Leaving, on a Jet Plane
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Greenwich resident Cathy Smith has a new (to me) newsletter, Greenwich Wise : lots of local news, but also articles on broader Connecticut issues that affect Greenwich and the state. Here are some recent ones;
Dairy Shutters Its CT Operations, Cutting 205 Jobs
5 days ago
The Guida-Seibert Dairy Co. plant in New Britain is permanently closing. Driven by industry-wide financial strains and a corporate restructuring by its parent cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the phased shutdown this summer will eliminate 205 jobs. The New Britain plant, known as Guida's Milk, was founded in 1932 by Frank and Alexander Guida Jr.
Industry Under Pressure
The closure highlights the severe economic squeeze facing Connecticut’s agricultural sector:
Rising Costs: High fuel, utility, and fertilizer expenses have driven up production costs.
Falling Revenue: Declining wholesale milk prices have eroded profit margins.
The downturn prompted Gov. Ned Lamont to announce $22.5 million in emergency stabilization aid last week to support the state's remaining dairy farms.
Corporate Consolidation
DFA is shuttering the New Britain location to consolidate its fluid milk operations into larger regional facilities in its cooperative network including Franklin, MA, and Rensselaer, NY.
The move follows a gradual transition by DFA, which recently began replacing Guida's branding on local grocery shelves with its sister brand, Garelick Farms.
Between the Lines: With Stanley Black & Decker closing its CT plant this month (affecting 300 jobs)*, the loss of this century-old local operation is already fueling political debate over Connecticut's business climate.
*Nearly 300 Stanley Black & Decker employees will lose their jobs by mid-May
The company will lay off 287 of its 300 employees by May 18.
[FWIW]: There are certainly a variety of forces at work that are hurting businesses here, and the Guida Milk closure cites a number of them specific to the dairy industry, but there’s also this to consider:
Greenwich Wise:
“The Tax Foundation just released its 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, a tool that enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare across the country.
“The Index evaluates each state on more than 150 variables across five major areas of taxation: corporate, individual income, sales and excise, property and wealth, and unemployment insurance. These metrics are then combined to yield a final, overall ranking.”
“Overall, Connecticut ranks 47th. As the Tax Foundation summarized, Connecticut's tax code makes it less attractive for large corporations, homeowners, and high-net-worth individuals.
“The only states ranking lower in the overall score than Connecticut are California (48th), New Jersey (49th), and New York (50th). Meanwhile, the most tax-competitive states are Wyoming (#1), South Dakota (#2), New Hampshire (#3), Alaska (#4), and Florida (#5).
The Breakdown: Where Connecticut Stands
Sales Taxes: 18th (Our best showing—though New Hampshire takes the top spot)
Corporate Taxes: 30th (The worst is Delaware)
Unemployment Insurance Taxes: 39th (The worst is Alaska)
Individual Income Taxes: 46th (The worst are NY, CA, and NJ)
Property Taxes: 49th (The worst is Vermont)
No Progress in Six Years
“Connecticut's overall ranking has remained stagnant for six years. Meanwhile, neighbors like New Hampshire (which has no income tax) managed to jump from 6th place in 2025 to 3rd place in 2026 by eliminating its interest and dividends tax.
{FWIW]: So what are the Hartford Yahoos doing about this? What they always do: raise taxes on “the rich”; increase corporate and capital gains taxes; enact new laws restricting operations at distribution warehouses; raise the minimum wage; increase and expand the paid “family” leave leave program ((“family” defined as anyone who even knows a sick person, essentially); expand existing social program giveaways and create more; ignore the fraud permeating all those programs and sue to block any attempt by the federal government to investigate them on its own.
All that’s just a sampling; there’s plenty more in the pipeline. And Connecticut voters’ response? Reelect them all.
Gooder and harder.
