Mar. 14--A day after learning the unemployment rate increased 2.2 percent from a year ago, business leaders at an economic summit about the recession remained cautiously optimistic about the future of the economy in the Danbury area.

Danbury has not been hit as hard as other parts of the state -- and not nearly as hard as the rest of the country -- because it has a diversified work force, without a single company or industry being the major employer, said Stephen Bull, president of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce.

"Our business base continues to do pretty well," he said.

Bull was one of seven local business experts at a Tuesday discussion organized by Western Connecticut State University called "Economic Summit: Surviving Our Economic Tsunami."

The unemployment rate in the Danbury area increased from 4.4 percent in January 2008 to 6.6 percent in January 2009, according to figures released Monday. About 6,000 people are out of work in the area.

The panelists warned the way of life that corporations and citizens enjoyed before the recession may not rebound to what it was.

They urged WestConn students in the audience at the Westside Campus Center not to expect to land a job that will make them wealthy immediately after entering the work force.

"In this economy, think about what you can learn, not about what you can earn," said Christopher Bruhl, president and chief executive officer of the Business Council of Fairfield County.

Asked about the stimulus money from the federal government, Bull said it needs to go to companies or sectors that have a future in Danbury -- ones that can create more jobs.

Bull mentioned biotech firms such as Mannkind, Boehringer Ingelheim and Biodel.

Jane Didona, of the landscape architect firm Didona Associates in Danbury, urged lawmakers not to place additional taxes on small businesses as a way to balance the state budget. "We really need relief, and we're not getting a bailout from anyone," she said.

John Kline, chief executive officer of Union Savings Bank in Danbury, said despite the national lending crisis, his bank is lending money.

"We are seeing loans, primarily to first-time home buyers," he said, noting the bank requires good credit and a 10 percent down payment.

-- Contact Eugene Driscoll at edriscoll@newstimes.com or 731-3332.

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