Gov. Ned Lamont, left, addresses reporters at an event announcing the appointment of Colin Cooper, right, to serve as the state's first-ever chief manufacturing officer. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

Gov. Ned Lamont has appointed the CEO of an aerospace manufacturing company to oversee efforts to grow Connecticut’s manufacturing sector.

The Democrat announced Monday that Colin Cooper will be the state’s first chief manufacturing officer, a job created by the General Assembly. Cooper is CEO of the Whitecraft Group, which is headquartered in Eastford and has facilities in Plainville and Farmington.

Lamont said Cooper will “take the lead of coordinating everything we’ve got to do” and will be a “great friend” of manufacturing within state government, explaining that the role will essentially serve as an advocate on behalf of the state’s existing – and prospective – manufacturing companies.

“Our future lies in our ability to help businesses quickly fill thousands of highly skilled, good-paying jobs,” Lamont said in a statement, “and I am determined to coordinate these efforts in a strategic way so that manufacturing companies who are already here can grow, and those from out of state that are looking to relocate will know that Connecticut is where they need to be.”

Cooper said lacking enough skilled workers is a key issue facing many manufacturers, noting there are currently more than 1,000 open positions in aerospace.

“Manufacturing has played a critical role in our state for over 200 years and we need to work to ensure it will continue to do so well into the future,” Cooper said in a statement. “I know first-hand the challenges of trying to grow a manufacturing business in Connecticut, but I am also acutely aware of the strong competitive advantages we have in this state, including a highly-skilled and engaged workforce, proximity to customers and markets, a critical mass of banks and lenders who understand and support manufacturing, and an increasingly broad and deep array of academic institutions and programs designed and developed to support manufacturing.”

There are currently 160,000 manufacturing jobs in Connecticut. Lamont’s administration hopes 30,000 more will be added in the next couple years.