Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • September 17, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 11 FOCUS Quality Construction + Butler Manufacturing = Repeat Customers www.borghesibuilding.com © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Gregor Technologies, Torrington, CT | 2007 | 40,000 sq. ft. 2009 | Addition — 28,500 sq. ft. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. WE PROVIDE CT BUSINESS LEADERS WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN THEIR BUSINESS. ARE YOU IN THE KNOW? SUBSCRIBE BY GOING TO WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM CLICK ON "SUBSCRIBE" 40 Hall of Fame companies, it shows that Connecticut has been consistently a great place to grow tech companies. Q. What is the key to growing the number of fast-growing tech compa- nies in the state? A. While there isn't a single secret to success, when you look at the compa- nies that have won the Tech Top 40, the most common factors are top qual- ity product and excellent management team. We have lots of young growing companies with great products, but our shortfall is in the availability of experienced C-level managers to help grow these companies. The state could help by develop- ing a better integrated network where these young companies could connect with the C-level management that is available to help accelerate their growth. We need to create better communica- tion within the industry so that the young companies interested in growing can connect with more established companies either as a customer or for mentorship. Q. Talent shortages within Connect- icut's technology industry have been a problem in recent years. Is this still an issue and what steps are being With buses traveling up to 25 mph, Navya has transported 275,000 people globally without injury, re- cording one U.S. accident where its shuttle was determined not to be at fault, he said. "I have more than enough confi- dence to jump in front of our shuttle during demonstrations and know it's going to stop," Bourgin said. "We have been able to create a shuttle that, after two to three minutes, it gets boring for passengers because we have done our job properly and people believe they can trust in that." Similar technology is also used by EasyMile — another French manu- facturer of autonomous vehicles that has transported more than 320,000 people over 200,000 miles without an accident. Lauren McLeavey, EasyMile's direc- tor of business initiatives, said the many sensors driving autonomous vehicles facilitate three key com- ponents including location detec- tion, trajectory and reading nearby obstacles and signage. In addition, McLeavey said her company ensures its 16, 15-passenger shuttle buses in North America — traveling up to 25 mph, but typically around 15 mph — are safely deployed in semi-enclosed, low-speed areas. McLeavey said the vehicles are ideal for trips to business parks, universities, sports stadiums and residential developments. But despite rapid development over the past five years, she said the autonomous vehicle industry is chal- lenged in making cars faster while keeping them safe. Inclement weather is another bar- rier facing automakers as develop- ment pushes forward, she said. "Knowing where the vehicle can safely be deployed is key," McLeavey said. Meet the players Windsor Locks was the first mu- nicipality to apply for the state's pilot program, pitching a shuttle route between its stop on the Hartford rail line and Bradley International Airport. While traveling to Michigan for his son's graduation in May, Windsor Locks First Selectman J. Christopher Kervick visited Navya's pilot pro- gram at the University of Michigan to test ride its autonomous shuttle. Kervick and the company have dis- cussed a partnership to bring Navya's shuttles to Windsor Locks, mapping out potential routes on town roads. Connecticut's pilot does not allow driverless cars on highways. The first selectman said he was unsure about the safety of driverless cars before learning that insurance companies and AAA view them as a safety upgrade. After all, about 90 percent of traffic accidents in Connecticut last year were caused by human error, accord- ing to the National Safety Council. Being the first to spearhead au- tonomous driving in the state could create new business opportunities, Kervick said, adding that the win- dow may close when driverless cars become popularized nationwide. He says he is confident residents will want to be at the forefront of develop- ing the technology once they see driv- erless cars traveling down town roads. "Innovation to me is the main com- ponent of economic development," he said. "We want to set that example." State Sen. Carlo Leone, a Demo- crat who represents Stamford and co-chairs the legislature's Trans- portation Committee, said his city has negotiated with several major automakers to use their driverless technology and drafted possible routes to test vehicles. Residents have supported bringing self-driving technology to city roads, but Leone says consistent education is needed for people to "fully buy in" to autonomous systems. "I keep getting calls from all across the country from various players asking how they can participate," Leone said. "I see no limit for this technology quite frankly." Continued on next page >>

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