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Leila Hawken
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BD’s disposable syringe has been selected as one of 16 products competing in the CBIA’s 2026 “Coolest Things Made in Connecticut” contest.
Provided by BD
“The BD Syringe, like all 16 products in this year’s competition, was nominated because it represents the ingenuity and innovation of Connecticut’s manufacturing industry,” said Chris DiPentima, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA). “Since they started producing it in Canaan more than six decades ago, the BD Syringe has helped millions of patients worldwide and transformed the healthcare industry.”
The nomination also spotlights the Northwest Corner’s largest employer and its 385,000-square-foot North Canaan manufacturing facility, where syringes that have shaped healthcare for generations are produced.
“This nomination is an honor and a chance to shine a light on the role our team plays in the Canaan community and around the globe,” said Ahmad Warraich, plant manager at BD’s North Canaan operation.
“BD Syringes made in Canaan have supported billions of patients worldwide,” Warraich said. “Our team knows every syringe they make may help a neighbor or a loved one. We’re proud to keep this spirit of innovation going in Connecticut.”
BD spokesperson Alyssa Kretlow said the company is “thrilled” aboutits North Canaan plant’s recognition in the CBIA’s “Coolest Things” competition. “Nominations came from the public and business leaders across the state, so it’s especially meaningful to know our Canaan team’s work was recognized in that way.”
The syringes produced at BD’s Connecticut plant support patient care in more than 70 countries, she said. They have also played a role in some of the world’s most significant public health initiatives, including smallpox eradication efforts, H1N1 vaccination campaigns, and supplying approximately half of the global demand for syringes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The disposable BD Syringe transformed modern healthcare by replacing reusable glass syringes with sterile, single-use devices that dramatically reduced the risk of cross-contamination while improving patient safety, according to company officials. Today, it remains one of the world’s most widely used medical devices.
The disposable BD Syringe transformed modern healthcare by replacing reusable glass syringes with sterile, single-use devices. Provided by BD
A manufacturing legacy
Previous editions of the contest have featured products from manufacturers across Connecticut, from major aerospace and industrial firms to small food and consumer goods producers.
In the inaugural competition in 2024, Electric Boat’s Virginia-class submarine captured the title of Connecticut’s Coolest Thing Made. Last year’s winner was Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense of Simsbury for its Frangible Joint.
Public voting opens Aug. 20 at cbia.com/coolest-thing.
The recognition comes during another milestone year for BD. On July 9, TIME named the company to its annual list of America’s Best Companies.
CBIA spokesman Scott Beaulieu acknowledged the region’s recognition.
“BD is the first manufacturer from the Northwest Corner to be nominated for the competition, but we’re sure not the last,” he said.
There’s no place like home...for a landing. The hot air balloon was originally scheduled to land on Salmon Kill Road, but the winds had other plans.
H.L. Aller
“It came out of the blue and was like something from the Wizard of Oz,” Richardson joked. Her partner, H.L. Aller snapped photos while others enjoyed the spectacle.
Lion’s Head Condominiums is a private 28-acre residential community located on Canaan Road in Salisbury.
A hot air balloon makes a surprise landing on the lawn at Lion’s Head Condominiums in Salisbury on Saturday, July 25, drawing residents outside to watch the colorful descent. H.L. Aller
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Residents perform to the commands of Rachel Gall, who helped organize a Colonial-era dance party in Cornwall July 25. A contra group met in Cornwall for about 15 years up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allison Gollenberg
Gall said First Selectman Gordon Ridgway suggested the idea for the dance. She drew on her experience as a fiddler, caller and contra dancer to bring the event to life.
Contra dancing is a type of traditional American folk dance in which a caller, in this case Gall, leads participants through a series of moves known as figures. These sorts of dances have a long history, Gall said, but experienced a strong revival in the 1960s. That’s when her collaborator, Tom Scott, became involved with a dancing group in nearby Sheffield, Massachusetts, which he said has been dancing “right on through from colonial times.”
Rachel Gall, known as the Falls Village Fiddler, led Cornwall residents through contra dancing, a type of traditional American folk dance, at Foote Field July 25.Allison Gollenberg
Scott said there was a contra group that met in Cornwall for about 15 years up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gall and Scott said they’d love to bring the activity back to the area.
“We’re having a problem getting new dancers,” Scott said. “The older ones are getting older, dropping out. And the new generation coming up doesn’t seem to be as excited about going out and dancing. Which is too bad. It’s a lot of fun.”
Scott added that he met his wife at a contra dancing event. Gall said connection is the whole point of the activity.
“It’s a very social dance,” she said. “I always say that all of you grandparents and ancestors did this and that’s why you’re here – because somebody went up to dance with somebody else.”
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