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Local Voices

Concentric Tool & Manufacturing Co., Inc. Receives 2014 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award

Concentric Tool and Manufacturing Co., Inc., in Waterbury and Naugatuck, Conn. is recipient of The Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Small Business Council’s highly-prestigious 2014 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award. The award was formally presented January 30th to Concentric Tool and Manufacturing Co., Inc. President Klaus Babiarz in recognition of the company’s achievement and excellence as a small business. Currently in its 42nd year of business in the metal working and machining industry, Concentric Tool was founded in 1972 by Klaus J. Babiarz, and continues to be family-owned and operated by his son, Klaus D. Babiarz. “My father founded this company as a small, one-man operation. He created this business on the premise that customer satisfaction is our #1 priority and today this company employs 17 dedicated people who share in my father’s ambition and passion for precision and success.”  

Recognized as a Connecticut-based leader in small and large run component manufacturing, Concentric Tool specializes in manufacturing machined components that are used nationwide in the aerospace, medical, commercial hardware, electronics, defense/military and private industry arenas. The company’s success has been so notable that in addition to their 7,000 square foot national headquarters on South Leonard Street in Waterbury, they lease 5,000 additional square feet from Pisani Steel at 360 Prospect Street in Naugatuck, all with the ambition to better serve their customer’s needs.

Concentric Tool and Manufacturing Co., Inc.’s exceptional achievements are being publicly celebrated with their receipt of the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s 2014 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award. In business for over four decades, Klaus Babiarz increased the machine shop’s sales in 2012 alone over 15% and profitability nearly 50%. During the January 30th Harold Webster Smith Awards breakfast, Babiarz told the audience of 220 area business leaders that the manufacturing arena’s abrupt halt during the “Great Recession” of 2008 and 2009 was a ‘scary time’. He stated, “It was scary to buy equipment, to do things, and it took a lot for us to even think about growing or doing anything different. But I have a saying, ‘it’s not winning that makes you strong, it’s the struggle to get there." 

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During his award acceptance speech, Babiarz spoke of great appreciation for programs provided by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development in Hartford, and the invaluable guidance provided by Richard Dupont and his staff at Resource Development Associates, LLC in Watertown. “Our business couldn’t be where it is today without these generous programs and people.” 

Babiarz commented that, “In 2013 we almost nearly doubled our profitability by taking advantage of state funding programs which in turn allowed us to increase our staff and add another shift of operation. We were also able to spend over $300,000 to purchase and implement new machinery and state-of-the-art inspection equipment to improve efficiency and quality. That same year we also implemented regularly-scheduled continuous improvement meetings.” Further evidence of Concentric’s success was noted in January of 2014 when the company began offering its staff of 17 employees a new retirement profit-sharing program plus new health care offerings. The company is also registered for ISO 9000 and the current plan will be completed by 2014. 

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Throughout the Greater Waterbury region Concentric works with schools and colleges by teaching students and hiring future skilled workers. Through the Connecticut Workforce, Concentric also helps train new employees for manufacturing firms and speaks at local schools and companies on opportunities in the manufacturing arena. In 2013 Concentric donated considerable labor and resources to restore and rebuild the much-acclaimed Holy Land cross located on a prominent hilltop overlooking Waterbury region and a major east to west interstate highway, Route I-84. 

Lynn Ward, president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber acknowledges Concentric’s significant contributions to the Waterbury community at large, and provided praise for the company’s status as recipient of the Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award. “Harold Webster Smith founded First Federal Savings of Waterbury in 1935 to help people build, and buy homes. He served as CEO until 1937 and chairman of the board until 1995 when First Federal was renamed Webster Bank in his honor. Today Webster Bank is the largest financial service organization in New England.

Each year our Chamber takes pride in honoring small business leaders who, like Mr. Smith, have the vision to expand, diversify, and prosper. In honor of Mr. Smith’s legacy and small business inspiration, we are very pleased to recognize small companies and entrepreneurs such as Concentric Tool who share his passion for business development and his commitment to positive economic progress of the Waterbury region. Throughout his career, Harold Webster Smith served as an inspiration for countless small businesses. We are very pleased to recognize companies like Concentric Tool and Manufacturing, Inc. that share his ideals.”

To learn more about Concentric, visit, www.concentrictoolmfg.com or contact president Klaus Babiarz or office manager Jeff Cyr at 203-756-9145.

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