Author: Claire Hall


Connecticut Small Business Development Center Has Been Integral in Pandemic Assistance

Left to Right: Jim Jackson, CTSBDC Business Advisor and Kelley and Derrik Kennedy, Sip Wine Bar (Contributed Photo)
Left to Right: Jim Jackson, CTSBDC Business Advisor and Kelley and Derrik Kennedy, Sip Wine Bar (Contributed Photo)

Today we celebrate the Connecticut Small Business Development Center (CTSBDC) which, in the last year, has helped support more than 9,000 Connecticut small businesses through the pandemic.

“This past year has shown the resiliency of our small businesses,” said CTSBDC State Director Joe Ercolano. “Our advisers have worked with more than double the number of businesses compared to the previous year and supported them in ways that were totally new to us.”Continue Reading


UConn Business Professors Present Five, Free Mini-Courses to Showcase Graduate Classes

UConn School of Business faculty, like Professor Robert Bird (Pictured above) are presenting short courses to give prospective graduate students a taste of what a UConn education would be like. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
The UConn School of Business is offering five mini-courses to showcase the expertise of its faculty. Although the programs were designed for prospective graduate students, anyone is welcome to join the one-hour, online courses free of charge.Continue Reading



Professor Cohen: Despite Pandemic, Cumulative ‘Household Financial Distress’ Isn’t Particularly Bad

Asian senior couple stressed and serious counting with calculator and having money problem
(istockphoto.com)

If you watch the evening news, with long lines at food banks and homes destroyed by weather-related disasters, you might think the vast majority of Americans are in a financial spiral.Continue Reading


Startup ‘BeRemote’ Masterminds Stronger Employee Bonds

BeRemote CEO Vivek Nigam
BeRemote CEO Vivek Nigam (contributed photo)

BeRemote’s mission is to transform remote, professional work teams by enhancing engagement using an AI-based social-interaction platform that helps employees build and strengthen bonds within their organization. “Be a team that loves being a team,” is part of the company’s philosophy.

CEO Vivek Nigam, who earned his MBA from UConn in 2003, has 30 years of experience in IT and data strategy roles. He sold his first tech startup to AOL in 2000. Below he explains the company’s approach to team-building and how he hopes it will help transform the workplace.Continue Reading



UConn To Debut New Online MBA Program

Cropped shot of a young female college student studying.
(istockphoto.com)

The UConn School of Business will launch an Online MBA program in the Fall, increasing accessibility for prospective graduate students while still providing the rigor, prestige, and benefits of an in-person UConn MBA degree.

The OMBA program, which will welcome its first 40-member cohort in late August, was endorsed by the university’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Applications will be accepted beginning in March.Continue Reading


Investors Keen on Alumnus’ Pet-Insurance Brokerage Business

a woman sits in her lounge and browses on her digital tablet whilst sorting her paperwork with her dog
(istockphoto.com)

Alumnus Travis Bloom’s Pawlicy Advisor, a pet-insurance marketplace, has raised an additional $6.5 million in funding, allowing the company to move on to the next stage of strategic growth.

The company analyzes top pet-insurance brands to explain coverage and price options for pet owners seeking medical insurance for their animals. Bloom, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business from UConn in 2013, is the co-founder and CTO.Continue Reading


OPIM Professor Bob Day’s Work Recognized by Nobel-Prize Winner

back view of buyers raising hands to auctioneer during auction
(istockphoto.com)

Most people appreciate having their expertise and work acknowledged, but exponentially so when the praise comes from a highly respected Nobel Prize winner.

“I was both thrilled and humbled to have professor Paul Milgrom highlight our joint work in his recent Nobel Prize lecture,” said Bob Day, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Business and a professor of Operations and Information Management.Continue Reading


Alumna: Happiness Isn’t as Elusive as it May Seem

UConn TodayUConn alumna Michelle Wax ’12 (BUS) drove her Jeep across the country in search of people who were truly happy.

She found hundreds of them, from teenagers to senior citizens. None of them were millionaires. All of them led normal lives with challenges, from the mundane to the extreme, yet their outlooks were inspirational.

In a documentary film, American Happiness, which debuts next week, Wax chronicles her journey and what she discovered from those who live joyful, energetic, and meaningful lives.Continue Reading