Hartford Business Journal

12 Hartford Business Journal • October 9, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Reporter's Notebook Gregory Seay | gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Real Estate, Economic Development/Construction, Banking & Finance and Manufacturing MANUFACTURING Cybersecurity latest target for CCAT's expanding footprint T wo con- stants exist for U.S. manu- facturers: One is that technology is forever on the march; the other is that there will always be someone eager for a shortcut or backdoor into cutting-edge production processes or equipment. Thankfully, per - haps, the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc. — CCAT, for short — has eyes on both. Since its launch in 2004, the nonprofit, state-funded organization that is part energy and advanced materials-processing consultan - cy and part technology-development "skunk works,'' has proven a vital resource to Con- necticut's largest and smallest manufacturers, CCAT's top officials and proponents say. With a staff of some 70 and a $15 million budget largely funded from the state and revenue from contracts with the Department of Defense and others, CCAT, housed partly on Pratt & Whitney's and United Technolo- gies Research Center's (UTRC) main East Hartford campus, has become renowned as a showcase of the latest additive manufactur- ing and 3D printing technologies. Those technologies increasingly are rec- ognized as the future of manufacturing, and the race is on to be the first to harness them to produce sturdy, lightweight aerospace parts and components from exotic metals and rare-earth materials quickly and cheaply. But CCAT is so much more, says its Presi- dent and CEO Elliot Ginsberg. CCAT also as- sists original-equipment manufacturers and their supply-chain partners with energy use and conservation, and workforce training for college interns and others. It also serves as an independent skunk works, helping manu- facturers devise and refine new production technology and processes. Ginsberg likens CCAT's mission scope to a three-legged stool, one sturdy enough to lift and support Connecticut's manufacturing sector. "CCAT is looking today at the manufactur- ing sector's future needs,'' Ginsberg said, "and we stand ready as a partner to help those companies achieve their objectives." To that stool, he said, CCAT has added a fourth leg: information-security services to manufacturers and others. Ginsberg, a veteran nonprofit and govern- ment executive who has led CCAT from its inauguration, says CCAT recognized cyberse- curity's importance, as well as the challenges of implementing safeguards and monitoring against breaches, during attempts to "harden'' its own IT network. The cybersecurity adviso- ry is timely as manufacturers face tightened federal rules meant to keep U.S. military-de- fense technology out of the wrong hands. U.S. Congressman John Larson (D-1st District), a CCAT supporter who previously employed Ginsberg as his chief of staff, credits former Pennsylvania Congressman John "Jack" Murtha with pitching Larson on the idea for CCAT. Pennsylvania houses several "centers of excellence'' akin to CCAT, where specific industry clusters collaborate with schools there like the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University. Besides CCAT, other manufacturing- focused "excellence centers'' exist in the state, including the Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD) at Central Con- necticut State University and the Advanced Manufacturing Welding Technology program at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, said Edward Fenton, executive director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association. Growing footprint In Aug. 2016, CCAT finished the first phase of a $5 million facility expansion that includes the addition of new equipment for produc- ing metal and composite parts. Its inventory includes a $2.9 million device for machin- ing composite materials, and a $2 million machine capable of printing and machining metal components on the same platform. CCAT's Advanced Manufacturing Center, located next door to UTRC, 409 Silver Lane, recently added 1,100 square feet of new space at the previously 13,800-square-foot facility that will house three new advanced manufacturing machines, officials said. Meantime, Ginsberg and CCAT's senior managers and staff occupy leased East Hartford office space at 222 Pitkin St. To speed the manufacture of complex metal parts, CCAT's new hybrid machine will combine the latest additive technology with legacy subtractive manufacturing in one unit. In addition, an ultrasonic milling machine will expand capabilities for shap- ing and finishing metal parts. DEAL WATCH N. Britain's Starling Physicians inks $16M office sale-leaseback A pair of New Britain medical-office buildings totaling around 140,000 square feet recently underwent an approximately $16 million sale-leaseback transaction, brokers say. New Britain's Starling Physicians sold its 1 Lake St. and 300 Kensington Ave. properties to Inland Real Estate Acquisitions Inc., of Oak Brook, Ill., and signed a 15-year lease on both, according to sole broker O,R&L Commercial LLC. Starling is a medical practice that occupies all the space in both buildings. Starling was formed in the Jan. 2016 merger of former Grove Hill Medical Centers, founded in 1947, and Connecticut Multispecialty Group, created in 1996. Combined they have more than 250 care providers in 23 specialties throughout the Greater Hartford and New Britain markets. Grove Hill built 300 Kensington more than 45 years ago. It houses specialists, including internal medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, pulmonary, gastroenterology, radiology and laboratory services. 1 Lake St. is a multi-building complex built a century ago by Stanley Works. Grove Hill acquired the building in the early '90s and converted it to medical offices. It houses, among others, an eye center, orthopedics, cardiology, surgery, dermatology and urology. Inland Real Estate Acquisitions has vast experience in investments garnered through nearly 3,500 transactions across 49 states totaling more than $44 billion for member companies of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies Inc. C2 Education debuts in Glastonbury Maryland's C2 Education has opened a Glastonbury facility, its eighth in Connecticut and first in the Hartford area. The 2,000-square-foot office is in The Shoppes At Fox Run shopping center, 55 Welles St. Brixmor Property Group is landlord. E. Hartford's 'toy store' space The 18,500-square-foot East Hartford commercial property formerly known as "the toy store" is on the market for lease or for sale at $790,000, brokers say. The property at 19 Thomas St., is located just off Connecticut Boulevard and "Auto Row." It's also available for lease at $5.30 per square foot, according to listing broker Amodio & Co. Real Estate. The property was known as the toy store because, brokers say, a former owner or tenant sold collector cars and other vehicles at the location. Its air-conditioned interior is carved into three main sections. BANKING & FINANCE Credit unions see higher profitability Connecticut's 100 credit unions are seeing improved profitability so far in 2017, helped by higher loan and investment income as well as other revenues. Here's a breakdown of their collective performance through the first six months of 2017. First half of 2016 First half of 2017 % Change Loan Income $120,579,113 $127,307,569 5.6% Investment Income $21,448,987 $24,666,289 15.0% Net Income $17,907,254 $21,455,905 19.8% Total Assets $9,901,016,181 $10,374,791,889 4.8% Total Members 855,056 871,807 2% Total Employees 2,165 2,172 0.3% Total Branches 265 266 0.4% Source: National Credit Union Administration Senior Engineer Jeff Crandall operates a machine used for 3D printing of lightweight metal parts for aerospace, medical and other industries. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED (Left) 1 Lake St., New Britain. (Right) 300 Kensington Ave., New Britain. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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