By Nan Price, Content Manager, MetroHartford Alliance
As MetroHartford Alliance (MHA) Chief Marketing Officer, Jeremy Szechenyi enjoys sharing the story of Hartford and encouraging others to do so, too.
Why Hartford?
JEREMY SZECHENYI: I first started visiting the Hartford Region about eight years ago, when I met my wife and we’d visit her family in Plainville. At the time, we were living in Boston. Years later, we were figuring out where to settle down and evaluating places to live in the Hartford Region. We wanted to be in a slightly more rural, suburban atmosphere but close enough to a city—without the expense of being in a city. We chose Avon because the Greater Hartford area had all the things we were looking for in a place to live.
How have you become a part of Hartford and how has Hartford become a part of you?
JEREMY: When I moved to this region, I knew I wanted to become part of the entrepreneur and innovation scene Hartford. I was able to easily become ingrained into that ecosystem through my work at reSET—and now here at the MHA through our Innovation Destination Hartford initiative, which serves as an information and storytelling hub for local entrepreneurs and startups.
As I was learning about the entrepreneurial ecosystem and all the pieces that fit into it, I found it was easy to make a lot of great connections, many of which I’ve used to my benefit—and to benefit others.
What makes Hartford unique?
JEREMY: Part of the reason we moved here was because of the diversity of restaurants and the variety of things going on in this area, which we found really rad. One of the coolest things about Hartford is that you can live or work in the city and within an hour be in a completely different environment, whether it’s at the beach or on a ski slope. That’s something a lot of cities, even those in New England, can’t claim. So, the Hartford Region has something for everyone in terms of day tripping or finding the right place to live.
How do we tell the story of Hartford?
JEREMY: With my role in marketing, I work with our team to bring together the voices that represent the business community of Hartford in a clear, concise way. We’re elevating stories about the region as a combination place where you live, where you work, and where you enjoy. Also, we’re working to create vibrant imagery and videos that support the way we’re talking about our region and placing that content where people are going to find it both within and outside of our region.
We want everyone to know that Hartford is a very diverse city with a lot going on. We all know diversity is essential, but it also attributes to a lot of cool restaurants and cultural activities. So, we’re painting that picture, telling those stories, and letting people know this is an awesome place to be.