Westport Library and Y's Men Presented Howard Saffan, Owner And President of The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Mr. Saffan, the owner, developer, and president of the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, provided an insider’s look at this highly acclaimed, world-class venue on August 3rd at The Westport Library in a presentation co-sponsored by the Library and the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston.
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Mr. Saffan was introduced first by Dewey Loselle, President of the Westport-Weston Y's men (L), then by Dick Kalt, ( C) the organization's director of communications. Mr. Saffan (R ) spoke at length about the detailed and very expensive process of building what many of the music and concert industry's legendary performers have heralded as an exceptional concert venue and one in which they want to return to again and again.
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Now in the midst of its second season, the Amphitheater is a conversion of the former Harbor Yard Ballpark, previously home to the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Amphitheater showcases many of music's superstars, and Saffan will discuss the development of the amphitheater, the relationship with Bridgeport, and the exciting renaissance of live contemporary music shows and the Sound on Sound Festival. The Amphitheater is the premier music venue in Connecticut, presenting live shows with The Beach Boys, Temptations, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Santana, and many more.
As part of his presentation Mr. Saffan provided photos and videos and proudly described the many features and amenities which sets this facility apart from other concert venues. He provided clips of some of the major music industry stars who have performed worldwide describing how exceptional this facility is and how happy they are to appear here. Speaking in one of the video clips was Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl who performed at and became one of the early fans of the amphitheater.
Howard provided fascinating background on his long career, how he started his first business, a window and door factory in Bridgeport, which he sold after his start as a bankruptcy attorney and clerked for a Federal Bankruptcy judge. That career began when he graduated from Brooklyn Law School and achieved a B.S. in finance from Syracuse University.
Howard later became CEO of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and spoke of how he always wanted to be associated with the sports business. He tried being a legal assistant for a famous sports agent but couldn’t stand dealing with the large egos of the athletes he represented. At this point he left the legal profession, the window business which he subsequently sold for a large profit at age 36. He then bought a major interest in a leading golf driving-range company that was going into bankruptcy. Later, he took over a Shelton, CT facility, the popular Sports Center of Connecticut. That facility is unique in that it is the only double decker NHL-sized ice arena in the world where various local hockey teams could train.
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Several audience members were afforded the opportunity to ask Howard questions and he coyly demurred when one questioner asked about a major announcement he would be making on a future project which he alluded to in his earlier remarks.
One of the teams that trained there was the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He joined the team as President and after 9 years became CEO. Finally in 2011 he bought the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport which he converted to one of the most successful sports and entertainment arenas in CT. He features college and professional ice hockey and basketball and includes popular music groups, singers and shows such as Cirque de Soleil. This season the arena had the highest attendance ever and Howard continues to be a very successful entrepreneur.
As if all this was not enough of a resume of achievements, at one point in his career Saffan oversaw management of the New York Islanders hockey club and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The audience mingled prior to the start of the event. Audience members listening intently to Saffan's presentation included (L) Jeff Weiser, RTM Moderator, E. Bruce Bonner of the Y's Men organization (C) and Westport based real estate developer, investor and one of Howard’s attorneys, Roger Leiffer, (R) seated next to his wife Beryl.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Other audience members included Robin Hammond of CLASP Westport with Levitt Board member Dave Briggs (L), Agata Slattery of the Westport Library, Y's Men's Dewey Loselle, Mr. Saffan, Westport Library's Jennifer Bangser and Y's men's Dick Kalt. At right are Dick and Howard.