legal and tax advice will not be provided.

Visit www.chelseagroton.com/growthatbusiness or email growthatbusiness@chelseagroton.com for information.

Interest in Connecticut Art Trail’s Passport-Journal program grew substantially in 2023, according to the state.

There were a total of 880 Passport-Journal sales in 2023, a 79 percent increase compared to 2022. Of these transactions, 648 were sold as part of a year-end “buy one, get one” offer encouraging people to buy a Passport-Journal as a holiday gift.

Passport-Journal holders receive free admission to all Connecticut Art Trail sites, including Slater Museum in Norwich, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London and the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, for one year after purchase. The Passport-Journal can be purchased for $35 at any member site, or online at ctarttrail.org/passport.

An event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Blissworks Yoga & Healing Arts at 228 State St. in New London will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday Feb. 23. The ribbon cutting is planned at 4:30., and there also will be a dance party and open house.

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.