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8 n e w h a v e n B I Z | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m O n T h e R e c o r d | Q & A By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo I n the months since Paul Lavoie took over as the state's chief manufacturing officer, he has been listening to what the industry has to say and taking steps to address their challenges. Lavoie started the job in February, replacing Colin Cooper, who retired. Lavoie's background is in manufacturing. His past includes working at ETTER Engineering Co., a family-owned engineering and manufacturing business in Bristol. Most recently, Lavoie served as general manager of Cromwell-based Carey Manufacturing, which makes catches, latches, handles and electronic hardware for various industries. e company garnered attention for its efforts to reshore manufacturing jobs from Chi- na to Connecticut. Lavoie resigned from Carey for his new role, which is part of the state's Department of Economic and Com- munity Development. Now, Lavoie's time is spent promoting growth in Connecticut's manufacturing sector, from helping employers fill jobs via a workforce pipeline to providing key connections. He's got a tall task, as Connecticut manufacturers struggle to fill thousands on unfilled jobs, an issue that plagued the industry pre-pandemic. At the end of July, manufacturers employed 159,700 residents, nearly fully recovering the thousands of jobs it shed during the onset of the pandemic. Even still, the industry is much smaller than it used to be — in January 1993, manufacturers employed 265,000 people in the state. Lavoie says he is focused on helping manufacturers of all sizes, and he has spent months doing what he calls a "lean in, listen and learn" tour. As of late August, he had toured 71 manufacturers and spoken with another 125, to understand their concerns and make connections. He is raising awareness of the state's Manufacturing Innovation Fund, which provides loans and grants to support key initiatives — such as research and devel- opment and job training. New Haven Biz recently spoke to Lavoie about what he has learned so far, and what his plans are to help the state's manufacturers. What are manufacturers telling you their biggest concerns are? e single biggest factor that is preventing man- ufacturing from experiencing greater growth is the lack of an available workforce. We are working very hard on workforce development efforts to make sure manufacturers have a well-trained, well-educated workforce that will meet their needs. e second (big concern) is supply chain. With COVID-19, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and unrest in China, we have seen significant disruption. at is requiring manufacturers to buy and hold inventories at a greater level. It has made it much more difficult for them to deliver to customers in a timely manner. e third thing is — How do we continue to drive innovation within manufacturers? We know we are not going to 100 percent solve the workforce prob- lem with people. We know we are going to have to continue to drive innovation and automation. We're really looking at some of our medium- and smaller-sized manufacturers and how we can assist them in accelerating the adoption of industry 4.0 technology, automation, robotics, cobots, those areas where they can really modernize their manufactur- ing plants and gain significant productivity. What are your goals and priorities? I have five strategic initiatives under my office. One is to develop a robust workforce. e second is to foster a healthy manufacturing ecosystem. e third is to encourage a culture of innovation. e fourth is to establish communication channels for all stakeholders. e fih is to coordinate resources to simplify our efforts. How are you trying to help build the manufacturing workforce pipeline? We will be launching a 'hearts and minds' adver- tising campaign that will be (aimed at) changing the perception of manufacturing with our students, guidance counselors and parents. Manufacturing Czar Paul Lavoie's task: Help CT manufacturers address long- standing workforce shortage Paul Lavoie serves as chief manufacturing officer for the state of Connecticut. PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Paul Lavoie Chief Manufacturing Officer State of Connecticut Education: B.S., Management, Post University Age: 62

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