PRESS RELEASE: Gary B. O'Connor Receives Waterbury Regional Chamber 2013 Malcolm Baldrige Community Award
HARTFORD, Connecticut: Attorney Gary B. O’Connor of Pullman & Comley, LLC will be the recipient of the highly-prestigious 2013 Malcolm Baldrige Community Award from the Waterbury Regional Chamber, the law firm announced today. Each year, the award is given to an individual whose commitment to the Waterbury community has been exemplified by his or her vision and leadership in the area of economic development and growth.
Now in their 19th year, the awards are presented annually by the Waterbury Regional Chamber and are named in honor of Malcolm Baldrige, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Reagan and one-time Woodbury, Connecticut resident who headed the Waterbury-based Scovill Manufacturing Company. Baldrige was renowned locally for his volunteerism and dedication to improving the local economy and is nationally-recognized for his performance excellence standards on product, service and customer quality.
A prominent member of the Waterbury community for many years and past chair of the Chamber, Mr. O’Connor was a previous recipient of the Waterbury Chamber’s Leadership Award and has been a driving force, along with other Pullman & Comley attorneys serving as pro-bono legal counsel, in transforming the Police Activities League of Waterbury from a failing organization into a vibrant center for athletics, education and community participation for more than 3,000 inner-city youths.
Additionally, as one of the leaders in Connecticut in revising state environmental laws, Mr. O’Connor’s extensive experience in all aspects of complex industrial and commercial real estate transactions, particularly those impacted by environmental conditions, was instrumental in advising Waterbury officials in creating a cost-effective redevelopment strategy for remediating and redeveloping a major brownfield site. What was once Waterbury Industrial Commons, a brownfields site of marginal value, will soon be the site of a global supplier of superconductive wires and a vibrant industrial complex. Mr. O’Connor has also been involved in other Waterbury development projects including the Brass Mill Center Mall, renovation of the historic Palace Theatre, and relocation of the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury branch to a downtown venue.
Mr. O’Connor currently serves as co-chair of Connecticut’s Brownfields Working group and has recently served as co-chair of the Environment Committee of Governor Dannel Malloy’s Transition Team. He is currently working with the Governor’s Office and leadership of the General Assembly to create a comprehensive brownfields initiative in the state. He has successfully negotiated major federal and state grant and loan agreements in connection with large-scale public and private remediation and redevelopment projects and has extensive experience representing the public sector in eminent domain and land use matters.
Mr. O’Connor received his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Mr. O’Connor will accept his award during the annual Malcolm Baldrige Chambers Awards banquet on Wednesday, October 2 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut. The evening will include a silent auction to raise funds for economic development efforts of the not-for-profit Waterbury Regional Chamber.
About Pullman & Comley, LLC
Pullman & Comley, LLC provides a wide range of legal services to clients in the New England region, as well as throughout the United States. In addition to environmental law, the firm’s major practice areas include business organizations and finance; government finance; health care; labor, employment law and employee benefits; litigation; property valuation; real estate; regulatory, energy and telecommunications; and trusts and estates. The firm has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury and White Plains.