Hardware Podcasts

299: Inside Connecticut's Manufacturing Ecosystem: Innovation, Workforce Development, and Industrial Leadership, Live from Hartford, CT

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 18 Aug 2026 · 46m

What this episode covers

Cici Bevin, sixth-generation president of Bevin Brothers Manufacturing, Andrew Gibson, CEO of AlphaQ, and Dustin Nord, Foundation Director at CBIA, discuss the unique manufacturing ecosystem in Connecticut. They cover how Bevin Brothers maintains relevance as the last U.S. bell maker, how AlphaQ achieved #1 global supplier status at Rolls-Royce through turnaround strategies, and how the state’s Chief Manufacturing Officer role and workforce development initiatives support high-precision, low-volume production. The conversation highlights cross-state collaboration, the importance of a strong education pipeline, and the specific products made in the region, from Black Hawk helicopters to Wiffle balls.

Most relevant to

established companies, companies scaling up and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Bevin Brothers Manufacturing, AlphaQ, Sikorsky, Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney, GE, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, MaintainX, Clifton Larson Allen, CBIA, General Mills, Rensselaer Polytech, AeroCision, Medtronic, Ensign Bickford, BD, Kilbasa, Calzone, Lee Company
Products
Wiffle Ball, Pez, Black Hawk helicopter
Also
Sesame

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