Press Releases
08/18/2014
Gov. Malloy: C. Cowles & Co. Works with Partners to Create Manufacturing Jobs for Connecticut Residents
Company Will Relocate Massachusetts Division to North Haven and Grow Workforce to 175 Employees
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that C. Cowles & Company, a diversified manufacturing company, is relocating its Carlin Combustion Technology division from Massachusetts to North Haven. Founded in 1838 in New Haven, C. Cowles will consolidate the division, along with the company's corporate offices and four other manufacturing divisions, in a new facility at the former Marlin Firearms factory.
As part of the relocation project, C. Cowles worked with the University of New Haven and quasi-public state agency CONNSTEP to add 59 new jobs to its current workforce of 116 employees. C. Cowles has already begun the process of hiring and training the new workers with the support of a $250,000 job training grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
"C. Cowles & Co. is a great example of a Connecticut manufacturer that has found a way to work with public and private sector partners to build a talented pool of workers to support its current and future growth," said Governor Malloy. "By partnering and connecting companies with our educational institutions, we are ensuring that Connecticut manufacturers have the workforce they need to compete in a global market and position our state for a manufacturing revolution."
In June, C. Cowles conducted a job fair in North Haven and received over 400 applications from people looking for employment. C. Cowles CEO Lawrence C. Moon, Jr. reached out to the University of New Haven's graduate engineering program, which provided five Masters' Degree candidates and a faculty member to help conduct a smooth and effective transfer of the manufacturing operation from Massachusetts to North Haven. Mr. Moon also reached out to CONNSTEP - a non-profit supported by DECD that provides process improvement consulting to Connecticut businesses on a fee-for-service basis - creating a partnership between DECD, C. Cowles, CONNSTEP, and the UNH engineering team.
"The technical and financial support - and the business-friendly attitude of the Malloy Administration - is essential for Connecticut to grow the state's manufacturing space. Without it, we would not have consolidated our businesses from Massachusetts to Connecticut," said Mr. Moon. "This strategic move increases our presence in the HVAC industry, and is critically important to the growth of our company. Further, it supports a new facility that will not only house manufacturing, but engineering, product development and a fully functioning training center for our contractors and users."
"CONNSTEP is honored to be working with C. Cowles as they create a state-of-the-art manufacturing process at their new North Haven facility," said CONNSTEP CEO Bonnie Del Conte. "We are proud to be part of Connecticut's economic development strategy and, with the ongoing support from the Malloy Administration, look forward to supporting Connecticut's small and mid-sized manufacturers continue to set global standards for technology and productivity."
"The University of New Haven is privileged to take part in and contribute to Connecticut's growth in manufacturing through this project," said Dr. Nadiye Erdil, Assistant Professor at the UNH Tagliatela College of Engineering. "The partnership C. Cowles established with UHN provided a great opportunity for our industrial engineering students to learn and to use their knowledge and skills and have a positive impact on our area's economic development."
In addition to the job training grant, DECD is supporting the move with a loan of $1.77 million, which C. Cowles is using to finance the move itself, acquire the North Haven building, conduct environmental remediation and make mechanical upgrades and retrofits. C. Cowles may receive loan forgiveness of up to $885,125 if the company meets or exceeds its job creation and retention commitments. Signed in October of 2013, DECD funding for C. Cowles's project was approved by the State Bond Commission in July at its monthly meeting.