NEWARK, NJ, Dec 17, 2019 – New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) President, Donald H. Sebastian and NJII Board Members, Dean Paranicas, Michele Siekerka and Debbie Hart have been named to the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 for 2019.
In the latter half of the 20 century, as U.S. manufacturing declined, so too did industry in New Jersey. However, the plants and assembly lines remain and the demand for new products and the productivity gains afforded by modern equipment are fueling a revitalization of the manufacturing industries. Those honored by being named to the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 are the men and women who have been, and will continue to be, responsible for maintaining and expanding the skilled workforce necessary for a strong Garden State manufacturing sector.
NJII President Don Sebastian stated, “I’m proud to have been named to the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 for 2019 and I congratulate our NJII Board Members Dean Paranicas, president and chief executive officer of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey; Michele Siekerka, CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and Debbie Hart, founding president and CEO of BioNJ for being honored for their contributions. All of us at NJII are dedicated to ensuring a bright future for those entering the manufacturing industries here in New Jersey. The introduction of new NJII workforce training and apprenticeship programs are evidence of our ongoing commitment to restore our state to a leadership role in manufacturing.”
Sebastian continued, “As an NJIT corporation, we are the beneficiaries of its heritage in supporting the manufacturing sector. In 1990, NJIT was awarded the Center for Manufacturing Systems, a NJ Commission of Science & Technologies Advanced Technology Center. In 1995, NJIT successfully competed on behalf of the State of New Jersey for a NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership award. That award formed the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program and we are pleased to see John Kennedy, its current CEO also recognized on the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 list. Today NJIT boasts one of the state’s largest makerspaces, a newly christened micro-fabrication center and NJII’s new cell and gene therapy labs all of which provide pilot manufacturing capacity supporting regional innovation.”
A complete list of honorees can be found at: