September 27, 2011

Rep. Yaccarino Tours Precision Combustion Inc.

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In order to get a better understanding of the needs of North Haven’s small business community, Rep. Yaccarino met with the leadership team at North Haven’s Precision Combustion Inc. recently.

For an hour and a half, Rep. Yaccarino talked with company president J. Kevin Burns, marketing and business development manager Anthony Anderson, principal scientist Subir Roychoudhury, engineering and design services manager Rich Mastanduno, front office employees and workers in the shop and technical sections of the manufacturer. The tour included presentations of the company’s past and present innovations in catalyst and fuel reformer technology and current projects being developed for dozens of clients across the world.

Precision Combustion is a clean energy technology company developing and manufacturing advanced catalytic devices and systems for energy sector applications and employs 39 people at their North Haven facility. The company, located on Sackett Point Road and encompassing 38,000 sq. feet in a reclaimed former brownfield site, has grown its staff by 50% in the last three years and plans to continue the upward trend as development and production of their technologies enter the marketplace.

“Innovation is the key driver,” Burns said of the industry during a short presentation of the company’s catalytic reactor system and design work.

Rep. Yaccarino said he was impressed by the strides the company is making in the technology and scientific areas, noting how innovation and experience combine to make the company an industry leader. However, he noted that Connecticut lags behind other states in the region and across the country as manufacturers try to lower their operating costs and increase productivity.

“It seems there is a lot of focus on just luring big companies here as the only way to create jobs in Connecticut,” Rep. Yaccarino said. “While that’s a laudable goal, I think we also need to look at the small and medium businesses across our state, find out what they’re doing to stay competitive and expand on those business patterns. These small and medium companies, companies like Precision Combustion, are the key to bringing good quality, high-paying jobs back to Connecticut.”