Lamont Visits Arthur G. Russel Company In Bristol

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

October 15, 2021

Gov. Ned Lamont visited Arthur G. Russel Company Thursday to detail a new state investment in manufacturing, including several new programs and resources.

Lamont was joined by Colin Cooper, chief manufacturing officer, Chris DiPentima, CBIA president, Mark Burzynski, President of the Arthur G Russell Company and Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu.

Following a private tour of the Arthur G. Russell Company’s machine floor, Cooper introduced the new state initiative, which will invest $10 million in fiscal year 2022 and $10 million in fiscal year 2023. He also discussed the importance of the manufacturing sector to the state economy.

“Manufacturing is a critical component of the Connecticut economy,” said Cooper. “The Connecticut River valley was the birthplace of the industrial revolution in America. Today, manufacturing accounts for $150,000 jobs in Connecticut, each of which supply three or more jobs. Manufacturing jobs offer great pay and rewarding careers for a variety of education levels, from high school graduates to PhDs.”

Cooper said that the backbone of Connecticut’s manufacturing sector are small to medium companies with 20 to 25 employees. This, he said, accounts for 4,000 manufacturers in the state.

This year, Cooper said, $3.7 million in state funding will be allocated to a six-pronged strategy to bolster manufacturing:

. A program to cover half of the wages of summer engineering interns who must be Connecticut residents, incentivizing them to remain in Connecticut.

. A matching grant program for digital readiness and cyber-assessments, providing a roadmap for companies to upgrade their technology and reimbursing 50% of the costs of assessments.

. Matching Connecticut inventors with Connecticut manufacturers.

. A sustained advertising campaign

. A new website for manufacturers intended to provide them with comprehensive information about technical support, how to access capital and other assistance.

. Funding for regional career fairs.

DiPentima said that the Manufacturing Innovation Fund had previously been used to keep manufacturing in Connecticut surviving. He said that this new funding will help manufacturers in Connecticut to not only survive, but to elevate their businesses.

“I’m really excited to see the MIF taken to its next stage,” he said. “These incentives will help keep our workforce in Connecticut and help our workforce grow.”

Burzynski thanked the state officials for their investments in manufacturing.

“I have been in the manufacturing sector for 40 years; I love it, it’s in my blood,” he said. “Workforce development and investment in modern technology and high-skill level manufacturing will help to contain healthcare costs and keep America competitive. Programs like these have led to the growth of jobs in Bristol and I look forward to taking advantage of them.”

Lamont said that during his tour, he learned about AGR’s history, starting with how it made underwater ordinance for the Pacific theater in World War II. They also discussed how, today, the company creates components for syringes which puts them on the “front lines of healthcare” in fighting the pandemic.

“As we hopefully enter the waning days of covid, designing and selling this equipment will help bring covid to an end,” said Lamont. “

Lamont said that the additional funding will help manufacturing companies to stay and grow in Connecticut. He also brought up how AGR employees assist with the local robotics team, stating that he hoped that these students would come to work at AGR in the future.

Zoppo-Sassu said that the city has made a “concerted effort” to partner with local manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce. Partnerships, she said, had been created between the Board of Education and Tunxis Community College and local companies. Manufacturing employees, she said, have been teaching Adult Education students so that they gain the necessary skills to work available manufacturing jobs.

Zoppo-Sassu said that manufacturing jobs today are not dirty, grimy and back-breaking jobs like factory jobs of the past. Instead, they are clean, safe and require high-tech skills.

“Manufacturing is key to our future quality of life,” she said.

Cooper later answered questions related to manufacturing in the state. He said that the reason many supply lines had been affected is that some places had shut down factories due to covid-19. Connecticut was able to keep its factories open. He said that he anticipated it would be another six to 12 months before this issue was fixed.

“One good thing that came of this is that it highlighted the risk of long supply chains, encouraging more on-shore investment,” he said.

Cooper said that the state has made progress in putting more manufacturing training infrastructure into place. However, a lot of jobs still need to be filled due to an aging workforce.

In Jan. 2020, before the pandemic, Cooper said that there were 4,600 available manufacturing jobs that needed to be filled. During the height of the pandemic, this number dropped to only 1,900. Today, Cooper said, there are approximately 6,000 manufacturing jobs available in Connecticut – 40% above pre-pandemic levels.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.