BEACON FALLS — The challenges businesses face and the opportunities available to them were at the center of discussions Monday morning over breakfast.
“Beacon Falls has some advantages and challenges like most communities around here,” said First Selectman Christopher Bielik during the first Beacon Falls Business and Economic Forum. “I think where we are situated here in the Naugatuck Valley corridor is a huge asset for us. It makes us very accessible to a lot of things.”
About 40 town, state and regional officials and business owners came together at New Harvest Restaurant for the forum, which was hosted by the town and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Bielik highlighted the town’s new tax incentive ordinance, which was approved in March and went into effect in April, at the breakfast.
The ordinance offers tiered tax incentives for businesses that invest $150,000 or more in a new commercial building or improvements to an existing commercial building.
Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bill Purcell said the town is headed in the right direction with the ordinance. He said Seymour, which offers a similar tax incentive, has seen companies move in and expand recently.
“The key is to keep [businesses] anchored here in this community and to help them grow. We could use more companies. We need more to help stabilize and expand the tax base so the burden doesn’t hurt us,” Purcell said.
Connecticut Business & Industry Association Economist and Vice President Peter Gioia, who was the keynote speaker, said one of the problems manufacturing businesses are facing in Beacon Falls is the same that manufacturing businesses are facing across the state — labor shortages.
“I talk to manufacturing company after manufacturing company. They say, ‘Business is great, we are expanding, we are getting orders,’” Gioia said. “Their biggest concern is how do I find workers. How do I find people to fill jobs that I need because I have these new orders?”
Gioia said if the state doesn’t address this issue, companies will either begin using more automation or leave the state.
Aside from talking shop, the forum was an opportunity for the town to show its support of the business community and reach out to business owners.
“The main goal of it was just to show the business community that we are supporting them and I think we were successful in doing that,” said Sadie Colcord, the town’s economic development coordinator.
Bielik encouraged business owners to share any ideas they have to make the town more business friendly with officials.
“A forum like this is always good because it brings a whole cross-section of people into play and gives us a new look at things,” Bielik said. “Sometimes somebody on the outside will come up with something and we’ll say, ‘I absolutely never thought of that.’ That’s one of the good things about this.”
