News & Media
Connecticut ranks highly in talent, education, quality of life, and factors important to companies looking to invent, create, develop and produce high quality products and solutions. AdvanceCT is tasked with promoting economic growth and prosperity within the state and one of the ways we do so is by telling the great story of what Connecticut is and all we have to offer.
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News Articles

Zvonimir Vrselja lifted a plastic barrier to provide a better view of the tool he hopes will help cure devastating diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.“You see here in the black box, there’s a human brain inside,” he said.The donated brain is connected to a system of tubes that perfuses the...

Whether at airfields, on ships, in hangars or in the air, at any point in time there are 84 million components or more on the U.S. military's fleet of Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters, not including any number more in other countries.For Justin Wolfanger the only number that counts is one...

Gov. Ned Lamont announced that Connecticut will invest more than $50 million in New Haven to spur growth in cutting-edge sectors, including $10 million for QuantumCT, a statewide initiative led by UConn and YaleThe state is tapping UConn and Yale’s quantum expertise to propel economic development in New Haven through...

Stratford-based Sikorsky has won a $10-billion contract to build helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps.The recently-renamed U.S. Department of War announced the contract late Friday afternoon.The contract calls for the company to make almost a hundred CH-53K transport helicopters.Sikorsky General Manager Rich Benton said the company will get years worth...

Connecticut’s economy grew the fastest among states on the East Coast in the spring of 2025, according to new federal data. In the second quarter of 2025, Connecticut’s real gross domestic product increased 4.6%, on an annual basis, ranking joint-ninth among the states and surpassing the national rate of 3.8%,...

Connecticut is investing $50.5 million in public infrastructure to help grow a biotech and quantum technology innovation hub in downtown New Haven.“Every day in downtown New Haven, workers are developing the cutting-edge research, technologies, and products that are changing the world and propelling Connecticut forward as a leader in the...

Pratt & Whitney has been awarded a $670.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the F135 propulsion system.The modification covers spares for the production and delivery of the system, which powers the F35 Lightning II Fighter.The spares will include common components for the global spares pool, as well...

Central Connecticut State University has launched a new robotics and mechatronics technician apprenticeship program in partnership with high-tech manufacturer TRUMPF Inc.It’s the first in a series of pilots that the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system is calling a “preferred employer program,” which offers custom-tailored training and a tuition...

Winner Category | CEO, SMALL NONPROFIT, FEWER THAN 75 EMPLOYEES John BourdeauxPresident & CEOAdvanceCTSize of organization: $5.5M budgetEmployees: 22Education: Bachelor’s degree in history, University of Chicago John Bourdeaux is the president and CEO of AdvanceCT. This statewide nonprofit economic organization partners with the government and businesses of Connecticut to recruit, retain and...

Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business has launched an MBA concentration in artificial intelligence, positioning graduates to lead AI initiatives as workplace adoption of the technology accelerates.The new AI concentration responds to surging demand for business leaders who understand both artificial intelligence technology and its strategic applications, the school said...

Global leader in aerostructures and engine systems introduces additive fabrication production line in Newington, CTNewington, Connecticut, September 3, 2025 – Today, AdvanceCT announces that GKN Aerospace is expanding its manufacturing center in Newington, Connecticut, one of its primary facilities in the U.S. and one of two located in Connecticut.GKN Aerospace’s...

CT Jet-Engine Maker Pratt & Whitney Gets $2.9 Billion Contract Modification for Fighter-Jet Work
Aug 25 2025Jet-engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has been awarded an approximately $2.9 billion contract modification from the U.S. Department of Defense to support continued production of F135 engines for F-35 fighter jets.The new funding was disclosed Friday on the department’s website. About 30% of the work will be carried out in...

Mott Corp. has achieved a rare distinction in the aerospace industry, becoming one of only a handful of companies to successfully operate technology on the moon’s surface.The Farmington-based precision filtration company announced that its custom-engineered flow control assembly has completed testing in the harsh lunar environment, as part of NASA’s...

Thomas “Tommy” HydeCompany: AdvanceCTTitle: Chief of StaffNumber of years with current company: 1Town where I live: FarmingtonTown where I work: New HavenCollege: Trinity CollegeHighest degree: Master’s degree in business administration, University of ConnecticutAge: 35 Thomas Hyde is chief of staff at AdvanceCT, where he helps drive the state’s economic development strategy...

Glori Norwitt to Focus on State’s International RelationsNew Haven, Connecticut, July 30, 2025 - Today, AdvanceCT announces the appointment of Glori Norwitt as Connecticut’s Special International Envoy, responsible for engaging with foreign dignitaries, delegations, and officials.In this unpaid volunteer role, Glori Norwitt will represent the state and AdvanceCT in interactions...

The US State Department today cleared the potential sale of up to nine HH-60W helicopters to Norway, a deal valued at $2.6 billion, according to a notice from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.The notification paves the way for a formal agreement between Oslo and Connecticut-based manufacturer Sikorsky for the sale,...

Connecticut, June 17th, 2025 - Today, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and AdvanceCT announced that aerospace component manufacturer, WHI Global, LLC (WHI), will open a new production facility in Enfield, Connecticut. Concurrently, WHI subsidiary Aerobond Composites, LLC announced that it has signed contracts with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, to produce...

For decades, Connecticut — and much of the United States — has wrestled with the thorny problem of how to rebuild its once vibrant manufacturing industries in the face of lower-cost competition from markets abroad, particularly in Asia.President Donald Trump sees tariffs as the way to go.On Tuesday, German toolmaker...

Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business has launched a new Artificial Intelligence and Technology Institute.Annual programming at the institute will include training opportunities surrounding AI and emerging technologies and hosting experts from around the country.“The AI and Technology Institute is born from Fairfield’s core Jesuit values — a...

The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that it has awarded another $12.4 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat as payment for two previously authorized Virginia class submarines, as well as salary increases for shipyard workers.The Navy’s agreement to boost pay comes as Electric Boat hires at unprecedented levels in an effort...

About 1,800 employees are based at Spectrum-services provider Charter Communications’ headquarters next to the downtown Stamford Metro-North Railroad station. Within the next few months, a sizable contingent of students will be working there as well. Charter executives and local officials announced Wednesday the launch of the Stamford Tech Hub, an...

Bristol-based sports media giant ESPN has announced it’s ending the production of its ‘SportsCenter’ shows in Los Angeles and relocating the work to its main Bristol campus.The move will add approximately 35 jobs in Bristol, where ESPN employs about 3,600 people, and where SportsCenter was originally founded.Every LA-based employee impacted...

A Bristol company has been named Exporter of the Year by the federal Small Business Administration.Bauer Inc., its president and CEO Louis Auletta and sales and marketing manager Michael Auletta, will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 5.Bauer makes equipment that tests and supports aerospace systems...

Globally recognized expert in Commercial and Military Engine Design, Development, and Manufacturing Expands Rocky Hill, Connecticut OperationNew Haven, Connecticut, March 24, 2025 – Today, AdvanceCT announces that MTU Aero Engines North America (MTU), a subsidiary of Germany-based MTU Aero Engines, is expanding its Rocky Hill, Connecticut headquarters. The Connecticut operation...