Haverhill, MA Edwards Vacuum, in collaboration with Marwick Associates, Equity Industrial Partners and Dacon, broke ground on the new 135,000 s/f manufacturing center of excellence. Specializing in technical products that utilize cryogenics for semiconductor manufacturing, chemical, life science, solar and R&D sectors, Edwards is currently hiring for 110 roles to staff the new facility spanning mechanical assemblers to engineers and scientists across various domains. The architectural design for this LEED facility is centered on four functional domains of manufacturing, labs, executive offices and warehousing. It is anticipated to open in the summer of 2022.

To mark the event, Edwards, Marwick, EIP and Dacon partnered with the literacy collaborative Haverhill Promise to fund the city’s first STEM literacy program earmarked at $20,000. Beginning next summer, children ages 5-10 will experience 30 events in which they are fed lunch, conduct a science experiment and are given a relevant book to take home. During the school year, children serviced by food pantries and after school programs will receive book bags with STEM-related experiments to build at home. A total of 850 children will be touched by this program, with the end goal of every child having their own at-home library.

“Research shows us that if children are not proficient readers by grade 3 it can have devastating effects not only in their ability to succeed in school, but also life-long earning potential and overall health and well-being. Our goal is to change that trajectory,” said Jenny Arndt, program director. And it is working. Just three years old, Haverhill Promise is one of only five literacy organizations in Massachusetts to win the coveted Bright Spot Community status by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

“Haverhill is an optimal choice for several reasons. Whereas most businesses tend to focus on ROI, Edwards focuses on cultural and human attributes. Haverhill offers diversity in both talent and culture with a strong sense of community. For this reason, we were attracted to building a STEM literacy program. We are excited that 850 children will be fed lunch while their minds are fed science and will be given books to take home. We believe this to be one of the few, if not only, STEM literacy programs in the state and hope that it will become the model for other communities. These are the future technologists who will be developing products at Edwards,” said Debbora Ahlgren, general manager of Edwards Vacuum.

Lauren Nowicki, creator of the program and chief communications officer for Dacon said, “We are not only creating the foundations of a building, but are building foundations for life.”