Page 18 - Stuff Made and Built in Delaware 2020

EXPERTS SEE POTENTIAL FOR A BRIGHT POST-COVID FUTURE
Demand for new talent in key sectors is set to continue
BY TINA IRGANG LEADERMAN
B efore the onset of the COVID pandemic, manufacturing,
construction, health care and financial services all were pillars of growth for Delaware’s economy. While the pandemic has resulted in uncertain times for employers across the board, experts are optimistic for future growth and hiring in these four sectors.
The Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) is a nonprofit tasked by the
state with helping companies expand in and relocate to Delaware. In 2019, DPP’s pipeline of projects expanded considerably, and as of last December, DPP was working on 63 active projects, with the potential for more than 5,000 new jobs.
Now, even with the impact of the pandemic, the number of projects has grown to 64 as of June 30. So far in 2020, DPP has successfully located eight projects in Delaware, accounting for 1,479 planned new jobs and $315.9 million in planned capital investment, according to Michele Schiavoni, DPP’s director of external relations and marketing.
While the shape of the post-COVID world is still emerging, several experts believe Delaware has the potential to be just what companies in key sectors might be looking for in a new location.
“We’re a less densely populated state, yet we have easy commuter access to a significant portion of the country’s population,” says Bryon Short, executive vice president of the Delaware Contractors Association. That “could put Delaware in a sweet spot.”
Below is a breakdown of what the experts are projecting for future growth and hiring in the key sectors of manufacturing, construction, financial services and health care.
Manufacturing
Like most employers, manufacturers faced some novel challenges during the coronavirus outbreak, especially relating to disruptions in the supply chain. But the pandemic has also
been an opportunity for Delaware’s manufacturers to prove their resilience and flexibility in the face of changing times, says Michael Quaranta, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of managers at the Delaware Manufacturing Association.
“Most manufacturers continued
to operate during the COVID-19 shutdowns, because many of them were deemed essential,” he says. “They
also pivoted to producing things we’re desperately in need of. Painted Stave Distilling started making hand sanitizer. ... It’s no small feat if you think about it.”
Painted Stave and Dogfish Head Brewing, he adds, each “basically stood up an entirely new production line to use alcohol to make sanitizer and then fill different containers, and they did this in an incredibly short time.”
Post-COVID market shifts also could work out well for manufacturers,
says Kurt Foreman, DPP’s president and CEO. For example, given the disruptions in the global supply chain caused by the pandemic, “companies will be thinking differently about where or how many places they want to source products and components,” he says. “That bodes well for the U.S., the Mid-Atlantic and for Delaware.”
Construction
Much like manufacturers, construction businesses continued to operate during the pandemic. While there have been some slowdowns in private-sector work in recent months, “on the public project front, our work has continued, and highway work
in particular has been strong,” says Short.
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