‘Such a great idea’
State could launch a Conn.-Ireland trade commission
About 3,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean separate Connecticut and Ireland. But it is an expanse that many companies are willing to cross to seek new opportunities.
Pointing to the growing number of transatlantic connections, some business leaders and elected officials are pushing for passage of a bill in the General Assembly that would establish a commission focused on trade between Connecticut and Ireland. With business boosted by recently restored flights between the Hartford area and Dublin, proponents of the legislation argue that now is the time to capitalize on both sides of the ocean.
“Why I think a trade commission is such a great idea is because if there’s a bit of weight behind us, there are potentially lots of businesses, not just in Ireland, but in other parts of Europe, that could come in and use Connecticut as a foothold in the U.S.,” said Andy Mackin, founder and CEO of Mackin Group, in a remotely held interview this week from his company’s headquarters in Cork, Ireland. The human-resources business, Mackin Talent, has an office in Hartford.
Support for a new trade commission
Among the bill’s backers is Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk. In his testimony during a March 5 Commerce Committee public hearing, he noted that the commission would not require any state funds because it would fundraise through “direct solicitation, or other fundraising events, as well as through gifts, grants and requests.”
“This commission will provide nothing but a benefit to the state,” Duff said. “It will strengthen our international ties and enhance trade, and strengthen our economy without requiring the state to spend a cent.”
Duff also noted the establishment of the New Jersey-Ireland Trade Commission, which was created after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last June signed supporting legislation.
Mark Daly, a senator in Ireland’s national legislature, also endorsed the bill.
“One of the few benefits of Brexit is Ireland is now the largest English-speaking country left in the European Union,” Daly said, during remote testimony during the hearing. “And we are the gateway to a market of 450
million people (throughout the E.U.). Proof of that is there are 950 U.S. companies using Ireland as their access-way to the E.U. market.”
Written testimony submitted
in recent weeks to the state legislature’s Commerce Committee also shows the extent of support for the bill, SB248.
“Connecticut and Ireland share a deep-rooted foundation in innovation, life sciences, green energy, academia,” wrote the Ireland-Connecticut Business Council, which has more than 350 members, including the Mackin Group, in its testimony submitted to the committee. “And together with this commission, we will see continued advances and expansion in these high-growth sectors that will benefit generations for many years” as the new trade commission would lead to “further cooperation and innovation with one of Europe’s strongest performing economies.”
The Commerce Committee has not voted on the bill, but a number of committee members appeared receptive to the proposal. State legislative leaders and Connecticut’s governor would appoint the commission’s members, who would submit their first report to the
General Assembly by Feb. 1, 2026, according to the bill.
“Ireland has really reinvented itself on many fronts,” said state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-Waterbury, the committee’s Senate chairwoman. “We are very grateful to try to leverage and raise this working relationship.”
‘Connecticut was definitely more competitive’
While a new trade commission would bolster transatlantic trade, business will likely keep growing anyway between Connecticut and Ireland, which last year, had estimated populations of about 3.6 million and approximately 5.3 million, respectively.
Mackin said that while the effects of the pandemic have complicated hiring efforts in Connecticut, where Mackin Talent has operated since 2020, his company still plans to add employees in the state. Mackin Talent now has one employee who works full-time at the Hartford office, and two employees who work remotely out of that office, which is the business’ sole location in the northeast. About 800 miles southwest, Mackin Talent
also has an office in Rutherfordton, N.C.
“New York and Boston are extremely high cost in terms of setup of office space and all that stuff,” Mackin said. “Connecticut was definitely more competitive. We had easy access to both cities on the train-and-road network. We just felt that Hartford would be a good place to set up shop in the northeast region.”
Other signs of the everstrengthening ties between Connecticut and Ireland include the resumption in March 2023 of Aer Lingus’ direct route between Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and Dublin Airport. The airline had suspended flights between Connecticut’s flagship airport and the Irish capital since March 2020, as a result of the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With Bradley, we can go directly there,” Mackin said of Hartford. “It’s, literally, jump in a cab (from Bradley), you’re at your hotel in 20 minutes. It just makes it so much easier for doing business. It’s been really appreciated and welcomed that that route came back.”
State funding is supporting
the Aer Lingus route, which offers the only nonstop service between Bradley and a European city. After missing certain revenue goals for the route, Aer Lingus has received since 2018 a total of about $11.9 million in state grants for revenue guarantees, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
The state’s strong connections to Ireland have encouraged a number of Connecticutbased companies to pursue expansions there.
“We have been actively trying to export our StanChem and Albi products to the E.U., and Ireland will likely be our gateway location to warehouse products for sale across the E.U. and Great Britain,” Paul Stenson, CEO and president of StanChem Resins and Albi Protective Coatings, which are based in Berlin, said in written testimony, in support of the bill. “Ireland is a very convenient location for Connecticut businesses to expand to because of language and cultural connections between the two regions. Ireland’s easy access to both Great Britain and the E.U. market is a significant advantage.”