Friday December 26, 2008
Even though she’s in Colorado today on a family vacation, Gov. Jodi Rell announced that Laura Grondin of Haddam is the new chairwoman of the Connecticut Development Authority. On October 21, Grodin, who has served on the CDA board for about a year, hosted a Rell news conference at the Rocky Hill-based Virginia Industries, where the Yale graduate is president and CEO.
She succeeds L. Scott Frantz as the unpaid chair of the commission. Frantz was election to the state Senate last month.
“Laura Grondin understands and is deeply committed to CDA’s mission of promoting business expansion, creating jobs and helping Connecticut maintain a strong business climate,” Rell said in a statement. “Her experience, her perspective as a CEO and her long-standing commitment to the business community are all valuable assets in her new role.”
The CDA offers debt financing and investment capital to state businesses.
According to FollowtheMoney.org, Grodin contributed $250 to John G. Rowland’s 2002 election campaign and $2,500 to Rell in 2005. The first check to Rell was written on December 13, 2005 and the second was $2,200 written on December 30th of that year.