AWARD WINNING EDITORIAL
NOVEMBER 8, 2021 VOL. 57, No. 44
INCLUDING THE HUDSON VALLEY WEEKLY SECTION
MANUFACTURING POISED FOR PROGRESS - BUT WHERE ARE THE WORKERS? BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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pple CEO Tim Cook once advised that, when it comes to manufacturing, “The U.S.'s strategy should be to skate where the puck is going, not where it is.” Determining where that particular puck is going can be a tall order, but as discussed at the CBIA’s 2021 Manufacturing Summit, the outlook for Connecticut’s manufacturing sector seems to be a sunny one — although with some important caveats. Released at the Summit, held Oct. 29 at the Trumbull
Marriott Shelton, the 2021 Connecticut Manufacturing Report, produced by the organization and its affiliates CONNSTEP and ReadyCT, found that despite the ravages of Covid-19 — during which time most manufacturers remained open — the sector has a generally positive view of what 2022 might hold. The big headline was the 88% of manufacturers in the state reported difficulty finding and retaining workers, with 41% calling the labor shortage the main obstacle to growth. Even so, 44% expect their workforce to grow in the next six months, a 24-point jump over last year.
Other notable numbers: • 4 0 % exp e c t • 64% of manufacturers Connecticut’s economy reported profits in 2020, to grow (compared with down from 76% in 2019. just 10% last year), and • 70% percent expect a 58% expect national profitable 2021, with just growth (32%). 10% forecasting losses. • 58% of employers report • 53% see their businessat least 75% of their es growing, up from 18% employees are fully vaclast year, while just 12% cinated. forecast contraction. » MANUFACTURING POISED 6
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From left: Stanley Black & Decker Senior Vice President and Stanley Industrial President Graham Robinson; National Graphics Inc. Executive Vice President and CFO Michele Etzel; CompassMSP CEO Ari Santiago at the CBIA’s 2021 Manufacturing Summit.
The Ridgeway shows the way toward public housing’s future BY PETER KATZ Pkatz@westfairinc.com An eight-story, 85-unit apartment building at 172 Warburton Ave. in Yonkers has been completed. Built as part of the plan by the Municipal Housing Authority for the city of
Yonkers (MHACY) to revitalize the public housing project formerly known as Cottage Place Gardens, the modernized complex is named The Ridgeway. Local, county and state officials gathered at 172 Warburton on Oct. 29 to » THE RIDGEWAY
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