§ 191. Establishment and purposes. 1. The commissioner is hereby authorized and directed to establish an industrial effectiveness program within the department for the purposes specified in this section. The commissioner shall appoint such employees as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this article, including professional staff with demonstrated expertise in private industrial management and operations. 2. The purposes of the industrial effectiveness program shall be:(a) to assist industrial firms with the introduction of improved management and labor practices and production processes in order to enhance their productivity and competitiveness;
(b) to aid in the development of new markets and ownership structures in order to improve the long-term viability of industrial firms;
(c) to identify and assist industrial firms that are, or are likely to be, in severe financial difficulty;
(d) to develop strategies for mobilizing state and community resources to respond to the needs of distressed industrial firms and to manufacturing plant closings and partial closings; and
(e) to assist industrial firms in obtaining financing from publicly sponsored financing assistance programs and from private lending institutions.
