Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 12, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 7 Reporter's Notebook Gregory Seay | gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Real Estate, Economic Development/Construction, Banking & Finance and Manufacturing MANUFACTURING UConn's advanced mfg. 'traineeships' may widen doors U Conn's goal to become a world-class research university got another boost recently, emerging as one of two U.S. universities chosen to train a new generation of entrepreneurial engineers steeped in advanced manufacturing. Connecticut's flagship university and Georgia Tech University in February were declared recipi- ents of a combined $4 million in federal grants over the next five years from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). They will use the funds to launch a handful of master's-level "traineeships" in early stage technologies and advanced materials and process technologies in energy-related manufac- turing, such as solar, wind and geothermal. When the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (OEERE) announced the competitive awards, it said both schools' trainee- ship curricula and graduates are an attempt to accelerate commercialization of U.S. advanced manufacturing innovation. The $1.5 million that is UConn's share of the OEERE grant is but a tiny slice of the $40 million or so annually in federal grants the School of Engi- neering collects to devise or refine new engineering technologies, said engineer- ing-school Senior Associate Dean Michael Accorsi. Yet, the potential benefit to UConn and, by extension, Connecticut's economy from exploiting its prowess at old-school and advanced manufacturing, is what makes the OEERE initiative noteworthy, UConn said. In short, the state's and New England's ad- vanced manufacturing robustness is stymied, they said, by a dearth of visionary engineers ca- pable of translating manufacturing-engineering advancements from the research lab to viable commercial applications. "There is a lack of skilled professionals to imple- ment the advances in both manufacturing and energy systems into real products," said mechani- cal engineer Ugur Pasaogullari, UConn associate professor and interim director of the Center for Clean Energy Engineering. Pasaogullari and Accorsi said DOE's goal is to build America's energy infrastructure for tomorrow using talent and technology. Along with the accompanying prestige to UConn from being chosen to lead that effort, Accorsi said Connecticut's aerospace, naval and industrial manufacturers and suppliers will reap benefits, too. UConn engineering enrollees into the OEERE traineeship program, officials said, will be as- signed to intern with one of at least a dozen Connecticut manufacturers that are sponsors of UConn's engineering-school efforts. It is also likely those interns, once they gradu- ate, will be hired — and remain in the state — into well-paying jobs at Connecticut aeroparts makers like Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky Aircraft and Kaman Corp., as well as smaller ones, UConn engineering instructors said. Moreover, some of those graduates could eventually break away from those employers, to launch their own enter- prises, building up more assets, wealth and jobs in this state. UConn already accounts annually for about half of this state's class of graduating engi- neers. Beginning this fall, between five to six pupils will comprise UConn's first crop of master's engi- neering trainees, Accorsi said. UConn's engineer- ing school numbers about 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students, of which about 1,000 graduate annually. CT's edge Advanced manufacturing today covers a wide swath of production technologies and process- es, including 3-D printing and additive manu- facturing, and its turf Connecticut manufactur- ers already know well. According to a 2014 study by the New Eng- land Council and accounting-consulting firm Deloitte, the New England region "enjoys a competitively advantaged position with respect to advanced manufacturing, stemming from an intricate network of cross-sector relationships (industry, government and education) that have evolved over time." In the same study, Deloitte and the council plumbed 2012 Census Bureau data showing Connecticut at the time leading New England, with 72 percent of its manufacturing jobs iden- tified as "advanced.'' DEAL WATCH Rocky Hill CVS store sold at $5.5M A 15,000-square-foot CVS pharmacy-retail building in Rocky Hill sold recently for $5.5 million, brokers say. Broad Street III sold the property at 323 Cromwell Ave. as an IRS Section 1032 tax- deferred exchange to buyer Jordan Realty, according to sole broker Pearce Real Estate. $7.4M Waterchase refi The owner of Rocky Hill's Waterchase Center mixed- use development recently refinanced the property with a $7.4 million mortgage from Rhode Island lender Washington Trust. Woodgreen Rocky Hill LLC owns the 107,654-square-foot retail-office center at 30 Waterchase Drive, built in 1988 and renovated in 2012. Tenants include Porter & Chester Institute; DaVita HealthCare Partners; Namco Pool, Patio & Game Room Superstore; and Connecticut GI. Newington's Cedar St. leases Two tenants have leased professional office space in Newington Center, brokers say. At 66 Cedar St., Central Connecticut Therapy Services LLC signed for 1,580 square feet; and the Newington Board of Education leased 1,692 square feet to house its human capital development department, according to sole broker Reno Properties Group. G.K.N. Associates is landlord. 66 Cedar St. is a three- story, 27,500-square-foot office building that is also home to a Berkshire Bank branch and the Newington Probate Court. $325K Marlborough sales A trio of commercial spaces in Marlborough sold recently for a combined $325,000 to house new or relocated businesses in town, brokers say. At 8 Independence Drive, buyer SG Mustang LLC purchased Unit A, with 4,288 square feet, and Unit C, with 960 square feet, for $275,000 from seller NRBZ LLC, according to seller's broker Pearce Commercial Real Estate. Gateway Associates represented the seller. The buyer plans to renovate and upgrade both spaces to accommodate the new home for Marlborough Country Bakery, Pearce said. Also, Unit D, with 905 square feet, sold for $50,000 to buyer Ashley Meyer, Pearce said. Keller Williams Greater Hartford represented Meyer, who plans a hair salon at her location. 66 Cedar St., Newington. 8 Independence Drive, Marlborough. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED Deloitte's census analysis found Connecticut's ratio of advanced manufacturing jobs is high. MAP | DELOITTE Ugur Pasaogullari, Associate Professor, UConn and Interim Director, Center for Clean Energy Engineering Michael Accorsi, Senior Associate Dean, UConn School of Engineering

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