HARTFORD – State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) joined Governor Ned Lamont today as Lamont announced the naming of Colin Cooper, former CEO of the Whitcraft Group, to serve as Connecticut’s first-ever chief manufacturing officer. In this position, Cooper will be responsible for coordinating state and private-sector efforts to promote growth in the state’s manufacturing sector.
Governor Lamont explained that the role will essentially serve as an advocate on behalf of the state’s existing – and prospective – manufacturing companies. Creation of the position was authorized in the state budget the governor signed into law this summer.
“As the CEO of a major manufacturing company myself, I know firsthand how vital a chief manufacturing officer can be for the industry’s strength in our state, and I commend Governor Lamont’s choice of Colin Cooper for the role,” said Sen. Needleman. “The manufacturing industry is evolving quickly, and we need someone with first-hand experience to take this role. Luckily, with the success of the Whitcraft Group speaking for itself, we get just that with Mr. Cooper’s selection. I look forward to working with him however I can in the near future.”
“With the creation of this role and the selection of someone who has decades of experience leading a very successful business, every manufacturing company in Connecticut should know that they have a position in our administration and a seat at the table through Colin Cooper,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut has the best educated, best trained, and most productive workforce in the world, and we need to align our policies and commitments toward returning to our state’s inventive and entrepreneurial roots. Our future lies in our ability to help businesses quickly fill thousands of highly skilled, good-paying jobs, and I am determined to coordinate these efforts in a strategic way so that manufacturing companies who are already here can grow, and those from out of state that are looking to relocate will know that Connecticut is where they need to be.”
Under Cooper’s leadership at the Whitcraft Group, the Connecticut-based contract manufacturer of precision parts to many of the world’s largest aerospace companies expanded from one facility in Eastford to four manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and operations in five other states, and grew in revenues of approximately $20 million to over $250 million today. He and his business partner acquired Whitcraft Group in 1998, and prior to that he began his career as a design engineer for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.
He has also served on several manufacturing-related boards, including Aerospace Components Manufacturers, the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund, and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.
“Connecticut is the birthplace of the industrial revolution in this country and we continue to lead the world in many industries,” Cooper said. “Manufacturing has played a critical role in our state for over 200 years and we need to work to ensure it will continue to do so well into the future. I know first-hand the challenges of trying to grow a manufacturing business in Connecticut, but I am also acutely aware of the strong competitive advantages we have in this state, including a highly-skilled and engaged workforce, proximity to customers and markets, a critical mass of banks and lenders who understand and support manufacturing, and an increasingly broad and deep array of academic institutions and programs designed and developed to support manufacturing.”
He added, “I am very excited to have the opportunity to engage with the Connecticut manufacturing community and work across the various state agencies to address the current challenges facing manufacturers and support the growth of this vital and vibrant sector of our economy.”
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