NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Gov. Ned Lamont has appointed the CEO of an aerospace manufacturing company to oversee efforts to grow Connecticut’s manufacturing sector.
The Democrat announced Monday that Colin Cooper will be the state’s first chief manufacturing officer, a job created by the General Assembly. Cooper is CEO of the Whitecraft Group, which is headquartered in Eastford and has facilities in Plainville and Farmington.
Lamont says Cooper will “take the lead of coordinating everything we’ve got to do” and will be a “great friend” of manufacturing within state government.
Cooper says lacking enough skilled workers is a key issue facing many manufacturers, noting there are currently more than 1,000 open positions in aerospace.
There are 160,000 manufacturing jobs in Connecticut. Lamont’s administration hopes 30,000 more will be added in the next couple years.
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