This summer, downtown Mystic welcomed The RiverLane at 16 W. Main St., just steps from the iconic drawbridge. Originating from the heart of Essex just two years ago, this fashion boutique, has garnered a loyal following across generations. The celebration of its second Connecticut location was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 28, with cocktails provided by Whimsically Tipsy and light bites and sweets by Coffee’s Country Market.

Owner Robin Zubretsky had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon, joined by a group of city leaders and professionals, including Bruce Flax, president of Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

The RiverLane offers an assortment of statement pieces and casual everyday wear, along with bridal event and destination vacation clothing, or even an entire wardrobe refresh.

People & Places

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce spotlighted Maggie Jacksin in the latest installment of its Community Proud series sponsored by CorePlus Credit Union.

Originally from Franklin, Jacksin plays a crucial part in organizing the annual Pride event in Mystic. Her work with Charity Taps at the Bank & Bridge Brewing nets for a nonprofit $1 from every beer sold.

Maggie’s journey into the hospitality industry was inspired by her mother, who also worked in hospitality. Today, she is a dynamic force in the industry, wearing many hats at work, from painting the historic columns at Bank & Bridge brewpub to designing new merchandise and managing a large staff.

Maggie’s dedication to her community was particularly evident during the fire along the Mystic River in 2022. After closing Bank & Bridge on a Sunday night, Maggie made the decision to reopen, inviting anyone who had to evacuate due to the fire to come together in a time of need.

Bank & Bridge, a veteran-owned brewpub, is just one of the establishments where Maggie’s influence can be felt. She also works for Snow Republic Brewing Co. in West Dover, Vermont, and is involved in the upcoming opening of Snow Republic Brewery in Brattleboro. All three establishments are owned by Walt Bansley.

Three new members have been added to the Mitchell College Board of Trustees.

New trustees include Yulanda Harris, of the Neurodiversity Inclusion Institute in Detroit, Mich.; Shannon Christian, chief nursing officer and senior vice president for Patient Care Services at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly Hospital; and Johnathan Atkinson, president of the Mitchell College Alumni Association.

Board of Trustees Chair Richard D’Avino and college President Tracy Y. Espy said they were delighted by the additions.

Uncas Health District is offering a tobacco cessation program to help adults quit using tobacco and vaping products.

The first class starts on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. To register, contact Carolyn Wilson at (860) 400-2072 (call or text).

Old Lyme resident Maylin Mitchell is participating in the Great Cycle Challenge USA to raise money for childhood cancer research through her online profile at https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/MaylinMitchell.

This is Maylin’s fifth year in a row completing the challenge. She began at age 4, and already has ridden 181 miles and raised more than $4,000.

Mohegan Sun has been voted “Best Casino Hotel” for the seventh consecutive year in the USA TODAY Readers’ Choice Awards.

Mohegan Sun retains the record for most wins in the “Best Casino Hotel” category since the award program’s inception in 2013. Mohegan Sun placed within the top five in the “Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas” category and Momentum, Mohegan Sun’s rewards program, was ranked #2 in the “Best Players Club” category. Voting took place over a four-week period this summer through 10Best.com, which averages 5 million visitors per month.

This year has been an abundant award season for Mohegan Sun. In Casino Player Magazine’s “Best of Gaming – New England” awards, Mohegan Sun snagged the top spot in categories “Best Hotel,” “Best Hotel Lobby,” “Favorite Casino Resort To Vacation At,” “Best VIP Lounge/Services,” “Best Promotions,” “Best Slot Tournaments,” “Best Craps,” “Best Video Poker,” “Best Overall Sportsbook,” and “Best Prop Bets.” The 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena was also recently recognized as “Casino of the Year – Arena” at the 17th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, and was named “Casino Venue of the Year” at the 35th Annual Pollstar Awards in February.

For more information, visit mohegansun.com.

The Board of Directors of Operation Fuel has announced the appointment of Perkin Simpson as its new chief executive officer.

Simpson joins Operation Fuel after serving as the executive director of the Urban Alliance. Simpson is pursuing his Ph.D in finance and retirement plan services and holds a Master of Science in financial services from The American College at Bryn Mawr, a Master of Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences from the University of Connecticut.

Roxanna Booth, Operation Fuel’s chief advancement officer, had been serving as interim CEO during the search for a new CEO.

If Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury looks like a sea of green on Sunday, Sept. 29, it’s the “Calling All Girl Scouts” recruiting event hosted by Girl Scouts of Connecticut. The function, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the popular family destination, serves as the non-profit organization’s official kickoff to the new membership year.

The “Calling All Girl Scouts” event is open to all girls in grades K-12 with an adult chaperone. To register, visit www.gsofct.org. For current members, ask about transportation support by contacting Customer Care at 800-922-2770; CustomerCare@gsofct.org.

A free SCORE webinar panel and Q&A session, “Small Business Loans: Issues and Options," will be offered from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, via Zoom.

A panel of experienced small business lenders from Community Economic Development Fund, Community Investment Corporation Lending, Liberty Bank, and the U.S. Small Business Administration will explain the basics of borrowing money. The panel moderator will be Frank LaMonaca of SCORE Eastern CT, a retired executive with 38 years of experience in banking and financial services.

To register, visit https://www.score.org/easternct. For questions, email Anne Driscoll, anne.driscoll@scorevolunteer.org.

The U.S. Small Business Administration Connecticut District Office has launched a call for nominations for the 2025 National and District Small Business Week Awards, including the Small Business Person of the Year Award. Self-nominations are welcome.

Information about eligibility and how to submit a nomination can be found on the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/nsbw. All nominations must be received via electronic submission no later than 4 p.m. Dec. 5.

For guidelines, contact Sheri Cote at Sheri.Cote@sba.gov or 202-445-6709.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut held a ribbon cutting and re-opening ceremony for its new Plainfield ReStore property at 98 Mill Brook Road (formerly located on Rt. 12, 808 Norwich Road). Attendees included Sarah Lufler from Habitat for Humanity and local legislators Reps. Anne Dauphinais and Doug Dubitsky. Store hours are 10-5 Tuesday to Saturday (donations accepted daily until 4 p.m.).

The Cultural Coalition has named Liz Bologna as its new Northeast Region Coordinator. She will work with arts and cultural nonprofit and for-profit individuals, businesses, groups, and organizations with a focus on the 21 towns located in in Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Mansfield, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Stafford, Sterling, Thompson, Union, Willington, Windham, and Woodstock.

A professional singer and music and arts advocate, Bologna has years of experience building relationships with the arts and culture community, including as executive director of Arts Center East in Vernon. For more information on the CT Office of the Arts, visit www.ct.gov/arts.

Mohegan Sun will be the presenting sponsor of the Special Olympics Connecticut Unified Sports Fall Festival Sept. 14-15 and 28-29. The event will bring together hundreds of athletes and Unified Sports partners from across the state.

Among the venues are the Wadawanuck Club in Stonington for the Unified Sailing Regatta and the Ocean House in Watch Hill for the croquet competition.

Other local sponsors include the Chelsea Groton Bank Foundation and Dime Bank Foundation, Centreville Bank, the Niantic Lions Club and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Another Special Olympics event coming up will be a fundraiser Plane Pull Sept. 24 hosted by Tweed New Haven Airport and presented by Avelo Airlines. Get ready to pull a 90,000 jetliner by signing up your team at www.soct.org, or email debbieh@soct.org for information.

Chamber News

“Explore Manufacturing: A Stop on CT Manufacturing Roadshow '24” will be held at Dodd Stadium, Norwich, from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 26. The expo connects students (grades 7-12) with manufacturing employers in eastern Connecticut, delivering job-exploration opportunities to raise awareness and pique interest in the broad range of well-paying manufacturing careers.

Highlights will include a “scavenger hunt” guiding students to interact with manufacturers, complete with prizes; career simulation experiences; mobile training labs, an inflatable submarine and an interactive robot.

The event is being partnered by the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce, the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, ReadyCT and the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. To register, visit https://web.norwichchamber.com/atlas/events/11065/register.

Join the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce for a Business After Hours event co-hosted with These Guys Brewing and Encanto Scoop @ the Docks on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 5:30 t0 7:30 p.m. at 1 American Wharf, Norwich.

To register, visit https://web.norwichchamber.com/atlas/events/11152/register. Online registration will close at noon on the day of the event. Walk-Ins are welcome.

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.