IVORYTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that The L.C. Doane Company, a woman-owned small business based in Ivoryton, is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Murphy hosted L.C. Doane, among other Connecticut manufacturers, for a press conference earlier today at the LOB in Hartford to celebrate U.S. Senate passage of Murphy’s Buy American amendment to support the state’s local manufacturing businesses and domestic manufacturing base. L.C. Doane – a designer and manufacturer of heavy duty lighting equipment for marine, healthcare, security, industrial, correctional, and institutional use – was founded in 1947 out of Essex, Connecticut, where it operated for more than five decades . In 2004, the manufacturer moved to a 150,000 square foot facility in Ivoryton, Connecticut, where they have been located ever since.

L.C. Doane makes valuable contributions to America’s defense manufacturing industry and prioritizes efforts to support their local community. With the help of their 82 hardworking and skilled Connecticut-based employees, L.C. Doane manufactures United States Military Standard lighting for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Navy currently uses L.C. Doane products on all of their combatants, including the Ford-class carrier currently under construction, and the future Ohio Replacement Program – which is scheduled to be built at Groton, Connecticut's Electric Boat – will feature L.C. Doane’s LED lights.

“The dedicated Connecticut workers at L.C. Doane manufacture some of the most durable and reliable lighting units, making it easier for our men and women in uniform to perform their most sensitive missions," Murphy said. "During my visit with the L.C. Doane team at their facility in Ivoryton last year, it became clear to me that this company is a prime example of the critical role that American manufacturing plays in supporting our national security interests and our local communities. It's about time the U.S. Government 'Buys American' and prioritizes the purchase of quality goods made right here at home. I'm excited to see the new Buy American standards set forth through my amendment benefit Connecticut's leading manufacturers, including L.C. Doane.”

Bill Psillos, Vice President of The L.C. Doane Company, said, "It gives us great pleasure to be manufacturing our lighting fixtures for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard here in our Ivoryton facility. We are very proud of the work we do, and I am grateful to all of our employees, many of whom have been with us for a long time, for their dedication and hard work."

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.