‘People don’t know Connecticut.’ Lamont hopes trade mission to Germany attracts new jobs

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He didn’t bring home bratwurst, but Gov. Ned Lamont’s recent trade mission to Germany might bring new, high-paying jobs to Connecticut. “People don't know Connecticut,” he said. “We’ve got to get out there,” he said. The seven-day trip led Lamont and four other economic development leaders to Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart. The delegation met with about 40 companies in the advanced manufacturing and the bioscience industries. AdvanceCT, the state’s venture capital arm, also met with start-ups and investment funds. “Why Germany? Germany is our number one trading partner,” said Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner Dan O’Keefe. Germany bought $2.1 billion worth of goods from Connecticut last year – especially in the aerospace industry, which already employs more than 20,000 workers. “What we’re trying to do is put Connecticut on the map,” Lamont said, “and make sure that when people think about where they want to get a foot hold here in the United States – a foothold here on the east coast – they think about Connecticut as well.” Lamont also met with some of the 100-plus German companies that already have operations in Connecticut – including pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, welding company Trumpf in Farmington and Roto Frank in Chester, a major window and door manufacturer. The Connecticut Business and Industry Association expects the state to attract smaller and mid-sized companies, but those jobs could come with big salaries. “You’re talking about highly engineered jobs – so a lot of advanced technologies, folks who are working with automation,” said CBIA president Chris DiPentima. “You’re not going to see a Fortune 100 type of company. We don't have a lot of those in Connecticut.” Lamont said German companies are worried about new tariffs if former president Donald Trump returns to the White House. The move could force them to move more operations to the U.S. “Time will tell if we caught any fish, but right now we’re hopeful,” Lamont said. The trip came at a $50,000 cost. Lamont has also led trade missions to Israel and France in the past two years, but O’Keefe was unsure how many jobs those trips generated. "