Coolest Night in Connecticut: The Manufacturing Community Comes Together to Celebrate Innovation and Industry
The Connecticut Science Center, a hub of creativity, inventiveness, and imagination, was the perfect backdrop for CONNSTEP’s Manufacturing Meetup: Innovation and Industry held on January 9.
More than 100 attendees from across Connecticut’s manufacturing ecosystem braved the cold, coming together for a night of networking at CONNSTEP’s second sold-out Manufacturing Meetup, hosted in partnership with our affiliate CBIA and the CBIA Foundation.
It was also a night to celebrate the strength of Connecticut manufacturing, “Not only do we make the coolest products in the country, but we have the coolest people who make them as well,” said Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, Paul Lavoie.
The event was held in the Science Center’s Invention Dimension area. As attendees entered the space, they were greeted by the focal point of the event, the Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut exhibit.
“The highlight for me was having the event right in front of the Coolest Things Made in Connecticut exhibit,” said Smith Brothers Risk Advisor, Travis Mistretta.
CONNSTEP was proud to partner with CBIA and the Connecticut Office of Manufacturing for the inaugural Coolest Thing competition sponsored by CliftonLarsonAllen which launched in August 2024.
“We were thrilled to be part of it and celebrate Connecticut’s long history of manufacturing and make sure that we’re spreading light on the fact that manufacturing is such a significant component of the Connecticut economy,” said Matt Gaieski, Principal at Clifton Larson Allen.
CliftonLarsonAllen also generously sponsored the Manufacturing Meetup.
16 Connecticut-made products, including delicious foods and drinks, an iconic movie prop, and items many of us use daily, went head-to-head in a bracket-style competition to decide which would be the Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut.
The four finalists were the Sikorsky Blackhawk Helicopter, the Pratt & Whitney GTF Engine, Medtronic’s Signia Stapling System, and the eventual winner, after 115,000 votes from the public, General Dynamics Electric Boat’s Virginia-Class Submarine. Mistretta went on to say,
“it was eye-opening to see the strength of Connecticut’s manufacturing sector on display, featuring products like Athletic Brewing’s Run Wild IPA and LesserEvil Snacks, both of which I frequently see in stores today.”
The contest was a huge success and the momentum of the Coolest Thing continued as CBIA President and CEO Chris DiPentima detailed at the Meetup,
“The Science Center said, ‘Hey we’ve got an idea, why don’t we take this and make an exhibit out of it so our young people can see some of the great, cool things that are made in Connecticut?’”
The Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut exhibit, which showcases each product from the competition and showcases the state’s manufacturing excellence, opened to guests on the Science Center’s fifth floor in November 2024 and will be on display through March 2025.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in Connecticut, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in manufacturing in Connecticut,” said Lavoie.
Beatriz Gutierrez, President and CEO of CONNSTEP encouraged everyone at the event to bring a young person to the Science Center to help spark imagination and inspire the next generation of manufacturers.
“It’s one thing to go and say we are innovators, it’s another thing to come and see what we make–to really experience the technology, to really experience and get their mind thinking about what they can do,” she said.
Throughout the evening, Meetup attendees got to tap into their inner child by interacting with the displays in the Invention Dimension, from solving puzzles to learning about some of the greatest Connecticut inventions.
Sharing space with the Invention Dimension was the expansive Exploring Space exhibit that provided the opportunity to travel the solar system, land on Mars, and dive into deep space all while enjoying great conversation and the featured ‘Coolest Mocktail Made in Connecticut.’
Zaneez Founder and CEO Dr. Marien J. Zanyk summed up the night perfectly saying,
“The CONNSTEP CBIA manufacturing meet-up at the Science Center yesterday was an inspiring convergence of innovation for the future of manufacturing excellence.”
The Meetup was a fantastic way to kick off 2025, generating enthusiasm for the exciting year ahead in Connecticut manufacturing.
Join CONNSTEP’s exclusive LinkedIn Group to get the notification for the next Manufacturing Meetup in Spring 2025! Join the group here: https://connstep.info/CONNSTEP-Community-Group
View photo album below.
It is a first-of-its-kind competition for Connecticut – the Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut. Click here to read.
Check out our "Events & Trainings" page to stay up to date. Trainings, webinars, networking events, and more!
Join us at our next Manufacturing Meetup! Learn more about them and mark your calendars for the next one.
