DURHAM – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Tracy Camassar, owner of Durham-based Chapman Manufacturing, will be recognized as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer”. In 2012, Tracy took ownership of Chapman Manufacturing when the company’s previous owner selected her to carry the 79-year-old business into the next generation. In her short time as the owner of Chapman, Tracy has successfully expanded the business and has continued to make positive contributions to Connecticut’s manufacturing industry.

In 1936, Chapman Manufacturing was founded out of the garage of Durham resident, John Chapman. Since then, the manufacturer of tools and tool sets has grown into an internationally recognized brand that serves many industries, such as the medical, dental, automobile, appliance, aerospace, computer imaging, government, and robotic sectors. Their tools have even been used on the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, and by Jay Leno on his antique cars.

Today, Tracy operates Chapman Manufacturing out of a factory that sits just around the corner from the company’s original location in John Chapman’s garage. With the help of her nearly 15 employees – who range in age from recent high school graduates to those with more than 50 years of experience – Tracy and the Chapman team manage to assemble, inspect, and ship thousands of tools and tool kits to customers across the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia each year. But even though Chapman tools are used around the world, Tracy has maintained a commitment to American manufacturing by using only American-made materials to produce Chapman merchandise.

Since taking ownership, Tracy has increased the scale of the company’s growth by streamlining the tool production process and developing a new website where customers can place orders online. Chapman Manufacturing is a Certified Woman Owned Business, and has been twice awarded by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for their green manufacturing processes and restoration of animal habitats located on the factory grounds. Tracy is looking to the future of the company, and has plans to grow the business by manufacturing new tools and bits to complement all of their products.

“In just four short years, Tracy has created new business opportunities in Connecticut and has supported numerous other U.S. companies, all through her commitment to buy American,” said Murphy. “She has accepted the responsibility that so many other manufacturers should, and has promoted Connecticut’s economic growth by making every effort to use local materials. She and Chapman Manufacturing have made meaningful contributions to our state’s manufacturing industry, and I wish her the best of luck as she works to grow the business.”

“As a part of Team Chapman, I am very pleased to be able to continue the tradition of producing quality, American made tools in CT,” said Tracy Camassar, owner of Chapman Manufacturing. “As a company we strive to support our town and our state through local sourcing of supplies and materials and through careful consideration our environment.”

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.