Connecticut is putting out the welcome mat for New York companies that have grown tired of the city during the coronavirus pandemic.
By Christopher Keating
HARTFORD — As the coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled the economic landscape across the country, Connecticut is targeting small companies with top executives who may have grown tired of the long commute into Manhattan and instead are thinking about opening a headquarters or satellite operation in lower Fairfield County.
The idea is to turn what not so long ago was perceived as a disadvantage — a suburban address — into an advantage, as companies and executives reconsider the narrow confines of Manhattan and the world of crowded elevators and dense surroundings.
“These are businesses that are 20, 30, maybe upwards of 50 people, where typically the decision makers are already Connecticut residents,” said David Lehman, Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief economic adviser and commissioner of the state’s economic development department. Already, he said his department is fielding inquiries and targeting companies that are considering relocating at a time when telecommuting has become more common.