CBIA BizCast

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Paul Lavoie, the state’s new chief manufacturing officer. Lavoie took over the role this month following Colin Cooper's retirement. Lavoie spent the last 10 years at Carey Manufacturing, where his favorite part of the day was walking the shop floor talking to employees and watching products come to life. He said one of his biggest regrets is not startin...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Steve Weiss, vice president of human resources at New Haven-based biopharma company Arvinas. Arvinas is one of a number of bioscience companies participating in the Sprint Initiative—Student Program to Ready Interns for Next-Generation Talent. Launched by the New Haven Regional Bioscience Collaborative, the program is designed to provide real-world job...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Connecticut’s first chief manufacturing officer Colin Cooper, who is retiring from the role. CBIA, affiliates CONNSTEP and ReadyCT, and the Connecticut Manufacturers' Collaborative championed the need for the position, which the legislature created in 2019. The former CEO of the Whitcraft group took office just months before COVID-19 shut down the state...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with StamfordNext president Wes Bemus about the nonprofit collaborative’s mission to invest in the start-up ecosystem and generate economic growth. The state considers Stamford one of Connecticut’s four “Innovation Places.” State funding and grants are dedicated to turning the city into a data science ecosystem. Bemus said that while Stamford has seen a lot...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Paul Lemmo, president of Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company. Lemmo was the keynote speaker at CBIA’s recent Made in Connecticut 2021: Manufacturing Summit, where he spoke about the company’s digital transformation. He also addressed workforce development, noting the company’s approach to to recruit talent from those taking STEM...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Jean Pierre Bolat, CEO of MOVIA Robotics in Bristol. The company designs robot-assisted instruction systems to help teach children with autism. University of Connecticut professor and scientist Timothy Gifford founded MOVIA Robotics in 2010. Bolat joined the company three and a half years ago after a long career in the U.S. Navy and in cybersecurity. He...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with General Dynamics Electric Boat president Kevin Graney. Graney is the keynote speaker at CBIA’s Jan. 21 Economic Summit + Outlook conference. Graney took over as president of the Groton-based submarine manufacturer in 2019. He says Electric Boat is in a period of heavy growth, driven by major U.S. Navy contracts. That growth requires hiring thousands of...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with CBIA HR counsel Diane Mokriski about the most frequently asked questions of 2021 and what she expects in 2022. Mokriski addresses a range of questions, including whether an employee should be paid if they are out with COVID-19, paying employees for snow days, and if a company can offer unpaid internships to college students home over winter break. “Unpa...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Dr. Charles Lee, director of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington. Lee’s team is responsible for determining which COVID-19 variants are present in Connecticut, using genomic sequencing to identify strains in positive samples. The state is using resources like Jackson Labs to sequence 25% of all positive cases to determine how many...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Jacqueline Gallo, the chief operating officer of Whitcraft, about the aerospace manufacturer’s work release program. Gallo started filling open positions on the second shift at the company’s Eastford facility with Enfield Correctional Institution inmates in 2018. Gallo said not only did Whitcraft need workers, she personally witnessed family members hav...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Foxwoods Resort Casino president and CEO Jason Guyot. Guyot, who began his career at Foxwoods as a bellhop in 1995, became interim president in April 2020 while the casino was closed during the pandemic. He was named president and CEO in March this year. “It wasn't like there was any one day where I said ‘hey, I want to be CEO of Foxwoods,’” said Guyot,...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Mark Boughton, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, about the state’s new tax amnesty program. Boughton says those who owe back taxes can come forward between now and Jan. 30, 2022 and receive a 75% reduction in interest and waived penalties. “Our community always asks how much money is really out there,” said Boughton. “It’s...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Dinesh Wadhwani, president and CEO of ThinkLite LLC about the company’s innovative air purification systems. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Wadhwani and his brother were working with Boston Children’s Hospital to install LED lighting that also removes pathogens from the air. Although business was stalled at the height of the pandemic, their air...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with ConnectiCare president Eric Galvin about the costs small businesses face when offering employees health insurance. Galvin, who has led the company since 2017, says numerous factors, including the cost of care and government mandates impact insurance costs. He said consumers can help drive down costs by, for instance, seeking out where they can get the c...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with RSM's Ryan McGurk ahead of the release of the annual Connecticut Manufacturing Report at the Oct. 29 Made in Connecticut: 2021 Manufacturing Summit. RSM partnered with CBIA and affiliates CONNSTEP and ReadyCT on the report, which reviews the state of the sector, examines the impact of state and federal policies, and explores the outlook for the next 12...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with TD Bank’s Mike LaBella about the way the bank helped manufacturers secure PPP loans this past year. LaBella will kick off the Made in Connecticut: 2021 Manufacturing Summit Oct. 29 at the Trumbull Marriott. LaBella said TD Bank helped secure 133,000 loans from Maine to Florida worth a total of $12.5 billion dollars. In Connecticut, they helped manufactu...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Horst Engineering president and CEO Scott Livingston following the celebration of the company's 75th anniversary and opening of their new East Hartford headquarters. Livingston’s grandfather started the business in 1946 in the second story of a barn in Hartford. Today, it’s a highly regarded manufacturer of precision parts for the aerospace, capital equ...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Gov. Ned Lamont about a number of issues, including his goal of doubling the amount of manufacturers in Connecticut over the next 10 years. Lamont has been touring the state during manufacturing month, visiting both small and large companies. One of the major issues they are facing is finding skilled workers. Lamont is exploring offering tax credits to...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Gordo Hui and Michael Roy of Hartford Steam Boiler about the new Internet of Things lab the company is sponsoring at the University of Hartford. Hisham Alnajjar, the school’s dean of engineering, technology, and architecture, joins the conversation to explain the doors the lab will open for students. The IoT lab opened in August inside the university's...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Lisa Miksis of Respond Systems in Branford and Christine Cumming of A Place Called Hope in Killingworth. Cummings has used Respond Systems’ cool laser therapy to help rehabilitate birds at her rescue center for years. Miksis said Respond Systems has manufactured laser therapy for animals for the past 38 years. The non-invasive lasers promote cell regene...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Eversource Energy CEO Joe Nolan ahead of CBIA’s annual Connecticut Economy Conference. Nolan took over as CEO in May of 2021 and will be the keynote speaker at the Sept. 30 event. Nolan said the company is adapting to more severe weather events in New England due to climate change. He said the energy company continues to work to provide more renewable e...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky has some special guests put president and CEO Chris DiPentima in the hot seat to celebrate the podcast’s 100th episode. As DiPentima begins his second year as president,Compass MSP CEO Ari Santiago and the state’s first chief manufacturing officer Colin Cooper want to know what he’s hearing from manufacturers and what needs to be done to strengthen the industry's w...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Rob Lia, President of Wheelhouse Group in Stamford. Brent Montgomery, known for creating a reality TV empire, is the founder of Wheelhouse. He promoted his long-time counsel, Lia, to president in 2019. Wheelhouse Group has offices in New York and Los Angeles as well. Lia said the tax credits offered by the state to media companies was the incentive they...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with Tom Romagnoli, Downes Construction’s assistant director of operations, about the company's partnership with Lynn Ricci and Jeff Lawton from New Britain’s Hospital of Special Care. Ricci, the hospital’s CEO, approached Downes in 2019 to build and renovate a partial hospital unit for kids with autism spectrum disorder. The unite provides an intensive day...

CBIA BizCast host Ali Warshavsky speaks with West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor and economic development director Kristen Gorski about their efforts to keep the town’s business districts thriving during the pandemic. Cantor said her team was very proactive during the height of the pandemic, including purchasing and installing jersey barriers to create outdoor spaces for restaurants. “We were one of...