Connecticut
Pratt & Whitney’s Eddy: Connecticut Ecosystem a ‘National Asset’ » CBIA
In its near 100-year history, East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney has become one of the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers.
“Every second of every day, a Pratt & Whitney powered aircraft of some kind is either taking off or landing somewhere in the world,” company president Shane Eddy said at CBIA’s 2024 Economic Summit + Outlook Jan. 18 in Hartford.
“We think about technology, we think about how the engine has evolved, and it’s hard not to be impressed.
“But we think about the technology, there’s an equally important part. Those are the factories, it’s the industrial base that is able to produce technology at that scale.
“And that is something no other country in the world can do.”
Eddy said that’s the core of Pratt & Whitney’s business in Connecticut.
‘National Asset’
And that has led to an entire ecosystem and industrial complex in the state.
“It’s a national asset, what we have here,” said Shane Eddy. “It would take generations to replicate, if it could even be replicated.
“But it’s also fragile, and so we’ve got to keep the conditions strong.”
Pratt & Whitney has 11,000 employees in Connecticut, and the company’s impact includes more than one billion dollars in annual supply chain spending in the state.
Eddy credited the state for implementing, and strengthening fiscal guardrails and providing stability for businesses like Pratt & Whitney.
“All the comments about creating the conditions, not only for Pratt & Whitney to continue investing, but for the ecosystem around Pratt & Whitney and our products, are spot on,” he said.
Navigating Change
Eddy said that from the pandemic, to the wars in Eastern Europe and Israel, a lot has changed in the world in recent years.
And, he said a lot has changed for his company as well.
In April 2020, at the outset of the pandemic, what was then United Technologies spun off Otis Elevators and Carrier and merged with Raytheon, becoming RTX.
“What we ended up with at RTX is the most advanced aerospace and defense system provider there is in the world”
Pratt & Whitney’s Shane Eddy
“It was an interesting time to completely overhaul the company,” Eddy said.
Eddy credited RTX CEO Greg Hayes for leading the transition.
Hayes, who is stepping down in May, will be succeeded by Connecticut native and former Pratt & Whitney president Chris Calio.
“What we ended up with at RTX is the most advanced aerospace and defense system provider there is in the world,” he said.
Investing in the Future
Eddy said that Pratt & Whitney has invested a billion dollars in its factories in Connecticut, and plans to continue that investment.
On the military side, Eddy noted that they are “sole sourced on key fighter mobility, tanker, and bomber programs.”
He highlighted the success of their 5th Generation fighter engines, which power the F-19 and F-35 aircraft with stealth capability.
“This stealth capability is going to be even more important for the next generation fighter,” Eddy said.
“We’re also investing in 6th Generation technology for the next generation fighter for the future.”
Eddy
“So while we’re delivering this at scale, and while we’re upgrading this program, we’re also investing in 6th Generation technology for the next generation fighter for the future.”
Along with the success of the military business, Eddy said the backbone of Pratt & Whitney’s commercial growth will be the growing commercial aviation industry.
The company started delivering the geared turbofan engine in 2016.
“I think it’s safe to say they’re the next generation of single aisle,” said Eddy.
The GTF engines run more efficiently and burn less fuel with lower CO2 emissions, and noise footprint than previous engines.
Sustainability
“When you talk about sustainability, this is our first major step in a number of years,” Eddy said.
“It’s also the engine that brought Pratt & Whitney really strongly back into commercial aviation.”
Eddy said sustainability is a focus for the company moving forward.
Pratt & Whitney joined an industry-wide commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“This is really about scaling the production of sustainable aviation fuel.”
Eddy
While they are developing electric and hybrid engines, Eddy said it’s going to be a while before that is produced at scale.
He said the key to sustainability will be sustainable aviation fuels.
“The total available infrastructure to produce sustainable aviation fuel today is less than one percent of the needs of the industry,” he said.
“So this is really about scaling the production of sustainable aviation fuel.”
Workforce Pipeline
As Pratt & Whitney grows its business in Connecticut, Eddy said the company is investing in its next generation workforce.
“Ensuring that we’ve got the right skills, the knowledge and ability coming into the workforce, I think is incredibly important,” he said.
Eddy said that Pratt & Whitney has developed long-term relationships with organizations like the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology and schools like Goodwin University and UConn to develop that workforce.
He said they’re also having conversations about starting that development for younger students in grade school and high school.
“We’ve got to make sure that that pipeline is full for everybody involved.”
Eddy
Eddy said that it’s a little easier for a company like Pratt & Whitney to fill roles.
But he said their goal is to create an ecosystem that benefits everyone in the Connecticut supply chain.
“There are a lot of medium, and in particular small businesses that are part of this ecosystem,” he said.
“And we’ve got to make sure that that pipeline is full for everybody involved.”
Productivity & Growth
Eddy said that as Pratt & Whitney grows, they are also putting an emphasis on productivity, in part due to inflation.
“How we’re dealing with inflation, both in terms of our people and wage and then in terms of our productivity, I think is incredibly important as we’re addressing this growth.”
Eddy said that to improve productivity, they work with employees to help eliminate waste from their jobs.
“Our job as managers and leaders is to understand from them where there’s waste in their job,” he said.
“The people doing the work know it better than anyone else.”
Eddy
“The people doing the work know it better than anyone else.”
Eddy said about half the work done in their factories has a level of automation to it.
They are also using things like analytics to help them reduce costs.
“We’re dipping our toe, I would say, in the water of machine learning and artificial intelligence,” he said.
“And using that to drive forecasting models, help us make sure we’re getting the right signals out to the supply base.”
BURLINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — A woman is dead after police said she was involved in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer on Friday in Burlington.
According to Connecticut State Police, a Toyota RAV4 and Peterbuilt 386 tractor-trailer collided head-on on Route 4 near Punch Brook Road at around 4:49 p.m. on Friday.
The driver of the Toyota, identified as 64-year-old Mary Christine Ferland of Burlington, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured, according to state police. No one else was in either vehicle at the time of the crash.
The crash is still under investigation by state police, anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Brew at 860-626-7900.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Thursday she is working to “shut down the bureaucracy of education,” telling an audience in New Haven that she wants to diminish federal involvement in schools and give more discretion to states.
Speaking at an event on the campus of Yale University, McMahon defended moves by President Donald Trump’s administration to radically reshape the Department of Education since his return to office.
McMahon said the federal government will continue providing education funding in the future, but direct more of it through block grant programs that empower states to spend the money where it’s most needed.
The approach will help school leaders identify promising programs that can be replicated across the country, McMahon said.
“I want to leave behind, if you will, a toolkit of best practices that you can deliver to states to say, ‘Look, this is what’s working. You might want to give this a try,’” McMahon said.
Her remarks come amid controversial policy shifts in higher education by the Trump administration, including moves to freeze billions in research funding and grants to universities and pressure schools to address antisemitism, crack down on campus protest and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, among other changes.
McMahon, a Greenwich resident and former CEO of Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment, stood by the administration’s tactics, saying the threat of withholding funds is a tool it can use to ensure universities spend money wisely and for the intended purpose.
“The goal is really to make sure that universities are giving equal opportunity across their campuses,” she said.
McMahon’s visit was part of a speaker series organized by the Buckley Institute, which describes itself as an independent nonprofit working to promote intellectual diversity and freedom of speech at Yale.
McMahon served as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She later helped establish Trump’s second administration as co-chair of his transition team, and was confirmed as education secretary last year.
During an appearance that lasted about 45 minutes, McMahon did not address many of the divisive policy changes enacted under her leadership. She said promoting literacy is her top priority, and touted the importance of school choice programs and career and technical education.
McMahon said she visited a community college in Connecticut earlier in the day, and met with the president of Yale during her stop at the school’s campus, which included a visit to Science Hill, the site of a major redevelopment project to support cutting-edge research into physical sciences and engineering.
Responding to a question from the moderator, McMahon also said she discussed so-called grade inflation with Yale’s president.
“One of the things that the university is looking at is to make sure that professors are grading accordingly in their classes, and that there’s not this grade inflation,” she said.
McMahon also briefly addressed recent controversy around a planned visit to an elementary school in Fairfield. Just hours after the event was announced, Fairfield Public Schools told families it was canceled due to community backlash.
McMahon said the event was planned as part of her nationwide “History Rocks!” tour, which celebrates the country’s 250th anniversary. Events typically include trivia games focused on history and civics that don’t have a partisan slant, she said.
“These are really feel-good programs of assembly,” she said, “and when you get that pushback from parents who are saying no this is going to be partisan … it’s really a minority of a few loud voices that are just calling … to maybe just make a statement of their own.”
McMahon has run unsuccessfully as a Republican for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. In 2009, she served for one year on the Connecticut Board of Education, appointed by then-Gov. Jodi Rell, a Republican. She has also served on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
Responding to another question, McMahon reflected on how her time as a wrestling industry executive prepared her for her current role. She joked that she can “give you a mean body slam,” then said on a more serious note she benefitted throughout her life by always being open to new opportunities.
She stressed the importance of having university programs that teach older workers new skills.
“How great is it that we have these opportunities to go in a different direction?” McMahon said. “Just be wide open. Don’t think that you’re limited in your opportunity to do things. Be willing to take it on.”
This story was first published April 16, 2026 by Connecticut Public.
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