“We only have one Virginia per year and we’ve been able to avoid layoffs as a result of the significant amount of maintenance and modernization work we have done in the last few years. This year, there’s a lot less of that coming,” said John P. Casey, president, Electric Boat. Like all businesses today, we are being more productive and creative.”
story & photo
by Alexis Ann
At an annual legislative breakfast hosted by Electric Boat held at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa earlier this month, John P. Casey, President, EB, announced, “My focus is in keeping 10,000 people employed.” ….”Long term growth is expected across the business…” “The Groton Shipyard will face cyclical demands.”
Over two-thirds of EB employees are involved in the Virginia-class program, which is essentially, the construction part of the business. Engineering and design consists of hire replacement programs-for example, replacing the 18 Tridents. John Casey reminded the audience, “The freedoms we enjoy today are due to the Trident missile ships with special operations.”
“There are 18 ships in the Virginia Program,” said John. Already, six ships are delivered with four left to go. “We are delivering ships faster.” EB plans to deliver the Missouri, a Virginia-class sub, in the second quarter of this year, about a year ahead of schedule.
“EB continues to perform well on repair availabilities,” informed John. The Hartford returned to EB last year for repairs following a collision with a surface ship in the Mideast. It will return to the Fleet in the third quarter of 2010.
Today, the Navy is buying one sub per year from EB and Northrop Grumman Newport News, VA, but next year, the buy will increase to two subs per year. The repair work will also be reduced as the Navy directs more work to its own shipyards and increases the time between maintenance periods.
In anticipation of these changes, EB will be hiring 300 – 400 people, says John, while laying off 300 – 400 people. The layoffs will affect the construction and repair workers while the company hires more engineers and designers. “Until we get to two ships a year, we’ll have to adjust to that level. We have some challenges to work through.”
John Casey commended EB employees, stating, “They do some great things including donating $2M of their own money to United Way of Southeastern Connecticut.” They also donated both their time and money to other charities, including Breast Cancer Awareness $10,000, Heart Association $60,000, Robotics, U.S. Troop Support with 8,050 care packages shipped to troops in 2009, and others. “They do this because they care.”
Health and Wellness initiatives are an important part of the company’s corporate culture. Blood Pressure and wellness screenings will continue on site and the BIG news is, “since January 2010, EB is tobacco-free.” EB will open its own Groton pharmacy in 2010, offering savings and convenience to employees.
Breaking News – EB Distributes Layoff Notices
Electric Boat notified 434 employees that they will be laid off as the company adjusts to a downturn in its work load on January 29th.
As was announced earlier this month at a briefing for senior elected and appointed officials from Southeastern CT, the layoffs affect hourly production and production-support workers at the Groton shipyard. The laid-off employees will receive a 60-day notification period before their jobs actually end in April.
Blues legend, Professor Harp recently performed locally in Downtown Mystic at the Ancient Mariner.
by Christopher Annino
Born in Boston, Hugh Holms, otherwise known as Professor Harp, began his music career as a rock and roll drummer at an early age. “I got introduced to the Blues when I was a young man. During that time I was in search of my roots and having blues being the root of rock and roll I was automatically turned on to its deep soul tradition,” said Professor Harp. His inspiration was harmonica legend George Allen “Harmonica” Smith who lured him away from drums to the blues harp.
Professor Harp was young and eager to learn so in the spring of 1975, he got a chance to see one of the founding fathers of the Blues – Muddy Waters – perform in Boston. In the middle of one of the sets, Muddy was in need of a harmonica player. Out of desperation, Muddy asked the audience if there was anyone who knew how to play the harmonica. Without thinking Professor Harp jumped onto the stage, reached into a bag of harmonicas, miraculously grabbing the one in the correct key and began to jam with Muddy.
From that day on, Professor Harp enjoyed an open invitation to perform with the Blues legend. “As a pupil of the Muddy Waters School of the Blues, it was a real privilege how he mentored me and helped me polish my craft,” said Harp.
Since then, Professor Harp toured the world, performed with members of “Roomful of Blues” Solomon Burke and Pete Best and played live on NBC’s Today Show. Professor Harp tours throughout the Rhode Island and Connecticut area, often and recently, performed locally in Downtown Mystic at the Ancient Mariner. Professor Harp is also working on a new solo-CD. For more information visit www.professorharp.com.
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage donated a total of $25,000 to local food banks. The company’s executive management team (l-r) Mike Murray, Nancy MacDonald, Kate Rossi, Mary-Ellyn Vicino, and Brendan Grady.
This year, the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in CT and Westchester County, N.Y., donated a total of $25,000 to a variety of food banks throughout the state, including Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Connecticut Food Bank, Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Inc., Food Pantry at Christian Community Action, Foodshare, Inc. and Neighbor to Neighbor.
Funds donated by the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares Foundation will help these important community-based programs provide nourishment to those in need. Donations were made to nonprofit agencies serving the communities where Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has a presence.
“In these difficult economic times, a greater number of people are seeking assistance. We are pleased to help the good works of these organizations in this time of need,” said Kate Rossi, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in CT and Westchester County, N.Y.
The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares Foundation is supported by the local sales associates and staff of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Through regular donations and fundraising events, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales associates and staff are able to make a positive impact on the cities and towns throughout CT.
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares Foundation is a non-profit organization operated by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage for the purpose of raising funds to provide help and assistance to the communities in which they serve, with a focus on providing shelter, particularly to children and families.
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a leading residential real estate brokerage company in CT and Westchester, N.Y., operates nearly 50 offices with more than 2,000 sales associates serving the communities of CT and Westchester County, N.Y. For more information, please visit www.ColdwellBankerMoves.com.
In his book, “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa: But Resident above Sixty Years in the United States of America, Related by Himself,” former slave Venture Smith shares, “I am now 69 years old. Though once straight and tall, measuring without shoes six feet, and every way well proportioned, I am now bowed down with age and hardship. But amidst all my griefs and pains, I have many consolations; Meg, the wife of my youth, whom I married for love and bought with money, is still alive. My freedom is a privilege which nothing else can equal. I am now possessed of more than 100 acres of land, and three houses. It gives me joy to think that I have and that I deserve so good a character.”
by Crystal Harpstreit
In 1736, an eight year old boy is captured in Africa along with hundreds of others and sent across the Atlantic in a terrifying journey to America to be sold as a slave. Venture Smith, then known as Broteer Furro, moved from the shadows of obscurity to being an integral link between the history of slavery in western Africa and New England. His life is the best documented out of the countless individuals who were forced to cross the Atlantic and into a life of slavery.
It is known that he was from western Africa, probably somewhere in Ghana, Togo or Benin. After his capture by an unnamed enemy army, Venture was sent to the famous slave castles in Ghana. Later, he was put on a Rhode Island slave ship and sent across the Atlantic with 260 others, many of whom did not survive the journey.
“After an ordinary passage, except great mortality by the small pox, which broke out on board, we arrived at the island of Barbadoes, but when we reached it, there were found out of the two hundred and sixty that sailed from Africa, not more than two hundred alive,” states Venture in “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa: But Resident above Sixty Years in the United States of America, Related by Himself.”
After Barbados, Venture landed in New York, and then moved on to finally settle in Connecticut. Researchers, including Chandler Saint, president, The Beecher House Center for the Study of Equal Rights, hope to make a place in history for the Venture Smith sites in the Stonington area and in Haddam Neck where Venture had a farm with his family after he was freed.
“There is an application pending to make the Venture Smith sites world heritage sites,” stated Chandler. This will create a tangible link between Ghana, where the slave castles remain; these are already recognized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as world heritage sites. Archeological research will begin this summer in the Stonington area where Venture once lived.
Always determined and a hard worker, Venture took on odd jobs in the years that he was owned by Oliver Smith, eventually earning enough money to buy his and his family’s freedom. Although historians are unsure whether Venture could read and write, the narrative of his life may indicate that he could. Chandler believes that his narrative was probably written by Venture himself, saying, “These are his words,” and that he was, “Clearly a very bright guy.”
Venture was capable of complex real estate deals and getting the most for himself.
The book was written right before Venture died at the age of 69 at his home in Connecticut. The fact that Venture describes real places in his narrative makes him one of the best documented former slaves.
In “A Narrative,” Venture recounts a trek across an unnamed desert region in Africa after his mother became enraged when his father took on a third wife without her permission. She brought the children, including Venture across unnamed countries, finally stopping at a rich farmer’s house where she left the young Venture. He stayed there for about a year until his mother returned and took him home.
After six months of living with his parents, an enemy Tribe invaded and took Venture prisoner along with hundreds of others. The enemy Tribe took them on a long march to the sea. Another Tribe attacked and captured Venture and the others a second time, destined to be sold into slavery.
Venture also tells how he was originally bought and got his English name, “I was bought on board by one Robertson Mumford, steward of said vessel, for four gallons of rum, and a piece of calico, and called Venture on account of his having purchased me with his own private venture.”
Venture is described as an extremely intelligent and strong man. In fact, he was known in town for his strength and height, Chandler mentioned, “He was a bit of a legend around town.” For the time, Venture was very tall, measuring 6 feet 1½ inches tall, at this time in history an average white male stood around 5 feet 8 inches tall and African slaves were around 2 inches shorter than that.
His noted strength and size could be one of the main reasons why Oliver Smith decided to buy him. At the time of the sale, Oliver was building a home for his wife and their first child and needed as much help as he could get. By having a slave do the job instead of hiring free workers, Oliver would be able to save money on the project. Chandler noted that, “Oliver was his own general contractor.”
It seems that Oliver Smith was not viewed as the worst of owners and it can be noted that some third generation ancestors of Venture’s even named one of their sons Oliver Smith. “There was probably some kind of agreement between the two,” says Chandler, where Oliver allowed Venture to work and save money when he was not needed on Oliver’s property.
Some may wonder why Venture Smith decided to keep the name that he was given upon being sold into slavery. Once Venture was free he could have gone back to the name that he was given by his parents. Though the answer will never be clear, Chandler says that it can be noted that Venture, “Reinvented himself,” with this name.
Venture had an extensive knowledge of boat building and had worked on a whaling vessel, so it is highly probable that he could have built his own boat and sailed back to Africa with his family, had he wanted to. However, Chandler says that, “Venture was one of the first to identify himself as an African-American and could have changed his name back, but did not.”
