Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • November 11, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com C onnecticut's first-ever Chief Manufacturing Officer Collin Cooper is a bit of an anomaly: a business-backed beaurocrat. Gov. Ned Lamont first announced his intention to create the position in June, saying the manufactur- ing "czar" would promote one of Connecticut's most important industries, which employs 161,000 people and generates $14.9 billion in wages and $123 million in corporate income taxes annually. The new po- sition will also coordinate between state actors and private businesses, namely to head off a workforce shortage that is expected to worsen. But, while the state and in- dustry fret with how to fill the manufacturing-workforce pipeline, both appear to look at Cooper with optimism. "Colin is certainly the right person for this job," said Jameson Scott, executive director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association, and an early supporter of installing Cooper in the newly established position. "I know I can go to Colin [with issues or concerns]." Cooper is a known commodity to Connecticut manufacturers. He ran Eastford-based aeroparts maker Whitcraft Group as chief executive for 20 years, growing it from a one- plant operation generating $20 mil- lion annually to four facilities in Con- necticut and operations in five other states making over $250 million. When Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner David Lehman was searching for some- one to fill the new chief manufac- turing position, Cooper was on a shot list of candidates approved by the Connecticut Manufactur- ers' Collaborative, a group of nine state-based manufacturing and business associations. Addition- ally, Cooper said state actors seem to be onboard with the effort to strengthen manufacturing here. "I've had interactions with people in the different departments in the state, and I think there is buy-in, in terms of what the goals and objec- tives are," Cooper said. For Cooper, those objectives include creating a sustainable workforce pipeline, promoting Con- necticut as a good landing spot for in- and out-of-state manufacturers and educating the public and state government about what the indus- try entails and needs to succeed. Atop his to-do list is revamping the industry's workforce pipeline, which faces stress from a pending retirement wave. About 27 per- cent of the current manufacturing workforce is expected to retire by 2024, creating thousands of open positions, according to a recent industry survey by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. In addition, of the 350 Connecti- cut manufacturers that responded to that survey, 60 percent said workforce was their most sig- nificant immediate need, while 89 percent of those respondents said recruiting qualified workers is their primary challenge. Part of the problem stems from a misunderstanding of what manufacturing jobs actually entail, Cooper said. "There's still a perception that manufacturing is dirty and loud and messy, and that's just not the case," Cooper said. "If you go into most of our manufacturing facilities now in Producing Change CT's new manufacturing czar Cooper lays out priorities, challenges PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Gov. Ned Lamont introduces new Chief Manufacturing Officer Colin Cooper.

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