Eastern CT Defense Industry Community Partnership is focused on meeting the challenges
Leaders of Electric Boat are working with leaders of regional organizations and elected municipal leaders to better plan for the influx of additional workers and families as the submarine builder works to deliver on the historic $76.6 billion U.S. Navy contract for 14 subs awarded in July and expected to run through 2038.
Regional leaders early last year established the Eastern Connecticut Defense Industry Community Partnership and after 18 months of collaboration have created a framework to guide and enhance the effort.
The partnership is intended to create a national model for municipalities that host large miliary bases and defense contractors. While local leaders were already working toward such a concept, the Department of War’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation requested regional leaders formalize a partnership and take on this responsibility based on Electric Boat’s contracts and the need for this kind of collaboration in other states.
Electric Boat has about 15,000 people working in Groton and New London and needs to hire 8,000 workers this year and 8,000 next year to meet demand. Robust hiring is expected, given existing work, the new contract, and normal attrition of workers.
Housing, child care, education, transportation, parking, and the supply chain to meet Electric Boat’s needs and other physical and social infrastructure needs are the focus areas of the Partnership. Members and other leaders across the region were updated on progress over the past 18 months during a Sept. 23 meeting at the Mystic Marriott in Groton.
Hosted by seCTer Executive Director Paul Whitescarver and United Way of Southeastern CT President and CEO Dina Sears-Graves, the update earned praise mixed with cautious optimism that the momentum will continue.
Perhaps the biggest take-away was that current Electric Boat leadership understands the need to better communicate with leaders of municipalities, social service agencies, civic organizations and regional planners.
Electric Boat earlier this year created the position of Director of Public Relations and Community Engagement to address regional collaboration and Shan Coyne took on the role.
In a candid presentation well received by the group, Coyne said the company is working to improve communication with municipal and other leaders. Crediting Electric Boat President Mark Rayha with initiating the new position, Coyne made it clear that “this comes right from the top,” and indicated that collaborative efforts across the region are now a much higher priority for leadership than in previous years.
“I think it was important for everyone in the room to hear about the progress we’ve made and especially to hear from Shawn and from Ross Gionfriddo, EB’s Government Liaison, about the new focus on collaboration,” Whitescarver said after the event.
Sears-Graves agreed that it was good for all concerned to hear that the Partnership has moved from planning efforts to solid work.
“I’ve been so close to the work that I didn’t realize all that we’ve already accomplished until we stepped back and put it all together,” Sears-Graves said. “We were all working piecemeal at this before, but to have a focused group collaborating has made addressing these challenges much more efficient and effective.”
Whitescarver and Sears-Graves credited Erin Sparks, of Formation, the Washington D.C.-based regional economic development consulting group, for developing questionnaires, surveys and interview sessions to focus the Partnership’s efforts.
