Contact:
Sarah Crisp
Email: scrisp@chapcoinc.com
Website: https://chapcoinc.com/

Chapco, Inc. Marking 60 Years of Contribution to Connecticut’s Critical Manufacturing Base

CHESTER, CT – Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Connecticut’s 33rd district State Senator Norman Needleman (D-CT 33), and Connec4cut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, Paul S. Lavoie, gathered to celebrate a significant milestone as Chapco, a prominent manufacturer, commemorated 60 years of precision manufacturing in Middlesex County.

Chapco, established in the mid-1960s by Charlie Hurd and Al Pross, underwent a remarkable transformation under the leadership of Robert (Bob) Weinstein and his son, Brian Weinstein, who currently serves as President. The company began in a small machine shop on Denlar Drive in Chester and has since grown to encompass 70,000 sq M of advanced manufacturing facilities across two campuses in Chester.

Following a festive luncheon on October 11 attended by customers, suppliers, local representatives, and the dedicated Chapco workforce, Senator Blumenthal highlighted the indispensable role played by manufacturers like Chapco in Connecticut’s economy and the nation’s critical defense infrastructure.

Blumenthal emphasized, “Other states may boast natural resources like uranium and gold mines or iconic landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, but in Connecticut, our true strength lies in our ‘really smart’ people. That’s our ‘secret sauce’. Submarines are the backbone of our defense capabilities, and manufacturers like Chapco are instrumental in ensuring their supremacy.”

Chapco proudly aligns with Connecticut’s thriving manufacturing ecosystem. “Our unwavering motto is ‘building partnerships, not just parts,'” expressed Weinstein. With a team of seasoned engineers, production technicians, and assembly personnel, Chapco provides comprehensive end-to-end services, encompassing tes@ng, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, and fulfillment.

Paul Lavoie, Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer also toured both campuses and witnessed a myriad of products crafted by Chapco, all originating from sheet metal blanks. These products included Integrated UVC’s innovative no-touch air and surface disinfection system, Icleanse’s cell phone UV disinfection devise, Fastcorp Vending’s cutting-edge automated retail solutions for regulated products, Denlar Fire Protection’s integrated fire suppression range hood systems, and TRUEFORM.RUNNER – the treadmill of choice for NFL superstars and NASCAR Race Teams.

Lavoie, who leads the Office of Manufacturing, is dedicated to empowering manufacturers to leverage market opportunities and cement Connecticut’s status as the Silicon Valley of advanced manufacturing. “My mission is to showcase Connecticut,” Lavoie affirmed, “and companies like Chapco make that task much simpler.”

President of Chapco and its collaborative companies, Brian Weinstein emphasized their commitment to excellence, stating, “We’ve always believed in investing in the best technologies and operating 24/7. Our recent $1.6 million investment in a Trumpf Trumatic 6000 fiber laser punch combo underscores our dedication to meeting tight deadlines and ensuring the resilience of U.S. supply chains.”

Chapco’s six decades of unwavering dedication to precision manufacturing epitomize its commitment to advancing the Connecticut manufacturing landscape. As we celebrate their remarkable journey, we look forward to their continued contributions to our vibrant community and the nation.

Congratulations, Chapco, on this significant milestone!

DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

Contact:
Phil Kincade
Granite State New Collaborative
pwkincade@gmail.com
603-988-1069

NH News Organizations Request Release of Education Reform Records

More than two dozen of the state’s leading news organizations requested today that the New Hampshire Department of Education make public all records of the special task force charged with recommending broad revisions to the rules that will govern public education in the state for at least the next decade.

The news organizations contend the education reform task force – created as a result of a sole source contract with the National Center for Competency-Based Learning approved by the governor and Executive Council – is a quasi-governmental body and therefore subject to New Hampshire’s right to know law, RSA 91-A.

Since its inception more than two years ago, the 13-member task force has been conducting business, yet there is no public record of its meetings, votes or minutes, as required by RSA 91-A.

Specifically, the law stipulates that public bodies must conduct meetings open to the public, that “minutes of all such meetings, including nonpublic sessions, shall include the names of members, persons appearing before the public bodies, and a brief description of the subject matter discussed and final decisions”, and that “minutes shall be promptly recorded and open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting,” and “shall be treated as permanent records of any public body, or any subordinate body thereof, without exception.”

This letter requesting public disclosure was made by the Granite State News Collaborative, the New Hampshire Press Association, and the New England First Amendment Coalition.

Background: 
In November 2020, as recommended by Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, the Governor and Executive Council approved a $50,000 sole-source contract with the National Center for Competency-Based Learning “to facilitate a revision of the ED 306 Minimum Standards Administrative Rules.” The NCCBL is a Durham-based company led by former New Hampshire Board of Education Chair Fred Bramante.

In January 2021, the NCCBL created a 13-member self-described “task force” that set out “to enhance and further embed competency-based learning within the Minimum Standards,” according to a June 23, 2022 letter the task force sent to state educational leaders.

The ED 306 Minimum Standards Administrative Rules were established as part of the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) created in 1983 by the legislature to provide legislative oversight of administrative rulemaking by the agencies of the executive branch.

The news organizations contend that because the contract with NCCBL was approved by the Governor and Executive Council and its responsibilities are a derivative of the legislature’s oversight functions affecting public policy, the task force is a quasi-public body and therefore subject to all provisions of the state’s right to know law, RSA 91-A.

The news organizations also cited Bradbury v. Shaw, 116 N.H. 388 (1976), a case heard before the New Hampshire Supreme Court concerning the application of RSA 91-A:1 to a private committee. The court upheld the trial court’s finding that heavy involvement in governmental functions renders a private committee a public body and subject to the right to know law.

DOWNLOAD FULL PRESS RELEASE