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ACES Business Advisory Council Celebrates its 20th Annual Employer Recognition Dinner

August 13th, 2019


(North Haven, CT – August 13, 2019) Under the highly appropriate theme “The Key to Everything Is You”, the ACES Business Advisory Council (BAC) has announced its 20th annual Employer Recognition Dinner will be held Wednesday, October 16th beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Anthony’s Ocean View restaurant in New Haven. Established in 1997, the ACES Business Advisory Council works with ACES staff to provide employment and vocational training opportunities for students and clients in ACES ACCESS program, ACES Whitney High Academy, and ACES Whitney High School North. The ACES Business Advisory Council is a diverse group of business professionals and ACES staff from the greater New Haven region, who work together to enhance employment opportunities for ACES students and adult special needs populations.

“This year’s celebration is really special as we reflect on two decades of amazing support and individual successes while having one eye on the future,’ said Gene Crocco, ACES Coordinator of Work Services. “We could not help so many deserving individuals without the outpouring of support from our area businesses. We take this night to share the moving stories of our programs and show our appreciation to the businesses that make all of it happen in our community.”

The ACES 20th Annual BAC Employer Recognition Dinner will honor approximately 80 regional businesses and highlights the past year’s success stories as told by the ACES students and individuals themselves. This year’s guest speaker is Christopher Baker, Vice-President of General Manager of Highfield Manufacturing Company, which is a division of Rexnord Corporation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Highfield has been an ACES partner since 1987 with ACES Work Services by using ACES individuals to complete a multitude of assignments including manufacturing, assembly, and packaging.

Besides entertainment by the ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) jazz ensemble, there will be many highlights of the night including remarks from Peter C. Young, who was ACES first executive director and teamed up with Cheryl Saloom, a former ACES Executive Director to develop the BAC. At the dinner, Young will provide a historical perspective of how the work program started at ACES and evolved. Another highlight will be the posthumously recognition of Andrew “Andy” Wolf. Wolf, who drove the idea of the new ACES ACCESS program “ACE SHINES”, which is a shoeshine operation that is opening soon in New Haven’s train station, Wolf, as the New Haven government’s cultural director who tapped an endless reservoir of inspiration and enthusiasm to boost New Haven’s cultural and arts scene. New Haven Mayor Toni Harp will honor Wolf who recently passed away. 

“In so many ways, Andy was New Haven’s muse the past five-plus years – I’d say the only thing to rival his creative thought was his optimism about what New Haven should aspire to, what it would take for New Haven to reach its potential, and how positively wonderful it’ll be when New Haven gets there,” Mayor Harp said. “In a city known throughout its history for talent, innovation, and advanced thinking, Andy raised the bar; now it falls to us to shine the light of Andy’s Spirit and advance the cause of New Haven’s artistic, cultural, and civic excellence to which Andy was whole-heartedly dedicated.”

Area radio host Brian Smith, formerly of WQUN of Quinnipiac University, will host the event. ACES Annual Employer Recognition Dinner is coordinated by the ACES Business Advisory Council whose members include Co-Chairs Glenn Archer, New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Mary Stager, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.; Gene Crocco, ACES Coordinator of Work Services; Marilyn Ferguson, Chair Emeritus; Mary-Ann White, Chair Emeritus / Coldwell Banker; Maureen Cavallaro, ACES ACCESS; Andrew L. Hodes, Executive Director, Jewish Cemetery Association of Greater New Haven; William Jacobs, ACES Transition Coordinator; David Litvinoff, Town Fair Tire; Eric Melillo, COFORGE; Carolyn Nelson, ACES Transition Coordinator; Fred Oglesby, ACES - Whitney High North; Terry Magun, Fresh Concepts;  Tony Poccia, Press Cuozzo Realtors; John Prins, Prins Associates; David Quast, VALIC Financial Advisors; Dr. Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, EdD, ACES Chief of Marketing & Outreach; and Kim Dorey Wallis, ACES ACCESS.

Tickets are $48 per person and are available online at registration.aces.org. There are also several advertising opportunities available for the evening’s program by contacting Tenisha Biggs at (203) 498-6800 or by email at tbiggs@aces.org.

About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Service’s (ACES) is to transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership. One of six Connecticut regional educational service centers, ACES is the regional educational services center for the twenty-five communities in New Haven and is both a school district and a non-profit services agency. ACES serves 2,300 students from fifty-seven communities throughout Connecticut at its three magnet schools and nine special education schools. ACES service divisions include international educational programs and services, technology, transportation, translation, behavior services and autism programs, extension therapy services (occupational and physical therapy), assistive technology, collaborative programs, professional development, human resources and financial services, and ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically challenged adults. ACES also runs the Open Choice program for New Haven County as well as a magnet school parent choice program for its Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School and Thomas Edison Middle School. Additionally, ACES runs the Middlesex County Early Head Start Partnership program. For additional information, go to www.aces.org.

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