Griebel returns to MetroHartford Alliance

A week after his run for the state's top office came to end, R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel is back as the chief executive of Greater Hartford's main business chamber.

Griebel returned to work Monday as the CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance. He had agreed to an unpaid leave of absence from the Alliance while he ran for governor.

Ted Sergi, the former president of the Connecticut Science Center, was MetroHartford's interim CEO during Griebel's absence. He has now left the organization.

Griebel's run for governor ended last week after he lost the Republican primary to Tom Foley. Griebel received 18 percent of the nearly 120,000 votes cast for the republican candidates for governor.

Griebel said he expects his return to MetroHartford Alliance to be seamless because a lot of the issues he advocated for on the campaign trail, are the same concerns held by businesses in Greater Hartford. He said his main goal will be to continue to try to reverse the anti-business attitude in the state.

He said he hopes his run for governor will also expand the visibility of the MetroHartford Alliance.

"People are very concerned about the future of this state," Griebel said. "People are concerned about their jobs and concerned about the state spending itself well beyond its capabilities."