As the chief elected official for the Town, the Mayor is in many ways the chief cheerleader as well, championing opportunities that better the community while retaining its unique character.

The Town Manager is the Chief Executive Officer of the Town of Newington, responsible for the operations of all Town departments.  It is the Town Manager’s duty to ensure all Town employees are performing their jobs to the best of their abilities and that citizens, including “corporate citizens”, are receiving the high quality services they expect when they pay their taxes.
Keeping the Town “Business Friendly” is an important component of the Town Manager’s responsibilities. Accordingly, the Town Manager’s office  is the place to turn when businesses have questions, concerns or something just doesn’t seem right.

Town policy is set by the Town Council, a body of nine (including the Mayor) elected officials. Town Councilors serve “at large”, meaning they do not represent a specific geographic area, but they typically live in all parts of the community and frequent the businesses that are important to their everyday lives.
If a business wants to discuss concerns or how the Town can be helpful, seeking out a Town Councilor is an effective means to be heard and to get issues raised with the proper officials in Town Hall.

Appointed by the Town Council, the twelve member Economic Development Commission is charged with:

• Conducting research into the economic conditions and trends of the Town.
• Making recommendations to appropriate officials and agencies regarding actions to improve Newington's economic condition and development.
• Coordinating the activities of and cooperating with unofficial bodies organized to promote such economic development.

Economic Development Commission members are also useful advocates for businesses and their needs and concerns. Commission members welcome hearing from businesses that have ideas for how the business climate within Town can be improved.

The Economic Development Director is an activist and ombudsman for business to help bring more economic activity to Newington and to assist businesses already here to be more prosperous.
The Economic Development Director helps find the right sites for businesses, assists in securing financing, is a resource for navigating regulatory requirements and can be a helpful sounding board for doing business, new product and service concepts as well as marketing and promotion ideas.

Education plays an important role in providing skilled employees and citizens who have the wherewithal to buy the products and services of businesses in the community.  The Newington Public Schools have a mission, that every student is “Future Ready”.

The Chamber of Commerce provides a variety of services to its members and is the voice of the business community in policy matters.
Chamber members are not only kept informed of community developments but, through their organization, they have a collective strength that gets attention.

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association is the state’s largest business association, fighting for change at the State Capitol.
CBIA members also enjoy access to a number of services that can lower costs, including group health insurance and employee benefits, energy purchases, human resource consulting, employment services & training, background checks, credit card processing and discounts on office supplies & equipment and shredding services.

The Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development is the State’s business czar, leading policy initiatives and implementing strategies to increase Connecticut’s economic competitiveness.
The purview of the Commissioner includes growing businesses, enriching the workforce, creating vibrant communities and advocating for the infrastructure to support all of the above.  The Commissioner also is chief salesperson for the state, promoting tourism, the arts, film-making and historic preservation as well as being the leading spokesperson within State government for legislation favorable to businesses.

Get advice from seasoned professionals through the Retired Corps of Service Executives (SCORE). SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.

The Connecticut Small Business Development Center provides no-cost advising services to both prospective and existing business owners to help them start or expand their business. CTSBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and the University of Connecticut. The SBDC program remains one of the nation’s largest small business assistance programs in the federal government with a proven track record of providing almost 35 years of service to small businesses.

CTNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Connecticut Innovations, is a network of passionate people who offer services to busy entrepreneurs. Connecticut Innovations is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm and is the leading source of financing and ongoing support for innovative, growing companies. By offering equity investments, strategic guidance and introductions to valuable partners, they enable promising businesses to thrive.