O&G celebrates retirees with annual picnic

TORRINGTON — O&G Industries, Torrington, held it annual retiree picnic on Saturday.

A total of 190 people attended, combining for more than 2,800 years of service.

O&G is one of the Northeast’s leading providers of construction services and products, according to its website. “For over 90 years, O&G has completed some of the region’s most challenging projects and established ourselves as a leader in our industry - and in the communities in which we live and work. Founded in 1923, O&G has developed an extensive knowledgebase of construction project experience spanning various conditions and environments. We have successfully completed projects in settings ranging from healthcare, where the site must be kept clean, quiet and safe, to major highway interchanges where commuter traffic presents an uncontrollable variable that must be constantly managed,” according to the website.

It is also a community leader, with employees supporting local organizations through donations and volunteerism throughout the year. Learn more at ogind.com.

Savings foundation awards spring grants

TORRINGTON — The Torrington Savings Foundation gave grants totaling $93,880 during the spring grant cycle. The awards sustain the mission of investing in community revitalization through neighborhood renewal and education initiatives, members said.

One such grant for LARC’s Autism Resource Center is critical in providing services and support of children and youth with Autism to prepare for their futures. The center offers programs such as an afterschool club for teenagers and parent/child playgroups for school aged children. Additionally, support provided to Girls with Impact, Inc. will foster career education by way of their Entrepreneurship Academy which provides training and recruitment opportunities to girls in the region.

Community revitalization efforts supported by affordable housing include grants to the Foundation for Norfolk Living for the Haystack Woods neighborhood, the Goshen Housing Trust for revitalization efforts at the Goshen Village Marketplace, Greater Bristol Realty Corp. for Pine Street Affordable Homes, the Falls Village Community Development Corp. to support an affordable rental property on the Bornemann Property, and Litchfield Housing Trust to complete Gagarin Place. Garagin Place will consist of eight environmentally substantiable homes to achieve lower operating costs for homeowners.

For more Foundation updates including application guidelines for non-profit applicants, go to TorringtonSavings.Bank/foundation/

Salisbury Bank announces leadership development graduates

Salisbury Bank announces five recent graduates of their Leadership Development Program. The program was launched in 2019 to provide an opportunity for bank personnel to develop leadership

skills designed to enhance their performance and potential. Areas of focus include initiative, collaboration, accountability, effective communication, and strategy.

“We are incredibly proud of this program and the accomplishments of our first class of graduates,” said Rick Cantele, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Each year, our management team will select a new class of qualified employees who exhibit the drive and enthusiasm to enter this program. The knowledge and skills acquired through this program serve to provide a broader perspective of our Bank’s operation and strategy, which provides value to the participants and to our company. Please join me in congratulating our 2021 graduates.”

The graduates are Kevin Bennett, Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer, Stacey Curtis, Vice President, Branch Administrator and Newburgh Branch Manager, Kim Downey, CTFA, Vice President, Senior Fiduciary Officer, Megan Gawel, Vice President, Retail Operations Officer and Reg O Officer and Amanda Lidstone, CRCM, CAFP, Vice President, Risk Management Officer and Privacy Officer.

Salisbury Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Lakeville, Connecticut and presently operates full service branches in Canaan, Lakeville, Salisbury, and Sharon, Connecticut; Great Barrington, Sheffield, and South Egremont, Massachusetts; as well as Dover Plains, Fishkill, Millerton, New Paltz, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and Red Oaks Mill, New York. The Bank has been serving families and businesses for over 170 years and offers a full range of consumer and business banking products and services as well as trust and investment services.

BD celebrates 60th anniversary of Canaan facility

CANAAN BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) a leading global medical technology company, recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of its manufacturing facility in Canaan, Conn., and recognized the plant for its meaningful contributions to health care readiness and resiliency.

According to a statement, the site began its operations in 1961 with eight employees at a 25,000 sq. ft. facility, which was specifically designed to manufacture the BD® Syringe, the world’s first-ever fully sterile, single-use disposable plastic syringe. This innovation enabled a wide-scale transition to disposable syringes, which reduced the risk of patient-to-patient disease transmission. The site also later began producing safety-engineered syringes and needles that help to protect health care workers from needlestick injuries.

“BD in Canaan has been instrumental in producing the drug delivery devices needed to respond to major health care crises from smallpox to H1N1 and now, enabling the administration of millions of COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. and around the world. Associates at the BD facility in Canaan have a deep commitment and passion to support the health care community in meeting critical needs for vaccination and essential medical supplies, with an average employee tenure of 11 years,” according to the statement. “Today, BD in Canaan continues to be a major supplier of syringes in the U.S. and around the world. As a result of numerous expansions over the years, the site has grown to 385,000 sq. ft. and now employs nearly 450 associates. Operations take place around the clock, producing more than 2 billion medical devices each year that are in sold in every region worldwide.”

State and local officials participated in the recognition virtually to congratulate the Canaan team on this notable milestone and celebrate their continued commitment to improving health care.

Governor Ned Lamont said, “BD has an amazing history and legacy of innovation, and I am incredibly proud that for the last six decades they’ve been manufacturing these life-saving products here in Connecticut. There’s no doubt that the products BD manufactures are responsible for saving lives and improving access to health care for countless people across the globe. Now more than ever, people are recognizing the impact that medical technology companies like BD can have on the world. We are proud to have BD in Connecticut and look forward to many more years of innovation and success here.”