Stamford Partnership Accelerates Through COVID-19, Prepares for Future Growth

In 1978, the Stamford Partnership, then called the Stamford Economic Assistance Corporation was created by local business leaders. From its inception to now, the Partnership’s mission has remained the same: to enhance the lives of those who live and work in the Stamford area. And the organization today now features a diverse and representative Board that includes nonprofit, government, and citizen leaders.

In 2019, The Stamford Partnership named Jon Winkel as CEO, when four months into his tenure, the region began experiencing the health and economic crisis created by COVID-19’s spread.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve this community at a time of crisis. Stamford’s grit and resiliency inspires me and the Partnership every day,” said Mr. Winkel.

At the direction of Chairperson Jodi Gutierrez, Vice Chair April Condon, and the organization’s Board despite many challenges, the non-profit has helped pave the way with a series of projects aimed at improving the Stamford community and accelerating the economic recovery.

“With an outstanding and proactive Board of Directors, we have been able to accomplish a good deal for the city and region, all amidst a global pandemic,” said Gutierrez, a Vice President of Real Estate Company George Comfort & Sons, Inc. “We are excited for the future, and the many projects and programs we are focused on for this year.”

The Stamford Partnership kicked off 2020 by introducing SWIFI, a new high-speed public Wi-Fi system in key areas throughout the downtown Stamford and central business districts, including the UCONN Stamford Campus and Columbus, Veterans and Mill River Parks. As COVID-19 moved many banking, education, telemedicine, and appointment scheduling requirements online, SWIFI became critical infrastructure. When downtown Stamford restaurants opened their doors for outdoor seating, which was critical in reopening, overall the network saw a 79% increase in usage, with over 65,000 users in the last 12 months.

As the COVID-19 pandemic struck Stamford, the Partnership moved quickly to buoy struggling restaurants in the area with a dining bond initiative that sold gift certificates at 85 percent of face value. Numerous restaurant bonds were sold, to help protect the countless local merchants that make up so much of the fabric of our city.

The Partnership also turned its attention to the overburdened hospitals and medical professionals in Stamford by setting up an extension of the dining bond program, through which groups or individuals could donate directly to Stamford Hospitals to help feed frontline workers.

They then took that Stamford Hospital partnership one step further with connections between Stamford Health and the Peter J Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at University of Connecticut (UConn) to initiate a convalescent plasma clinical trial in response to treating patients with COVID-19.

Beyond working to support the community in a time of crisis, Winkel’s first year on the job also needed to focus on ways to support the next generation of Stamford leadership. The Partnership relaunched the Fairfield County Business Council’s Leadership Program, offering hands-on training to mid- and senior-level professionals seeking to leadership roles in their community.

It also introduced the Stamford Promise, a scholarship program that will be awarded to local high school seniors who meet academic and community service requirements, allowing them to access affordable and achievable higher education.

Stamford Innovation Week 2020, which attracted over 3,000 participants in a pandemic year, helped connect major companies to the local Stamford Community. Morgan Stanley, Twitch, University of Connecticut, Mastercard, Columbia Business School, AT&T and Chobani were just a few of the major corporations who participated in the weeklong virtual conference.

With an eye towards the future, the Partnership is looking forward to further fueling Stamford’s recovery and shaping the Partnership’s growing relationship with local and regional businesses.

The Data & Analytics Leaders Network, the Partnership’s working group on data science, was created to pursue large-scale investment in Stamford in the computer and data science industries. The group is comprised of The Stamford Partnership, AdvanceCT, The State of Connecticut, and several additional stakeholders who help executives find the insights, information, and connections they need to thrive

In 2021, the Partnership is extremely focused on its new workforce development and digital skill building program, TechFWD. The program will help individuals learn the digital skills needed to create or grow small businesses. Programs will focus on marketing automation, web development, digital analytics, social media marketing, content marketing and much more.