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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a r c h 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 15 learned of the platform. Operated by a firm called i5 Services, the platform has been a success in other states where companies must pay for the service. CBIA wanted to bring the platform to Connecticut without a fee, and the key to doing so was the funding provided by the state, DiPentima said. DiPentima noted that manufacturing, which has a long and rich history in Connecticut, remains a vital and vibrant state industry. About 20% of CBIA's members are manufacturers and about 160,000 people work in the sector, he said. While behemoths like Pratt and Whitney, Electric Boat and Sikorsky may come to mind first, the average Connecticut manufacturing operation — there are about 4,400 — employs only about 25 workers, he said. CONNEX Connecticut has been up and running for over a month, and signups are exceeding expectations, Lavoie and DiPentima said. In the first two weeks, more than 200 companies joined the platform, significantly more than the state's most optimistic projections, they said. e state initially hoped to get 750 firms on the platform by year's end, Lavoie said. "I'm highly confident we're going to blow the doors off that 750 number," Lavoie said. In addition to smaller manufacturers like Mayer's Bead Industries, the state and CBIA hope to induce the state's biggest manufacturers on board as well, according to Lavoie and DiPentima. ey've already had success: Aerospace company Kaman has joined, Lavoie said. In addition, Siemens Gamesa, part of the German industrial giant Siemens, has also signed on to the platform in search of suppliers for a large offshore wind turbine project it plans to build off New London, he said. Mayer said that she has yet to do a deal through CONNEX Connecticut but has been going on the platform to get a feel for it. She is getting the rest of her team signed up and uploading videos and company information and materials. Aer spending time on the platform, Mayer is confident it will help her business. While her focus is on using it to find new suppliers, she's interested to see if it will also bring her new customers, especially ones seeking customized products, something her firm excels at. "I'm very curious about whether we are going to use it to find suppliers or customers or both," she said. "I think it can do both." Mayer also likes the underlying purpose of the platform, to encourage the return of supply chains to the state, creating greater stability for firms like hers and more jobs here. "I like that shi and I think that CONNEX helps that shi," she said. Access the website at: portal.ct.gov/ manufacturing/CONNEX. n Traditional Southern MBA Online and on-ground • Full and part-time options; evenings and Saturdays Accelerated Southern MBA (AMBA) • Full-time cohort program that can be completed in 15 months • Saturday classes The Online Southern MBA — Fully online • Available for the Traditional MBA or the full-time Accelerated MBA Choose the Right Business Program to Transform Your Career Southern's School of Business graduate programs train innovative leaders who are prepared to respond to shis in business needs. Our flexible, affordable programs provide graduates with the tools and opportunities necessary to take their careers to the next level. MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Nine concentrations: Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, General MBA, Healthcare Administration, Human Resource Management International Business, Management, and Marketing GRADUATE BUSINESS CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS 12-credit programs PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS Seven-module programs designed for working professionals FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SOUTHERNCT.EDU/BUSINESS Finance for Small Businesses — Online or on-ground • Program begins May 23, 2023 Treasury Management • Program begins May 22, 2023 • Business Analytics — Hybrid or online • Healthcare Administration — Hybrid • Human Resources Management — Online or on-ground flexible, affordable, top-rated Join us for our Graduate Open House! Thursday, April 27 SouthernCT.edu/ Grad/ Open-House Chris DiPentima, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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