(Business New Haven) Old Saybrook business leader: “Sen. Linares’ tour of our facility gives us further resolve”

Article as it appeared on Conntact.com

OLD SAYBROOK — Stencil Ease has been in business for more than three decades. During that time it snagged a lion’s share of its targeted market, expanded product offerings and made a name for itself as a reliable, quality company.

But CEO Brian Greenho wanted more.

“We had an opportunity to expand our business and hire more people if we could participate in a matching-grant program,” explains Greenho.

So the company submitted an application to the state Department of Economic & Community Development’s Small Business Express Matching Grant Program. It was successful and as a consequence of that funding, Stencil Ease now has a larger workforce and “the latest and greatest” equipment — a state-of-the-art laser cutting machine — it needed to get to the next level.

“We had other equipment like this, but this is much larger and a much more powerful type of machine,” explains Greenho. “It’s five times more powerful.

“They [DECD] recognized that if they matched the grant we could buy this piece of equipment. It was a good fit,” Greenho adds. He praises Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for “helping manufacturing jobs stay in Connecticut” by pushing for the creation of such programs to assist smaller companies.

Founded in 1980, Stencil Ease produces standard and customized stencils for residential, business and organizational applications. Products are used to create directives such as “Reserved,” “Staff Parking” or “Visitor” in parking lots; court boundaries for basketball and other athletic areas on playgrounds; and “Fire Lane” and other designations on municipal roads.

That new equipment purchased with the help of the matching grant allowed Stencil Ease to attract larger clients.

“We were able to better serve clients such as the military and airports, which need stenciling for runways and taxiways,” explains Greenho.

And, since the computer-driven equipment needed skilled workers to operate it, Stencil Ease hired and trained new employees — also an element of the matching grant.

“We had 12 employees — now we’re up to 15,” Greenho says. “We’ll be adding more jobs this year, at least one or two full-time jobs.”

The company focused on hiring employees over age 55 who had previously been laid off and were looking for work.

The matching grant is a good start for retaining manufacturers in the state, asserts Greenho — but more needs to be done.

“We need more of a break on taxes and more hiring incentives,” he says. Otherwise, Connecticut manufacturing jobs will leave the state and will instead go to places such as Tennessee, Kentucky and Mexico.

Last month State Sen. Art Linares (R-33) toured Greenho’s facility to both tout it as a Connecticut business success story and to find out how the state can continue to aid small businesses.

“Having Sen. Linares tour our facility and meet our employees gives us further resolve that we are doing the right thing by continuing to create and keep jobs in our great state,” said Greenho in a statement. “When we can take someone off unemployment, train them and put them to work, everyone in Connecticut benefits.”

For more information about the Matching Grant Program for small businesses and other DECD funding sources, visit ct.gov/ecd.