How to boost Rhode Island’s manufacturing center
I asked Watson a few questions about his vision for manufacturing in Rhode Island.
Q: What made you want to leave New York for Rhode Island?
Watson: My wife, three kids, and I have been visiting Rhode Island for the past 10-plus years. We love going to the beaches, visiting Newport (especially during restaurant week), and discovering new areas. Additionally, I’ve been hearing about the great work the Polaris MEP and 401 Tech Bridge teams have been doing under the University of Rhode Island’s Research Foundation umbrella. When the center director position opened up, my wife and I agreed that this opportunity would enable me to continue assisting companies (which is a passion of mine) while improving our quality of life. This opportunity was one that I couldn’t pass up.
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Q: Coming out of the Great Recession, the priority for the manufacturing sector seemed to be revitalization and stabilization. With hundreds of millions of dollars now flowing to states for advanced manufacturing and infrastructure improvements, what is the new goal of Rhode Island’s manufacturing sector?
Watson: We are focused on continuing to help manufacturers reduce costs, modernize production, localize supply chains, address workforce challenges, and better protect against cyber-attacks. There are numerous federal funding opportunities that we are, or will be, pursuing to help further our work with companies.
Q: Given the supply chain issues that we’ve seen in recent years, it seems like there is a renewed emphasis from the federal government to reshore our manufacturing jobs. What’s the biggest challenge we face when it comes to accomplishing that goal?
Watson: Labor concerns are a huge challenge to reshoring production. We often hear from companies that are struggling to find workers; as more and more employees from the baby boomer generation retires, replacing that institutional knowledge is a growing challenge. Lindsey Brickle and Aarin Clemons, team members from Polaris MEP, are doing great work attracting more individuals with diverse backgrounds into manufacturing jobs.
We are extremely fortunate to have the support of the governor, legislature, Commerce Corporation, and Department of Labor & Training. We also have numerous other partners that make it possible for us to run programs such as Fast Track to Manufacturing and JARC RI. These types of programs are critical to the future of our manufacturers and reshoring efforts.
Q: What niche can Rhode Island own in the advanced manufacturing space, and what does the state need to do to corner that market?
Watson: Rhode Island is well situated to be a leader in the blue economy, advanced materials, and other areas. For the blue economy, we have great strengths to build on, including: underwater research and development, aquaculture and fisheries, ship building, autonomous vehicles, and off-shore wind. Flux Marine, General Dynamics Electric Boat, and Jaia Robotics are a few examples of blue economy companies. 401 Tech Bridge and Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network are well situated to be leveraged to further expand RI’s advanced materials and textile industry.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @danmcgowan.
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