Fairfield County Newsmakers, 4.21.2014

Westport Resources adds mutual fund team

Westport Resources, an independent investment and financial planning firm, has added three managing directors, Paul LaBossiere, Michael Portnoy and Mark Tonucci, who come to Westport Resources from Trust Advisors. They joined Westport Resources in November 2013 after the firm decided to offer a series of its own mutual funds.

All three will serve as managing directors for Westport Resources, with LaBossiere being responsible for strategic planning and relationship management, and Portnoy and Tonucci also serving as portfolio managers for the ALPS/Westport ResourcesHedged High Income Fund. The two will be responsible for all aspects of the fund”™s creation and operation including manager research and selection, monitoring and on-going due diligence.

BlumShapiro ranks 55 in top 100 national firms

BlumShapiro, the largest regional accounting, consulting and tax firm in New England, announced it is now ranked as the 55th largest accounting firm in the nation in Accounting Today”™s “2014 Top 100 Firms.” The report acknowledged BlumShapiro as the number one New England accounting firm in terms of revenue and the number four Overall Top 100 firm in revenue growth in 2013. It also highlighted BlumShapiro”™s 2014 merger with Newton, Mass.-based Friedman, Suvalle & Salomon, and the addition of a dedicated hospitality group. This 2014 ranking upped the firm”™s standing 11 places from 2013.

Vaccaro a top adviser for fifth year

Westport Resources, an independent investment firm, announced its founder and CEO, John Adams Vaccaro, has been named one of Barron”™s magazine”™s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisers” in America and the seventh top financial adviser, of 34, in Connecticut for 2014. This is the fifth consecutive year that Vaccaro has received this recognition.

 Palace Theatre has new director of development

Cathy Bromberg, a longtime Stamford resident, has been named director of development for Stamford”™s Palace Theatre. Bromberg comes to The Palace from the Norwalk Community College Foundation, where she designed and executed donor-centric events, drew annual fund revenues, developed plans to retain major capital campaign donors and created a scholarship marketing plan.

Palace awards scholarships

Stamford”™s Palace Theatre awarded the 2014 Emerging Young Artist scholarships and for the first time gave four awards: a $2,000 grand prize; a $500 second prize; a $250 third Prize, and a new $150 “Promising Young Artist” award.

This year”™s grand prize winner was Greenwich High School”™s Anna Black, who will be attending Bucknell University. Darien High School junior Alison Lui received the second prize. Currently, she is the assistant principal violist of the Norwalk Youth Symphony”™s Principal Orchestra and the principal violist with the DHS Pops Chamber Ensemble. Connor Levinson of Fairfield Warde High School, who will be attending Berklee College of Music in the Fall, won the third prize. The “Promising Young Artist” scholarship was awarded to Stamford eighth grader Ethan Riordan from Turn of the River Middle School.

New loan chief at Webster Private Bank

Webster Private Bank has appointed Fairfield resident and Fairfield University graduate Peter N. Russell as senior vice president, director of private bank lending. Based in Stamford, Russell will report to Dan Fitz Patrick, executive vice president and head of Webster Private Bank. In this newly created position Russell will be responsible for “leading a team of private bank lending professionals in identifying and meeting the credit needs of its high net worth clientele.” Russell joins Webster from Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan, where he served as chief credit officer.

Chayet joins U.S. Trust

U.S. Trust announced Julie Min Chayet will join its Fairfield County team as a senior vice president and market trust director. Chayet will have oversight for the county and will be based in the Stamford office. Prior to joining U.S. Trust, Chayet was a managing director at Fiduciary Trust Company International, where she was responsible for the development of new investment and trust relationships with individuals, families, institutions and foundations. She is currently a member of the Connecticut and New York State Bar Associations and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates.