09/22/2006

BRIDGEPORT — Bank executives, real estate professionals, builders and even a public relations firm owner dedicated half of their Thursday to learning about business opportunities in the city.

"Things are happening," said Simeon L. Gillman, a manufacturing and business consultant from Hamden. For years, there's been talk about Bridgeport's potential, but now businesspeople are starting to believe it because of the scaffolding and the construction workers downtown, he said.

Gillman was just one of more than 50 businesspeople taking part in the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center's open house. There were representatives from a variety of companies, including Citigroup and Wachovia banks. They heard several speeches, got a peek at the work being done to convert the old Citytrust building in downtown to apartments and took a bus ride around the city, where development experts pointed out what is happening and what is available.

Ernie Trefz, founder of the Trefz Corp. and owner of 10 Middle St., where the open house kicked off, told the crowd, "I'm bullish on investing in Bridgeport."

He said his company recently acquired 3852 Fairfield Ave. in the city and has continued to upgrade its other Park City properties. He encouraged the group to look for opportunities in Bridgeport and cited the work that's started since the last BERC open house.

"Two years ago, there were 26 projects in the planning stages," Trefz said. "Six of those projects are now under construction. Three have progressed into the design phase."

That Bridgeport has finally moved past the days of dreams toward having shovels in the ground was also the message from Eric Anderson, of Urban Green Builders, which is renovating the building on Main Street into 118 apartments. With construction workers in yellow hardhats continuing to hammer away inside Citytrust, Anderson told the group that what counts in Bridgeport is competence and ability. He said over the years the city has heard enough promises and grand plans without any substance behind them that officials have become experts at detecting what's a real plan and what's just wishful thinking. Anderson said he has 200 people on the waiting list for the Citytrust apartments and he is actively looking for retailers and restaurants to fill the bottom floor. Fat Cat Pies, the restaurant, has already agreed to be a tenant, he said.

Anderson said he's hoping to find businesses to meet downtown residents' needs. He thinks it will take about 1,500 housing units to support a downtown grocery store. Rob Varnon, who covers business, can be reached at 330-6216.