NESMA News
New Manufacturing Czar
By Jim Mintun, Gibbs
Scholarships Awarded The New England Spring and Metalstamping Association (NESMA) is pleased to announce our 2020 $1,000 scholarships were awarded to two fine candidates from the 2020 graduating class at Bristol Eastern High School in Bristol, Connecticut. Our first award is designated for a graduating senior attending high school in a New England state (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) and pursuing a degree in engineering. The award was presented to Osama Ahmed, who will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Our second award is granted to a graduating senior, currently enrolled student or student returning to school who is a child or grandchild of an employee or owner of a NESMA member company in good standing. The recipient of this award was Alyssa Lavoie, who plans to attend Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut in the fall to pursue a degree as a physician assistant, specializing in cardiovascular surgery or neurosurgery, and possibly a doctorate in medical science. Alyssa is the daughter of Dennis Lavoie, an employee at Southington Tool and Manufacturing Company in Southington, Connecticut. NESMA would like to thank our partners at Main Street Community Foundation for their assistance in fielding all applications and managing the 2020 scholarship program. We would also like to congratulate the two awardees and wish them many years of success as they pursue higher education.
10 / SPRINGS / Fall 2020
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has appointed Colin Cooper as the state’s first chief manufacturing officer. The former CEO of the Whitcraft Group, a contract manufacturer of precision parts to the aerospace market, Cooper has been tasked to coordinate state and private-sector efforts to promote growth in the state’s manufacturing sector. Several NESMA member companies planned to attend an informative Oct. 6 breakfast, where Cooper was scheduled to present the State of Connecticut Manufacturing Outlook at The Farmington Club in Farmington, Connecticut.
Pandemic Forces Changes to Planned Events Due to the ongoing uncertainty created with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NESMA’s board of directors has made the difficult decision to cancel or postpone several activities scheduled for the balance of 2020. Our Spring Winding and Fourslide Machine Technologies classes at Bristol Tech that were scheduled to begin in October may be canceled (no firm decision had made as of press time), due to social distancing guidelines and requirements for remote learning that would jeopardize the hands-on requirements of the curriculum. Our popular Casino Night, originally planned for March 26, 2020, was postponed to Oct. 28, 2020, and with the current restrictions imposed by the Governor for large groups, has forced us to postpone the event until 2021. Sponsors who have paid for the event will be given the choice to be reimbursed in full or to carryover the
©iStockphoto.com/Scott Hirko
Regional Spring Association Report
funds they paid toward the 2021 event. We regret having to postpone the event yet again, as it has been great fun and has helped attendees to network with many member companies. We were informed by the staff at Nuchie’s Restaurant, our host for the 2020 NESMA Holiday Party, of their decision to close the restaurant for the balance of 2020 in hopes that they will avoid any issues with contamination or spread of the virus. In an effort to keep our members safe and healthy, the board elected not to pursue another potential venue this year. We hope that all our member companies stay safe and healthy during these uncertain times. For the latest updates regarding NESMA activities and membership, please sign up to receive our newsletter or consult our expanded website: www.nesma-usa.com.
CASMI Report By Michael Bandy, CASMI Co-Executive Director
SpringWorld 2020 Canceled; Next Event Will Take Place Oct. 5–7, 2022 The Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) board of directors met July 16 in Oak Brook, Illinois, and made the difficult decision to cancel SpringWorld 2020, which was scheduled to take place this October at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. “The COVID-19 situation and the current state of reopening in Illinois
