This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1 (Winter 2014)

The UConn School of Business would like to gratefully acknowledge the following alumni and friends who made gifts to the School of Business during fiscal year 2012-2013.

We value every gift and extend our heartfelt thanks to all who gave so generously of their time and support to aid in the enhancement of our academic programs.

$250,000 – $499,999

The Travelers Companies Inc.

$100,000 – $249,000

Simon ’96 and Doris M. ’50 Konover

$50,000 – $99,999

Christopher J. Balfe
Comcast
John R. ’85 and Sally Fodor
Keith R. ’80 and Pamela A. Fox
The New York Community Trust
James ’60 and Hannelore G. Nuttall
Syracuse University
TicketNetwork

$25,000 – $49,999

Bank of America Corporation
Myron ’61 and Barbara ’61 Dickstein
Joseph M. ’55 and Lorraine T. DiPietro
Farmington Bank
Drew ’83 and Michele H. Figdor
Robert C. ’92 (CLAS) and Barbara D. ’93 (CLAS) Hughes
Michael G. ’78 and Shari K. Koppel
Prudential Financial, Inc.
S. Brian ’60 and Beth N. Simons
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wendy R. ’74 and H. Thomas Watkins

$10,000 – $24,999

Aetna Inc.
Altria Group, Inc.
Mark A. ’82 and Pamela J. ’82 (CLAS) Beaudoin
Christopher A. ’95 and Larissa K. ’93 (CLAS), ’95 Chapin
Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance
Mark P. ’79 and Lynda C. ’80 (CANR) Coville
George M. ’54 and Phyllis A. Demko
Gerald D. ’82 and Katrina DesRoches
Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust
Craig A. ’77 and Marilyn P. ’77 (CLAS) Douglas
John A. Elliott and Laura A. Philips
Mark E. Freitas ’81
Clinton G. ’77 and Karen A. ’77 Gartin
David B. ’84 and Cheryl A. Greenfield
Joseph M. ’71 and Cheryl W. Grisé
International Business Machines Corp.
Norman W. ’72 and Celestine K. ’99 (CCS) LaCroix
The Malfettone Family
Michael E. ’81, ’94 and Barbara A. McPhee
New York Life Insurance Company
Thomas J. and Joyce O’Brien
Laurie A. Paternoster ’82 (CLAS) and Michael A. Paternoster, Jr.
Christopher E. ’77 and Gail T. Scudellari
Ambassador Paul W. ’69, ’72 and Renee J. Speltz
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Tyco International US Inc.
Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.

$5,000 – $9,999

James V. Agonis ’71
George R. Aylward, Jr. ’88
Stephen M. Wood and Gail E. Barley
Melinda T. Brown ’77, ’85
Selma Cagatay-Searfoss ’94 and David W. Searfoss ’76*
Frank W. Carmon IV ’06
Guy F. ’64, ’66 (CLAS) and Donna S. Caruso
William T. ’76 and Pamela Casey
Cigna Corp.
Timothy J. Curt ’84 and Dona M. Bissonnette
Joann L. DeBlasis ’76, ’83
Dymax Corporation
Ernst & Young, LLP
Amy J. Errett ’79 (CLAS) and Clare E. Albanese
Fidelity Investments
Jason A. ’97 (CLAS) and Lesley A. ’91 (CANR), ’98 Fronio
General Electric Co.
George P. Johnson
Joseph A. ’91 and Joann Guay
Matthew J. Halprin
Hanover Insurance Group
Leo B. ’81 and Janet M. ’78 Hansen
Lynn M. ’90 and Kenneth J. Horton
Lisa R. Klauser ’90 and Richard T. Klauser, Jr.
Peter C. ’63 and Judith R. Larson
Edwin G. ’75 and Karen L. Reif
Arnold M. ’63* and Rochelle M. Robin
Paul J. ’84 (CLAS) and Maria L. ’85 (CLAS) Selian
Douglas R. ’79 and Barbara J. Seymour
Richard L. Thompson ’65 and Dee R. Matthews
TopCoder, Inc.
UConn Alumni Association
United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut
VLink, Inc.
Christopher M. ’87 and Brenda Wilkos
Frank C. Wuest ’82 and Lyn M. Duncan

$1,000 – $4,999

Rogaia M. Abusharaf ’88 (CLAS), ’94 (CLAS) and Mohamed E. Hussein
David Acampora ’79 and Margaret M. Landrey ’79 (CLAS), ’83 (LAW)
Ritesh Agrawal
Robert P. Amenta ’07
Jack T. ’80 and Joyce E. Ampuja
Craig C. ’89 and Kimberley A. Anderson
Edgar A. ’86 and Jo-Anne M. Anderson
Michael J. ’99 and Barbara J. Arman
AT&T, Inc.
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
John P. Barniak ’75
Christopher L. ’88 (CLAS), ’95 and Stephanie J. Bell
Jonathan E. ’76 and Susan B. Beyman
Laura A. Bieling ’89
BlackRock Foundation
BlumShapiro & Co., PC
Boston Partners Financial Group LLC
Patrick M. ’79, ’81 BUS and Susan R. Brand
Caroline Brecker
Bristol Myers Squibb Company
Robert A. Canyock, Jr. ’80, ’86 and Deborah L. Canyock
Mark A. ’84 and Linda S. Caplan
Lawrence J. Carboni, Jr. ’86 and Kathleen A. Carboni
David A. ’75 and Nancy M. Carlson
Donna E. Cashman ’96
Christopher J. ’89 BUS and Sherri S. ’90 (CLAS) Cesare
Edward J. and Elaine S. Chanda
Jeffrey R. ’83 and Lori T. Charlton
Cintas Corporation
Ari F. ’94 and Aliza E. Cohen
CohnReznick
Gregory J. Coleman ’81
Colliers International
William E. ’75 and Suzanne L. Congdon
Connecticut Association of Realtors, Inc.
The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants
Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc.
Crane Fund for Widows and Children
Lauren B. ’97 and Frank D. Csongor
Thomas M. ’86, ’91 and Karen O. Curtin
John A. ’66 and Kim N. Cutler
Michael D. Della Fera ’80
Deloitte
Douglas G. ’83 and Pamela J. ’85 (CANR) Denyer
Richard M. ’86 and Teresa M. Dooley
Kevin L. Downer ’90 and Toby Bishop
Lawrence S. ’65 and Pamela Doyle
Nicholas ’66 and Arlene O. ’67 (CLAS) DuBiago
Eastern Bag and Paper Co., Inc.
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Fiondella Milone and LaSaracina LLP
John J. ’67 and Leola K. Fitteron
Richard E. Fournier, Jr. ’83 and Karen K. Fournier ’83 (CLAS), ’83 (NEAG)
Gary W. ’70 BUS and Carol D. French
The Gabelli Foundation Inc.
William B. Geary, Jr. ’57
William J. George, Jr. ’86 (CLAS) and Lori George
Michael L. ’93, ’09 and Deborah A. Giuffrida
Global Impact
Michael P. ’84 and Deborah A. Golden
Lawrence J. and Cathy K. Gramling
Peter L. ’97 and Janelle B. Grant
Lawrence D. ’67 and Sharon ’68 Handler
Michael W. Harold ’81
George S. Harrison ’74 and Charlotte Pier
The Hartford CFA Society
Glenn R. ’83, ’95 and Susan Heiser
Stuart C. ’80 and Ellen Hochberger
Rob and Mary H. Hoskin
Robert L. Howard, Jr. ’93 and Heidi L. Howard
H & R Block, Inc.
Susan D. Jackson
Atul Jain ’01, ’01 (CLAS)
Harry M. and Lynn A. Johnson
Robert T. Kaufman ’74
Warren E. ’78 and Denise Klein
Richard F. and Margaret J. Kochanek
Ilene D. ’94 and David Kohlun
Christopher R. Kunz ’02
Sue Larson
Donna Lasher
Raymond L. Lewis, Jr. ’83 and Ellen T. Lewis
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual Group, Inc.
Mary D. Lindsay
Theodore F. ’92 and Melissa J. Lunney
Christine M. Lussier ’89 and Robert Hamill
Brian A. ’96 and Kathy S. Lutes
Robert L. Manfreda, Jr. ’84, ’94 (LAW) and Carolyn C. Manfreda
Kathleen Mangan
Marcum, LLP
Mark J. ’82 (CLAS) and Kimberly B. ’80 (CLAS), ’90 (LAW) Marroni
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
James E. ’82 and Sonya S. Masur
The May Department Stores Company
Anne E. McAloon ’74 (CLAS), ’80
Lee B. McChesney ’94 and Wendy Doan-McChesney
Lawrence D. and Patricia A. McHugh
Lincoln Millstein ’77 (CLAS) and Irene B. Driscoll
Keith Moody ’89
Nicholas R. Morizio ’74
Charlie Murrin ’10
National Philanthropic Trust
David M. ’68 and Linda A. Nolf
Northwestern Mutual Financial
David J. and Priscilla H. Papandria
Steven R. ’85 and Sheila Pegolo
John D. Phillips and Amy E. Dunbar
Brian ’86 and Deborah Pierne
George A. Plesko and Martha D. MacMillin
Jeffrey R. Podziewski ’98
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
Paul T. ’84 and Christine Quistberg
Ramsey Junior High School
Michael R. and Mary J. Redemske
Mary A. Reichlen ’81
Sean R. Riegler and Jill Tomlins
Thomas L. Rollins ’80 and Lisa Cassidy-Rollins
Douglas K. ’79 and Sara J. ’79 Russell
Peter D. Schaffer ’83 and Eleanor Kedney-Schaffer
Schwab Charitable Fund
Edward S. Scovel, Jr. ’51 and Gladys Scovel
Matthew D. ’66 and Carol A. ’66 (CLAS) Shedd
Charles E. ’94 and Deana M. Shirley
James B. ’75 and Laura S. Sugarman
Robert L. Sullivan ’59
Stuart C. ’93 and Kristin Sziklas
Richard J. Tavolieri, Jr. ’89 and Dawn Tavolieri
Diana L. Timlin
The Tom James Company
Daniel D. ’87 and Tresa Toscano
Towers Watson
Kevin M. ’88 and Julie L. Trapp
United Technologies Charity Trust
United Technologies Corporation
United Way of New York City
Andrew J. ’78 and Lauren B. Wagner
John W. ’80 and Suzanne K. Welch
J. J. Went ’53 (CLAS)
James F. Whalen, Jr. ’82 and Diane L. Conley
Harriet R. Winograd
Zeta Beta Tau

$500 – $999

Denise Armstrong
Vincent P. ’99 and Christine Asaro
Mona H. ’89 and Scott W. Baird
Carl G. ’82, ’87 and Dale A. ’82 (NEAG) Baker
Jordan N. Barrow
Jeffrey D. Bennis ’92
Brian D. ’02 and Kristen C. Binkley
John S. ’85 and Deborah U. ’86 (CLAS) Bohling
Nicolas J. Figueiredo ’07 (ENG) and Donna D. Bramlett ’11
David H. ’84 (CLAS), ’88 (SODM) and Cynthia J. ’88 (SODM) Burkard
M. Kathleen Carey-Reid ’86 and David R. Reid
Laurence J. Cass, Jr. ’86 and Charlene M. Cass ’86
Ida S. Chaplinski ’96
Mark Cicchini
Michael F. and Rosemary E. Collins
Jane P. ’84 and Alex M. Corl
Eric D. ’83 and Catherine A. ’00 (CLAS) Cormier
Labkhand Dadyar ’96 (SFA)
Lynne DePaulo
Ellen DiLeo
Lawrence A. ’93 and Sondra C. Dillon
Marci Dionne
Karen Douyard
Stephen Eilers
Peter I. ’65 and Elaine Elinsky
Jennifer O. ’05 and Scott G. Estabrook
Richard L. Evans ’77 and Jean P. Foy-Evans
Timothy M. Flynn ’77 (CLAS), ’80
William J. Flynn ’01
Forensic Accounting Services, LLC.
Tracie Foster
Carolyn M. Freiheit ’13
Paul J. ’80 and Cathy M. ’78 (CLAS) Fucci
Robert J. ’77 and Anne M. Gallagher
Greg S. Haley ’94 and Diane C. Mobley ’93 (SFA)
Sharon A. Hamilton ’97 and Edward Healy
Sarah M. Hammel ’81 and Tricia Vivado
Frank G. ’86 and Francesca Hauser
Christina Hays
Oliver F. Hays ’04 (CLAS)
Linda A. Herzog ’03 and Shaun F. Clancy
Ravindra and Saras Jain
Curtis Jones
Jennifer L. Jordan ’94
Andrea L. Lanese ’87 (CLAS) and Barry Aurio
Jean M. ’81 and Richard C. LaVecchia
Anna P. Liamzon ’00
James Marshall
Cynthia Martinez
Raymond J. ’77 (CLAS), ’81 and Susan L. Martino
Eric A. ’80 and Penelope C. Marziali
Chappella Mayweather
Alan and Lucy Michaud
Charles K. ’63 and Pam M. Molander
Bruce B. ’76, ’12 and Joanne Monahan
James J. ’01 and Deborah Y. Moravecek
Jon Moussette
Jay Mullarkey
Jared Murphy
Frank W. ’81 and Linda O. ’82 (NUR), ’96 (NUR) Nevins
William J. Newman
NorthMarq Capital
Michael L. Notarangelo ’03
O’Connor Davies, LLP
John P. ’97 and Melissa M. O’Hara
Kurt P. ’73 and Susi E. Orbanowski
Petra Construction Corp.
James Petras
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Edward Rado
Anuradha Raghavan
Ilia A. Reinfelds ’05, ’07
Meredith Ritz
William E. ’66 and Doris A. Roberts
Stephen Roche
Debora Romano-Connors
Saint Paul Public Schools
John P. ’00, ’00 (CLAS), ’07 and Serafina A. ’01 Salemi
Sheldon D. ’59 and Susan S. ’82 (CCS) Schneider
John E. Schramm, Jr. ’59 and Cheryl Schramm
Matthew R. French ’91 (CLAS) and Lucille Sheng-French ’91
William C. ’76 and Deborah D. Sherman
Skiff Whitney Associates, LLC
Danielle G. Skinner ’04
Henry C. ’50 and Barbara E. Smachetti
Bryan D. and Shannon N. Smith
Dennis J. Stanek, Jr. ’89 and Jeanette S. Stanek
Richard D. ’62 and Judith B. Suski
Jeffrey R. Talbot ’00
Allanah Tempe
Marc Thibeau
Scott A. ’82 and Cynthia B. Trenholm
Mark A. Tschiegg ’06
United Health Group Incorporated
United Way of Greater New Haven, Inc.
United Way of North Central MA, Inc.
Alex Urquhart, Jr. ’88 and Judy C. Urquhart
Allan J. Vartelas ’80
Robert J. ’68 and Barbara B. Wade
Neil Wechsler
Howard S. ’95, ’02 and Jennifer Weinberg
David J. Whitehouse ’95 and Barbara L. Ruggiero
Timothy G. and Mary T. Whitten
Sandra Wickman-Mason
Regina ’90 (CLAS) and Thomas Williams
Rose M. Wyman
Alicia A. ’95 (CLAS) and Jonathan E. Young

$250 – $499

John Allis III ’75 and Nancy Allis
Linda S. ’79 and Kurt Bahrs
Susan M. Banks ’98 and Matthew H. Lynch
John A. Barbosa, Jr. ’76, ’80 and A. Linda Barbosa ’80
George A. ’87 (CLAS), ’89 and Carol M. ’88, ’97 Barrios
Arthur C. Barton
Diane M. ’77, ’80 and Thomas Beck
Richard A. and Michelle Beyman
Edward R. and Kathleen W. Binder
Timothy P. ’83 and Claudia Block
Robert L. ’65 and Bette J. Brandt
Ronald F. ’56 and L. Victoria Brien
Jeffery F. ’84 and Cindy G. Brill
David J. ’74 and Judith W. Casey
Michael P. Cassidy ’02 and Diane S. Dagostino
Christopher J. ’88 and Jean Chadbourne
Michael B. Cohen ’81 and Samuel J. Barrera
William L. ’96 and Amy Cone
Owen P. Cocking ’84 (CLAS), ’93 and Virginia B. Connolly ’93
Mark J. Cowan ’91, ’04 (LAW)
William C. ’90 and Anna R. ’91 (CLAS) Croce
Joseph J. DeMaio ’81 and Cecelia McCulloch
William P. ’71 and Rachel M. Desautelle
Carmen Desiato ’93
Ernest A. DiMattia, Jr. ’81 and Susan S. DiMattia ’81
Peter S. ’64 and Hinda M. Drotch
Francis J. Evon, Jr. ’89 and Laura S. Evon ’90
Robert A. Feiner ’80
Joseph D. Filomeno ’51
William R. ’77 and Joyce A. ’76 (NEAG) Finlayson
Bertram Frankenberger, Jr. ’54 and Harriet Frankenberger
Dominick J. Galletti ’06 (CCS), ’10 and Kristi E. Mackin Galletti ’95 (CLAS), ’00 (LAW)
Katherine E. Giordano ’05
Alan ’62 and Janice L. Glaubinger
John D. ’94 and Elizabeth A. Godin
H. Kent and Penny C. Goetjen
Chris J. McCarty ’96 and Jennifer W. Grey ’93
Colleen Gruner ’82
Jean F. ’68 and Larry P. Haberman
Charles G. Haddad ’76
Robert J. ’82 and Priscilla A. Hagerty
Joyce M. Harrison ’83 and Paul J. Swanke
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Sid and Ruth L. Horowitz
Marc A. Jeffreys ’01
Kathryn J. Jervis, Ph.D. ’97
Aimee Kass-Krol
Thomas P. ’77 and Deborah S. ’78 (NUR) Kelley
Sean W. ’82 and Grace M. ’82 (NEAG) Kelly
Fred C. ’54 and Sally Kile
Aurelia N. Knox
Art ’75 and Elisabeth C. Komninos
KPMG International
Michael P. Krol ’74, ’87
Edward F. ’82 and Catherine A. ’81 Krzanowski
Ann E. Kummer ’09
Marc A. Lambert ’85
Michelle M. ’80 and James A. Lapides
Terry A. ’74 and Lisa Lashin
William C. Lawler, Sr. ’68 and Carol J. Lawler
Marc A. Levine ’88
Donald P. ’60 and Maureen Lucian
Kevin M. Magee ’81
Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.
Michael J. Murphy ’96
John M. ’74 and Darlene A. Oblak
Robert A. Ostertag, Jr. ’72 and Barbara Ostertag
Jon D. Pedersen, Sr. ’93 and Kristen L. Pedersen
Leslie G. ’77 and Susan C. Polgar
Scott M Pritchett ’89
Christopher M. ’98 and Kerry Puglia
John S. ’64 and Rosanne C. ’63 Purtill
Brenda H. ’82 and James B. Rouse
Edward V. ’77 and Peggy P. Sands
Judson P. Saviskas
Zeki ’02 and Monica M. ’03 Simsek
Frederick H. ’74 and Suzanne S. Steinhagen
Robert T. Sullivan ’77
Karl ’69 and Ingrid F. Svendsen
Chelton D. ’73 and Diane C. Tanger
James D. ’74 and Helen M. Tapper
Sue M. ’85 and Christopher P. Tompkins
Michael J. Trevelyan ’89
Gerald K. Tsui ’01
Jennifer W. ’94, ’00 and Scott E. Vanderwall
Thomas D. Walker ’95
Jeffrey J. Webb ’04
David P. Weber
Chris S. ’90 and Eileen A. Westfahl
Michael J. Whyte ’97
Gary and Patricia M. Widlitz
James M. ’92 and Lauren M. ’90 (NEAG) Yanosy
Joseph A. ’68 and Sue A. Zaccagnino
Maryann Zacchea
Michael J. ’12 and Marcy C. Zacchea
Dean H. ’87 and Katherine F. Zirolli

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1 (Winter 2014)

Her pumpkin-colored business card simply reads: Hiccupops. Mallory Kievman, CEO.

What it doesn’t say is that the CEO is only 15 years old, still wears braces, or that just last October she was awarded her first patent.

Nor does it mention that her invention, a sweet-tasting lollipop that cures hiccups, is drawing interest among the medical community, because sometimes hiccups can be a serious medical condition.

“It hasn’t really registered with me how cool it is to be 15 and have my own invention,” said Kievman, of Manchester. “I’m more excited about the opportunity to help a lot of people.”

Although the concept for the Hiccupops was all Mallory’s, UConn MBA students and staff have guided her as she prepares to bring her invention to the marketplace. She is currently looking for a manufacturer and distributor.

“When I was younger I had a lot of hiccups,” Kievman explained. “It wasn’t anything serious, but it was irritating.” She tried some 100 remedies, including pickle juice (“it was really gross”), standing on her head, and guzzling glasses of water.

Then she hit on the perfect concoction. She blended warm apple-cider vinegar with sugar, and then hardened it into a lollipop. The Hiccupop works by overstimulating a set of nerves in the throat and mouth that are responsible for hiccups, thus stopping the reflex.

She entered the Hiccupop into a school-wide invention contest and won. She then competed in the 2011 Connecticut Invention Convention at the University of Connecticut. She beat 700 other students for the top prize, which included business guidance from the university.

“That’s when I really started to think it was a legitimate prospective business,” said Kievman, now a sophomore at Loomis Chaffee School and a varsity soccer player.

Kievman had targeted Hiccupops as a consumer product. But UConn MBA students conducted additional research and found out that hiccups have serious medical consequences. Patients undergoing chemotherapy frequently suffer from hiccups, as do dialysis patients. A patient who has hiccups after surgery can risk tearing sutures. And sometimes nicotine patches can have hiccups as an unpleasant side effect.

Now Kievman has changed her strategy, and plans to introduce Hiccupops as a medical product. She is also considering partnering with another company that offers related products.

“UConn has been a huge resource for us,” said Adam Kievman, Mallory’s father and Hiccupops’ only other employee. “Both the business and engineering schools last summer helped with the core marketing research and investigated what opportunities might be. They really helped guide Mallory in the marketplace.”

“I think this invention has some real possibilities,” said Chris Levesque, interim executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UConn, which at any given time has six new ventures in development. “To cure or ameliorate the symptoms of hiccups seems to augur well for a successful product.”

Kievman—whose father is an executive recruiter for a large pharmaceutical company and whose mother, Shannon, is a teacher—said discussing ideas for new businesses is a common dinnertime conversation in her family, which includes three younger siblings.

“Mallory sets the bar high for everyone, including herself and her siblings,” her father said. Because of her invention, she has appeared on the Nickelodeon television network, rung the opening bell on Wall Street, and has been featured in a New York Times article. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Invention Convention.

Originally planning to become a doctor, Kievman said the closer she gets to college, the less sure she is about a career path. But she hopes it will be something that serves mankind.

“This opportunity has opened my mind to things I wasn’t interested in before,” she said.

 To learn more about Hiccupops, go to http://hiccupops.com/.

Conor Horrigan ’11 MBA says UConn’s “paw prints” all over his Stamford brewery

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1 (Winter 2014)

The day Conor Horrigan planned to welcome six politicians to his Half Full Brewery, the enterprise into which he has poured his heart and soul, he walked in to find the business flooded. Fortunately it was only filtered water—not his trademark Bright Ale or popular seasonal Pumpkin Ale—that covered the Stamford brewery’s floor. The tour was postponed, the faulty pump switch repaired, and today Horrigan can laugh about the experience.

In fact, that “we can handle this” attitude is reflected in the name of his brewery and much of what he does. He relishes the idea that life, like the glass, is half-full, not half empty.

Horrigan, 31, began his career as an investment banker and trader on Wall Street. After three years, he was very successful, but completely miserable. “I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do that will make me excited about going to work in the morning?” he said.

With a sense of optimism that somehow everything would work out, he quit his job. He and then-fiancée, now wife, Lindsay, toured Central Europe. Aboard a train from Prague to Vienna, “Half Full Brewery” was conceived.

Horrigan knew he would need more than optimism to make his idea a success. He enrolled in the MBA program at UConn, where each project or internship he undertook was geared toward the beer-making business. UConn faculty and advisers helped Horrigan with everything from the business plan to marketing and distribution. Many still advise him today. “UConn’s paw prints are all over this business,” he said.

Immediately after graduation, Horrigan began raising funds and found 51 investors who believed in him. He renovated a Stamford factory, and on Aug. 7, 2012, the inaugural Half Full beer was sold at local restaurants and bars.

Horrigan describes Half Full’s beer as light and drinkable with a twist—a splash of citrus, spice, or a nutty flavor.

“They are all a little bit different, but very approachable,” Horrigan said. “We want people to say, ‘Hey, I can drink this beer.’ We consider ourselves a lifestyle brewery. We want them to like our beer, but also like what we’re about.”

The company is now turning a profit. Half Full draft beer is sold in bars and restaurants in Litchfield, New Haven and Fairfield Counties, and will soon be available in Westchester County, N.Y.  Next spring Horrigan hopes to begin selling Half Full in cans—and expand the draft beer sales into Hartford County. Brewery tasting nights and “tap-takeovers” fill Horrigan’s days, which often run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The small staff is comprised of “passionate individuals, who care about what they do and talk about it 24/7,” Horrigan said. “We work very long hours here because we’re inspired and passionate people.” In November, the male employees grew “Half Full beer-ds,” shaving only one side of their faces, to draw attention to men’s health issues.

“I like the idea of always mixing it up,” Horrigan said.  “When I was on Wall Street, you were expected to do things a certain way and you were treated as a number. You knew you could always be replaced.”

“I wanted to be at the table and steer the vision. I like approaching things from a different perspective,” he said. “I always thought like an entrepreneur. I liked to flip things on their head, and that’s easier to do when you’re the boss.”