Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 23, 2026 17 of installing heavy machinery. The company expects to be fully opera- tional in Deep River by early April. Weinstein said he is under contract to purchase the property after March 1 for $3.25 million. The timing allows the acquisition to occur after the state's Transfer Act sunsets. The law, which governs environmental remediation obligations tied to certain commercial and industrial property sales, has long been viewed by some property owners and investors as a barrier to transac- tions involving industrial sites. Under new regulations scheduled to take effect March 1, Connecticut will transition from the Transfer Act's transaction-based cleanup framework to a release-based system. As a result, environmental investigation and reme- diation requirements will generally be triggered by evidence of a hazardous material release rather than simply by a property sale or transfer. The delayed closing also gives Wein- stein time to sell a Chester manufac- turing building and apply the proceeds toward the Deep River acquisition through a tax-deferred 1031 exchange. In addition to the real estate purchase, Weinstein plans to invest about $2.5 million in new machinery. Chapco has applied to Connecticut's Strategic Supply Chain Initiative grant program to help offset those costs and has committed to adding 10 to 15 jobs over the next three years. Additional growth Chapco is not the only company growing in response to anticipated demand from Electric Boat. Chris Jewell, president of Bozrah- based Collins & Jewell Co., said his custom steel fabrication and industrial services firm is planning a major expansion tied to submarine work for Electric Boat and Virginia-based Newport News Shipbuilding. The company currently operates from a roughly 32,000-square-foot Bozrah facility with 35-foot ceilings. This spring, it plans to construct a separate but connected 27,000-square- foot facility on an adjacent parcel. The new structure, expected to cost about $4 million, will rise to just under 50 feet to accommodate oversized compo- nents used in submarine construction. "Everything you build for subma- rines is big, so we need to go taller," Jewell said. Collins & Jewell produces structural components, fixtures and training-re- lated industrial systems for Electric Boat. About 80% of its business is tied to the submarine sector, Jewell said. The company recently secured $2.7 million in supplier development funding through BlueForge Alliance, a nonprofit intermediary that administers federal programs aimed at strengthening the submarine industrial base. The grant will support the purchase of heavy-ca- pacity equipment, including press brakes and other fabrication assets built to Electric Boat's specifications. The U.S. Navy-funded program requires recipients to commit a defined level of production capacity to defense manufacturing, and awards may be clawed back if contractual obligations are not met. "We can't refuse work," Jewell said. "So, there's no guarantee of getting contracts with this supplier develop- ment funding. We still have to bid it like anybody else, and EB can choose to give us work, or choose not to give us work." Jewell said increased submarine orders also benefit next-tier suppliers, including electrical subcontractors and piping firms that work with companies like Collins & Jewell. However, he cautioned that entering the submarine supply chain presents significant hurdles, including invest- ments in quality systems, cybersecurity compliance under Department of Defense standards, and extensive docu- mentation to demonstrate that prod- ucts meet Electric Boat's requirements. "Getting into the club is the hard part," Jewell said. "So, for new suppliers, if they do have aspirations to help with the submarine sector, they've got to make sure their I's are dotted and T's are crossed." As chair of the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance, a nonprofit organization of more than 50 manu- facturers focused on workforce and industry development, Jewell also noted that Electric Boat's growth is intensifying labor pressures. "We're all fighting for the same people at the end of the day," he said. Despite those challenges, Jewell remains optimistic. Collins & Jewell previously doubled its footprint when it relocated from a 16,000-square-foot Norwich facility to Bozrah in 2013. "We live by the philosophy that if you build it, they will come," Jewell said. "And that truly paid off. I would imagine with our next expansion, that's probably going to be the same case." Chapco Inc. recently relocated to this 151,159-square-foot industrial building in Deep River. HBJ Photo | Michael Puffer A SMALL BUSINESS GIVEAWAY 2026 One Connecticut small business will win a full page ad in the Small Business Issue of HBJ on May 4 and 12 months of free Cash Management Services from TSB. The winner will be notified around April 1st. PRESENTED BY SCAN HERE TO NOMINATE! NOMINATIONS OPEN | JANUARY 12 - MARCH 16

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