Hartford Business Journal

44 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 17, 2023 www.uhy-us.com TO STACY FARBER & NEHA NATHWANI ON BEING PROMOTED TO MANAGING DIRECTOR Stacy Farber leads UHY's employee benefit plan center of excellence and works with clients to address their audit and consulting needs. Neha Nathwani advises clients regarding tax issues. Both are based in the firm's Farmington office and provide business guidance to clients spanning various industries and company sizes in UHY Advisors northeast region. STACY FARBER PARTNER, UHY LLP MANAGING DIRECTOR, UHY ADVISORS NEHA NATHWANI PARTNER, UHY LLP MANAGING DIRECTOR, UHY ADVISORS it to be to meet the demand," DiPen- tima said. "Where are we going to get them? The impact of getting more women into the manufacturing sector … really resonated with us," he said of the national report. Highlighting women leaders "There is a tremendous opportu- nity for us here in Connecticut, to tap into the talent that we already have in manufac- turing," said Paul Lavoie, the state's chief manufacturing officer, citing the many female executives at Connecticut companies. Lavoie's office plans a statewide conference in September on bringing more women into manufacturing, in partnership with CONNSTEP and the Connecticut chapter of the Women in Manufacturing Association. High- lighting role models in the industry is a major focus of recruitment efforts, he said. "We make sure that we stand up all of the women leaders that we have in the state when we're looking at engaging people in career opportunities," Lavoie said. "There's a tremendous opportunity for us to engage with young girls and women to get them excited about careers in manufacturing." Far from an abstract attempt at equity, recruitment of women and girls is a must to keep Connecticut's factories humming, Lavoie added. Even the smallest manufacturing companies can help in recruitment efforts, Carolyn Lee of the Manufac- turing Institute said. Start by opening your doors on national Manufacturing Day (Friday, Oct. 6) to visitors — and encourage school groups to visit your facility throughout the year. People outside the modern manu- facturing industry often hold outdated ideas about dirty, dangerous and strenuous jobs, Lee said, and may not know of the advanced technology and interesting work on offer at local factories. "They're always surprised when they come in and see things," she said. Getting girls educated about and interested in manufacturing can happen as early as elementary school, Lee said, and she encour- aged companies to send employees out to speak in schools. "Your younger employees are your best ambassadors. … Having diverse members of your teams be that forward face is really important," she added. Internships are also key, Lee said. "Students are always looking to earn some money in the summer. If you can do a paid internship, that's really important — it gives them exposure to skills, and then they can start developing their career plans with manufacturing in mind." Generous benefits At The Lee Company in Westbrook, the introduction of better benefits packages has helped attract women to the 1,100-person workforce — including the firm's announcement in January that it would pay 100% of employee health insurance premiums going forward. On the childcare front, The Lee Company offers subsidies and also schedules three shifts in some product groups to allow for younger families to plan child care. "Overall we're very generous with our benefits package," Marietta Lee said. "It's a cultural change, making the workplace friendlier for everyone. It's definitely a cultural change and it takes a long time." Another big attractor to younger employees is the in-house training program, which allows the company to hire those without experience and train them on the job and also promote from within for higher-skilled positions. "We've also been able to take people that have been here for a while and show potential and train them for higher-level jobs such as machinist or toolmaker," Lee said. "We've been very successful with that." As nearby manufacturers like Elec- tric Boat expand, The Lee Company has to work harder to attract high- ly-skilled workers, Lee said. "There's competition for employees for sure right now," Lee said. "It's on all of us to do a better job to have a better work environment so that people want to come work for us." Westbrook-based the Lee Co. has seen its female workforce grow at all levels thanks in part to employee benefits that support women. PHOTO | COSTAR Paul S. Lavoie

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