Connecticut Retail Network Selects Retailer of the Year

Michael Disibio opened his first New Balance store in May 2006 at The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. In the years since, his portfolio of retail businesses has steadily grown, earning the respect of customers and colleagues throughout the Connecticut retail community.

On Wednesday, October 11, the Connecticut Retail Network will recognize Michael and Christine Disibio and The Disibio Companies as Retailer of the Year in Connecticut, the highest honor bestowed by the statewide retail business association. The award will be presented at the BIG Event, a morning gathering of retail business leaders from across the state, held at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford.

Christine and Michael DisibioPhoto bycontributed

”Our passion is be part of the local communities we serve - for our customers. We practice core values of integrity, value, honesty, teamwork, and total guest satisfaction,” explained Michael Disibio. “We’re proud to provide our team members a safe and fun place to work, while teaching life lessons. We’re grateful for this recognition by the Connecticut Retail Network, and retailers across this dynamic industry.”

At this year’s BIG Event, the Connecticut Retail Network will also take note with a Special Recognition Award of the Iffland Lumber Company, which has been serving the Torrington area since 1903, offering a complete line of home improvement products and building materials for do-it-yourself customers, contractors and architects. The company, now led by president Verne Pesce, has for 120 years offered a wide selection of quality products at competitive prices, combining large-scale selection with individual service and customer satisfaction.

In addition, CRN will present its Legislator of the Year Award to State Representative Kerry Wood, who represents Rocky Hill and Wethersfield in the state legislature and is House Chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. Rep. Wood was named the award recipient in 2021, but the event was not held due to COVID safety concerns. She will be accepting the award at this year’s in-person gathering.

“The landscape for retail businesses has changed dramatically in recent years, requiring navigating new technologies and an array of global challenges, while maintaining first-rate customer service in an ever-changing business environment,” said CRN President Tim Phelan. “As retail businesses have adapted and seized new opportunities, playing a vital role in promoting jobs and Connecticut’s economy, it is appropriate that we recognize these outstanding retailers who trulyset the standard in the industry.”

The keynote speaker for the Oct. 6 retailers’ event will be Mark Matthews, executive director, research at the National Retail Federation (NRF). In this role, Mathews is responsible for leading the research department at NRF. He will be providing a preview of the upcoming holiday season for retailers in the United States, sharing the latest research from NRF. The program runs 9 – 11 AM.

In Connecticut today, retail businesses are strong supporters of communities and community-based organizations throughout the state. More than 470,000 jobs are supported annually by retail businesses in Connecticut. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) impact is $34.2 billion – about 14 percent of the state’s total GDP. More than 98 percent of all retail companies employ fewer than 50 people, and provide a wide array of fulfilling and rewarding career opportunities across Connecticut.

Consumers in Connecticut and the region have seen the growth of The Disibio Companies. In March 2009, Michael & Christine opened their second New Balance location in the Avon Marketplace on Rte. 44 in Avon, followed in September 2015 by their third New Balance location in the Garden City Shopping Center in Cranston, RI. In August 2018 they partnered with up-and-coming fashion brand Vionic and opened Vionic by Disibio at The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor.

Just over a year ago, in February 2022, they purchased Connecticut Mattress and are now operating four Connecticut Mattress stores in South Windsor, Avon, Southington, and Newington, the newest location, which opened earlier this year. The Disibio roster of businesses, focused on footwear to keep people moving and mattresses to improve sleeping, are well-known to Connecticut consumers:

• New Balance - South Windsor
• New Balance - Avon
• New Balance - Cranston. R.I.
• Vionic by Disibio
• Connecticut Mattress – South Windsor, Avon, Southington, and Newington

The Connecticut Retail Network – known as the Voice of Retail – is a trade association whose mission is to represent the interests of retailers and serve as a vital link between those retailers and state and government agencies. The association’s members include more than 2,000 stores throughout the state, including some of the world's largest retailers as well as the state's main street merchants. Formerly the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, the association rebranded as the Connecticut Retail Network at the start of this year.

“A thriving retail community is essential for a thriving Connecticut. Retailers have worked diligently to respond to their customers throughout the challenges of COVID, and we look forward to being active participants in Connecticut’s economic recovery – that is our commitment to Connecticut,” Phelan added.

To learn more about Connecticut Retail Network, visit www.ctretailnetwork.com or call 860-527-1044.