Hartford Business Journal

17 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 17, 2022 CBIA picks manufacturing exec Patel as board chair ahead of key legislative session RINA PATEL Vice President of Operations, RSCC Wire & Cable; Board Chair, CBIA Education: Master's degree in biomedical and medical engineering, Columbia University By Skyler Frazer sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com T he Connecticut Business & Industry Association's new board chair Rina Patel brings decades of manufacturing experience to her role as the organization prepares for an important legislative session amid a still-ongoing pandemic and major workforce shortage, and ahead of a gubernatorial election this fall. Patel, vice president of operations at RSCC Wire & Cable, took over the one year board-chair post in December from Liberty Bank Senior Vice President and Regional Manager Jeff Hubbard. The CBIA is the largest business association in the state with about 5,000 members in dozens of industries. CBIA President and CEO Chris DiPentima said the board operates as essentially a "microcosm of CBIA membership." "We really are the unified voice of a diverse business community here in Connecticut," DiPentima said. "We advocate for the best business climate that we can have." In her day job, Patel oversees two plants for RSCC Wire & Cable: one in East Granby and another in Florida. She came to the company as executive director of operations in 2019 and was quickly promoted to vice president of operations, where she manages employees at the plants and maintains relationships with key clients. RSCC provides cables and wires for control towers and various other applications. According to its website, the company occupies 393,000 square feet of manufacturing, research and development, and warehouse space It supplies custom cables to more than 37 countries and industries ranging from oil and gas drilling and production to rail and mass transit systems and fire safety. Patel got her master's degree in biomedical and medical engineering from Columbia University in 1997. While she's been in Connecticut for years, Patel moved to the United States from India when she was in the 11th grade. That experience, she said, helped in her adult life as a leader across many large companies. "It allowed me to learn to adapt at a young age," Patel said. Before her position at RSCC Wire & Cable, Patel spent time at GE, General Cable, Reflexite Corp., Dyno Nobel and a brief stint at New Britain- based toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker. "There's literally a gamut of different types of products, manufacturing and applications that I've been exposed to and responsible for," Patel said. Patel has been on CBIA's board in various roles for five years, so she's not new to the group. DiPentima said Patel has a good sense of the state legislature, and her manufacturing background and engineering expertise give the board insight into those crucial sectors. "Rina, first and foremost, I just think brings great analytical skills to the table, which is really helpful," DiPentima said. "She's good at looking at the data, understanding the trends that are happening in the state or in our membership." Patel said her ultimate goal is to raise the "living standard" in the state by supporting businesses and their employees. "From that comes economic independence, and I believe that Connecticut needs to stay relevant to today's needs, otherwise we're going to fall behind," Patel said. As in years' past, Patel said workforce development will be a key focus in 2022, with efforts to boost skilled labor training and incentives for licensed trade jobs. "It is our biggest challenge, not just for manufacturers but other businesses we've seen," Patel said. The Great Resignation and labor shortage have impacted Connecticut in significant ways. Despite tens of thousands of available jobs reported by employers, there are almost 100,000 fewer people participating in the state's labor force compared to Feb. 2020, before the pandemic took hold in Connecticut, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. How much public policy can help the situation remains unclear. Regardless, public-private partnerships between government organizations and businesses will be needed to grow the workforce, Patel said. "The idea is 'how are we going to work together with the governor and the state to rebuild the growth of Connecticut," Patel said. Early CBIA outlook DiPentima said CBIA will release its policy priorities for the 2022 legislative session later this month, but the focus will build off last year's session. Specifically, DiPentima said the organization will focus on a short list of policies that aim to rebuild the state's economy as it hopefully exits COVID-19. "With the influx of federal [stimulus] money ending in 2023 and Connecticut facing a budget deficit in two years, it will be critical that the legislature enact policies that stimulate much-needed economic growth, such as tax relief, maximizing government efficiencies, and addressing the workforce issues that all businesses are facing," DiPentima said. Focus areas will include addressing the labor shortage, economic development, small business relief, improving taxpayer return on investment and addressing Connecticut's infrastructure issues. "We need to get our arms around the labor participation and workforce shortage issue," DiPentima said. "Every industry is being hit by this lack of people participating in the workforce and not being able to hire the number of people they need to fulfill the demand they have." As the new Connecticut Business & Industry Association Board Chair, Rina Patel said workforce development will be a key priority this legislative session. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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