Promoting business Trade showoffers boostfor leaders DAVE GOLDBERG dgoldberg
FAIRFIELD — Business leaders from across the region stepped out of the office Wednesday to reconnect with old associates and make new contacts at the Business Showcase 2005 trade show.
Nine chambers of commerce, including the Greater Valley, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Stratford, Trumbull and Westport/Weston, as well as the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, organized the annual event, which included seminars on a variety of topics.
Sacred Heart University's Pitt Center was filled with nearly 200 booths that described the services and products of local businesses. Event organizers expected that more than 3,000 people would have attended the showcase by thThursday, November 04, 2004 9:38:15 PMcutive officer of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. "The showcase provides an opportunity for businesses to be seen and connect with other members in the business community. "If they [showcase attendees] distribute 12 business cards and one business deal results, then it was a success."
The issue of health in the workplace took the spotlight at this year's showcase, beginning with the keynote speech delivered by Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. Katz jokingly opened his speech by remarking on the morning traffic that ensnared many of the conference's attendees and delayed its proceedings.
"To hell with stress in the workplace, let's talk about stress on the Merritt Parkway," he said.
Katz went on to discuss the dangers that poor diet and stress can pose not only to workers, but also to the American public as a whole, and he outlined possible solutions.
The morning's first seminar, delivered by Frederick W. Serra, president of F.W. Serra Inc., addressed the specifics of a variety of health-care
plans that could help companies reduce their costs. Serra said that health savings accounts, which became available in 2004 with the passage in 2003 of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act, are expected to become an increasingly popular option for employers. The tax-exempt accounts require membership in a high-deductible health plan but can yield long-term savings for both employers and employees, said Serra. The worker and the employer contribute to the HSAs, and employees use the money to pay medical expenses.
"The point is that HSAs are putting the buying controls back into the consumers' hand, allowing them to make choices in how they want to spend the money," he said.
Health-care costs are a major concern for small businesses, said Kathy Saint, president of Schwerdtle Inc., a Bridgeport-based maker of stamp and die equipment. Saint was standing in front of her company's booth Wednesday afternoon, catching up with business associates. She said her company's health plan is up for renewal this October, but she already has someone researching the issue.
"It's very difficult for small businesses because we're dealing with costs that are increasing 18 percent a year," she said. "It's getting hard to be a small, unsophisticated company because you need to have sophisticated tools and partners. I am hoping to find solutions that are good for my employees, but it's like picking your own poison, the way costs are going up."