NESMA Report

By Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco, NESMA President

NESMA finished 2022 on a high note as membership grew, and we can look back on this past year’s successes.

Our Dec. 1, 2022, annual holiday gathering included over 100 guests at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bristol. The next day we held our annual meeting and awards ceremony. One of our guests was Paul Lavoie, Connecticut’s chief manufacturing officer, who reports directly to the governor’s office. He is the second person to hold such a position and he mentioned that other states are considering similar positions. His message rested squarely on building an available workforce.

At the Dec. 2 annual breakfast meeting we honored several deserving award recipients including Fourslide Spring and Stamping, a long time NESMA supporter, as they celebrated 60 years in business. President Bryan Funk accepted the award on behalf of the past generations that made it possible.

Don Jacobson II received a “Lifetime in Industry Commitment” award for his 50-plus year career in the spring industry. Don is a past president of both SMI and

NESMA. His stoic message of industry comradery was mixed with humor, family influences, learning experiences and professional development. He was proud to admit he no longer had a key to any Newcomb facility. His son, Don Jacobson III, introduced his father and let it be known his absence was felt as they no longer shared an office. Don Jacobson III also made a brief address on behalf of SMI at the holiday dinner.

Our spring industry “Community Advocate Award” was given to Sharon Lutkus, interim director of Advanced Manufacturing Technology at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Sharon has tirelessly fought for training programs for both coiler set up and fourslide machines. A frequent participant on our NESMA technical development committee, she was presented with the award by our committee chairperson, Al Mangels of Lee Spring. To break up things up, trophies were presented to our 2022 golf tournament champions foursome led by Ted Lucas, NESMA board member and a CPA at Marcum LLP. Ted and his group vowed to defend their title later this year.

Education Spotlight

On the educational front, we were very fortunate to have factory tours arranged by our technical development committee through a Dec. 16, 2022, local career day that was held at Plainville (Connecticut) High School. There were many companies willing to provide tours because several NESMA members are only 10 minutes from the school. Rowley Spring and Stamping and Plymouth Spring are close by and heeded the call with participation from their executive level down to the shop floor. Students started the day with a career fair followed by a “choose your own adventure” where they were bused to different participating businesses. This was the first year Plainville High School ran the program, and we hope to see other schools replicate the event.

Our technical committee meets monthly and continues to work with various schools. We are attempting to bring SMI curriculum to students. A major initiative continues to be a new manufacturing center at Tunxis Community College, which is currently under construction. We are lobbying for a spring industry presence at the facility, due to its proximity to a large portion of our members. Ideally, they would have equipment which could host various training programs. If you’re a NESMA member, please let your voice be heard on our initiatives and you are welcome to join our monthly calls. Contact our chairperson, Al Mangels.

A Plethora of Events

Our events committee hosted our annual “NESMA Expo and Casino Night” March 23. Industry suppliers participated in the tabletop portion of our event to showcase their business, followed by dinner and live table games such as roulette, blackjack and craps. On May 24, NESMA will host UConn materials scientist Dr. Rainer Hebert. He will lecture on the materials of tomorrow and how they might play a role in the spring industry. We hope you can join us.

Finally, please mark your calendars for our annual golf tournament at Farmington Country Club Monday, Aug. 28. Ryan Cutter, president of FENN/Torin, chairs the committee which is making every effort to grow this event. He is focused on making sure everyone who attends has a rewarding experience.

Our Vanguard committee will once again host a Hartford Yard Goats minor league baseball game on May 17. The 2022 Yard Goats event was a great success thanks to our sponsors. In addition,