Stanley Black & Decker CEO and President James Loree is one of the state’s top corporate executives who in recent years has become a leading voice in trying to improve Connecticut’s business environment.
Since taking over the New Britain hand- and power-tools maker’s top job in 2016, Loree has inserted himself directly into state government’s affairs.
In 2017, he joined the CEO-led Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, which proposed major reforms aimed at jump-starting Connecticut’s economy, including an overhaul of the state tax code.
He’s also on the board of AdvanceCT, a nonprofit organization focused on recruiting and keeping businesses in the state. Most recently he was appointed to Gov. Ned Lamont’s Governor’s Workforce Council, which is trying to ensure Connecticut has a highly-educated workforce that employers need and want.
The company made a splash in 2018 when it opened a technology and research center in downtown Hartford and helped launch the Stanley+Techstars Additive Manufacturing Accelerator on-site to groom global startups.
Stanley Black & Decker recently wrapped up two significant acquisitions of lawnmower maker MTD and turf-care equipment firm Excel Industries. It also announced some recent layoffs, a result of supply chain and wage growth pressures experienced by many companies, Stanley officials said.