Governor announces $276K in grants to help local companies

By Bill Kirk
Business Editor

April 30, 2008 06:00 am

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HAVERHILL — In a speech sprinkled with a little humor and a few hard facts about the struggling economy, Gov. Deval Patrick also offered some good news last night to the 400 people gathered for the annual Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce dinner.

In a packed DiBurro's function hall, the governor announced more than $276,000 in workforce training grants to five regional companies looking to boost their business by aiding their employees.

"These funds will help train 429 people and enable these companies to grow stronger," Patrick said. "Achieving immediate and long-term growth in the commonwealth requires investments like this one at the regional level."

Receiving grants were Double N Inc. of Lawrence ($162,500), Dynamics Research of Andover ($45,000), Northern Massachusetts Telephone Workers Community Credit Union of Lowell ($39,866); Atlee of Delaware Inc. of North Andover ($19,000) and California Products Corp. of Andover ($10,550).

Patrick said investing in workforce training is part of his administration's comprehensive strategy to make investments that create opportunities while preparing for a softening economy.

The governor said that while the national economy is suffering, Massachusetts hasn't been as hard hit as in past recessions. But, he said, the state needs to prepare for a possible downturn.

"Whether it's a recession or not, it's plain that the national economy is not doing well," he said, mentioning the plummeting values of homes, the credit meltdown and other woes, such as record-high oil and gasoline prices and even the high cost of milk.

But, he said, "The Massachusetts economy has held its own. ... We have added 4,600 jobs in the last two months. ... Our unemployment rate is below the national rate."

He said that is attributable to strong sectors of the economy, including information technology, life sciences, financial services and environmental innovation.

To keep that momentum, Patrick said he would continue to invest in infrastructure, having filed $16 billion in bond bills to the Legislature for investments in roads, railways and bridges.

Patrick's pre-dinner speech capped a long day of activities for the governor, who said during his campaign that he wanted to be governor for the whole state, not just Boston.

Over the course of about 12 hours yesterday, Patrick planned to drive from his home in Milton to the Statehouse in Boston, and then out to west-central Massachusetts.

There, he attended a Founders Day celebration at UMass-Amherst before making an economic development announcement and swearing in a judge in Northampton. Then he headed to Haverhill for last night's address before returning home.

He joked with the audience at the start of his speech last night that he's been to numerous Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce events.

"First, I came to a breakfast," he said. "And that was wonderful. Then folks in my office said I got invited to lunch. I said I had already done the Merrimack Valley Chamber. They said, 'No, you've done the breakfast.' Then I got invited to dinner. I told my staff I'd already been to the chamber. They said, 'No, no, you went to lunch.' Now, they just say, no, no, it's Joe Bevilacqua."

Bevilacqua, the chamber president and CEO, served as master of ceremonies for the event, which also included the granting of the 2008 Community Spirit Award to the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council's Head Start program.

The grant recipients are:

r Double N Inc. of Lawrence, the holding company for Sal's Pizza, receiving $162,500 in workforce training money. President Sal Lupoli said the funding will be used to help train 160 to 180 people in the hospitality industry.

The grant was obtained with the help of Susan Legere-Ferraro, who co-founded the Leadership and Literacy Foundation with Lupoli. The money will be used to train people 14 to 24 years old.

r Dynamics Research of Andover received $45,000 to train workers in information technology, said Michael de la Maza, a technical analyst with the company. The 1,500-person outfit, founded 50 years ago by a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates, focuses primarily on defense contracting, creating training software for military personnel.

"This will help us compete with folks in other parts of the country," he said, noting that the defense industry is highly competitive.

r Northern Massachusetts Telephone Workers Community Credit Union, Lowell, received a $39,866 grant to train 111 workers in sales, customer service, and leadership and management.

Ray Wrobel, assistant vice president for business development, said it's the first such grant the credit union has received.

r Atlee of Delaware Inc., a North Andover company that manufactures electronic hardware. David Healey, manufacturing engineer for Atlee, said the company received $19,000 to train its workers in quality control, more efficient manufacturing and project management.

He said the 15-person company has been going through a "rough time," having shrunk from 50 to 60 employees several years ago. The company lost its biggest client and hopes to benefit through retraining.

"This will help us regain the competitive edge," he said.

r California Products Corp., Andover, received a $10,550 grant to train 56 workers in safety training and to provide basic English as a second language training to several Spanish-speaking employees.

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