PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Apex Resource Technologies, an injection molding company who found a particular niche in the medical device manufacturing business, is just one example of the manufacturing that Massachusetts stills has, and wants to grow.

 

Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash joined state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier on Tuesday to highlight the company's efforts with the presentation of the first annual Massachusetts Manufacturing Caucus Award.

 

"It is people like you who are investing in our community by growing your business right here and, in particular, all of your investment in workforce development, is why we want to honor you today," Farley-Bouvier said.

 

Donald Rochelo, chief operating officer, has grown his business locally, doubling his space at the Downing Industrial Business Park fairly recently, while remaining active in other manufacturing-oriented groups like the Berkshire Applied Technology Council and as the co-chair of the Berkshire Innovation Center.

 

"Don has been a leader, as far back as I've gone 18 years. Don was head of the plastics network, then Berkshire Applied Technology Council just encouraging area companies to pursue training and education. He's always been out front in doing that," said Berkshire Community College's Vice President for Community Education & Workforce Development William Mulholland, who has become one of the most active people in the community pushing for the re-emergence of manufacturing.

 

Ash said attracting new companies can sometimes seem like "finding a needle in a haystack" but there are manufacturing companies all across the state. His visit wasn't just to present an award but also to find out if there are areas in which the state can support the company's future growth.

 

"There are a lot of companies here like Apex that we should be trying to help grow and it has been my experience and one of our priorities to help local companies grow," Ash said.

 

Workforce development rose to the top almost immediately, with Rochelo saying it is one of the company's biggest challenges. He said he needs engineers with certain skills and they just don't live around here. That leads him to hiring recruiters, which makes hiring a much more expensive and complicated process. Rochelo believes that through trade education, all local companies will benefit.

 

"It's a significant challenge at every level. We need more people at the ground level. Like, mold making is a very sophisticated business these days," Rochelo said. "We need good people and there are a lot of good people coming out of trade schools."

 

He added, "education is everything, it is power. If you bring everybody up, we're going to have a heck of a country here."

 

Ash estimated that nationwide there are some 5.5 million jobs being unanswered. Workforce development has to be part of the answer, he said. Where Massachusetts is going to be competitive, in Ash's opinion, is through knowledge and innovation.

 

"We believe that the key to our manufacturing success in the future here in Massachusetts is around innovation. We are not going to be competing on cost, on low-quality, high-volume products. What makes Massachusetts and manufacturing throughout Massachusetts special is the high-quality products that we create which require innovation," Ash said.

 

While the are companies like Apex in the state, Ash said he is continuing to work on finding more companies as well. 

 

"I've always been frustrated when people say manufacturing is gone and we'll never get it back. I'm glad to be in a position as secretary under the governor and supported by the Legislature who believes we can recapture the manufacturing," Ash said.

 

Recently, he received a call when he was on vacation in Florida about a company there had interest moving to the William Stanley Business Park. He detoured his vacation and visited the company, making a pitch bring them back.

 

Mayor Linda Tyer has been connected with the company and discussions of a possible move to vacant land is happening. Ash said that type of coordination is one way to help attract new companies.

 

Meanwhile, what took up most of Ash's day on Tuesday wasn't presenting an award but visiting with those behind the Berkshire Innovation Center. That center, which is eyed to serve as a research and development facility for many local companies and educational institution, is short on funds.

 

Gov. Charlie Baker has asked Ash for recommendations on where to allocate state resources, and that could mean closing that funding gap.

 

"We have a variety of funding sources that are available to support innovation centers. In fact this past year we had a new economic development bill that created a fund to support innovation centers," Ash said, though he said money for the BIC may not come from that pool of money.

 

"There are sources of funding available. We'll look at a variety of sources depending on what the governor and the lieutenant governor decide."

 

Ash said he expects the administration to make some decisions about the project by the end of the year. But if it gets the funding from the administration has yet to be determined and will depend on other opportunities for investment the government could make elsewhere.

 

"We are cutting budgets. We are faced with tough fiscal choices on Beacon Hill so we have to be mindful of taxpayers' dollars. I'm out here to see the vision but I also need to weigh what opportunities exist not only here in Berkshire County but in the state," Ash said.

 

Rochelle spoke about the innovation center, highlight the particular ability to share equipment. He said he can't afford much of the additive manufacturing equipment on his own, but that would be at the BIC if and when it gets constructed.

 

"It would be great to have access to that on a daily basis. We could make things out of metal that would be important to product development," Rochelo said.

 

Rochelo shares Ash's optimism for the future of manufacturing, saying it is coming back strong. He lauded the collaboration among government, educational institutions, and businesses.

 

"This is one of the best times to live because we've got government, we've got education, and we've got manufacturing working together for a common goal. That was not always the case," Rochelo said.

 

Ash also spent time with Tyer to discuss their shared vision for Pittsfield, during which the mayor said she was able to "showcase some of our assets."  

 

"There are opportunities for economic development in Pittsfield. I share with the mayor her vision of economic development and am excited about that. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity there and we need to find the right combination of local permitting and state policy that can help advance the agenda," Ash said.

 

Despite what the future economic development and manufacturing may be, the award ceremony on Tuesday was a reminder that these companies are operating here and contributing to the economic landscape already.

 

"I'm very, very privileged. You never really stop and think about what you are doing. You just put your shoulder to the stone and keep going. We're privileged to be recognized like that, especially a state award like that," Rochelo said of the award.

 

Farley-Bouvier said the award was determined by the 50 or so Legislatures who serve on the manufacturing caucus. She had nominated Apex.

 

"October is manufacturing month and we wanted to tell the story of the manufacturers we have here in the commonwealth and the great work they are doing," Farley-Bouvier said. "We wanted to show the rest of the companies what one company can do and help inspire them to do other things."

 

The mayor echoed those sentiments from her perspective, saying "it's very exciting that a Pittsfield company is the first award winner. It is really special and I am very happy that Don has received it. He's been in the trenches for a long time and there is a lot to show for that hard work."