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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m O c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 11 or brass, using giant presses. And electronic bells have completely changed the nature and size of the business, leaving us as the last remaining bell manufacturer in the U.S. We make probably 50 different styles and sizes of bells, but many are now used for very different purposes. While we still sell cowbells to farmers, the vast majority of our cowbells feature logos and are used for cheering at events or as souvenirs. Our doorbell business is completely gone, as a result of the electronic version. We still sell a massive volume of sleigh bells: ey are largely decorative now, yet some are still 'working.' For example, our largest sleigh bell customer is Poochie Bells, a strap of bells a dog uses to signal he wants to go outside. Is there a use for a bell that might surprise us? M E E T T H E M A K E R We recently worked with a magician to create a magic bell. It rings when he uses it, but no one else can make it ring. I'd tell you more but — well, it's magic. The company's historic factory burned down in 2012. How was Bevin Bells able to survive and move forward? e fire was a devastating blow to the factory and to the town [East Hamptom]. We could not imagine a world without Bevin Bells. When your town nickname is Belltown and your high school mascot is the Bell Ringer, you realize how much this business is a part of the fabric of the town. e town and sur- rounding communities really pulled together to help us stay in business. It is always amazing and always heartwarming how small towns really rally around those in need. We had help coming from every di- rection and it was hugely gratifying to see how important this was to everyone around. So that help, cou- pled with the resources that Matt Bevin was able to bring in, allowed us to get up and running within weeks of the fire. What do you personally hear when you ring a Bevin Bell? When you work so closely with bells, every ring elicits a different response and different thought. Perhaps my favorite is the sound of our It's a Wonderful Life bell because it's just such a beautiful tin- kling sound like the movie. But I do love the commanding sound of our boxing bell that is so loud it's almost shocking. I love to ring that at trade shows and get a lot of attention! In a business that's an anachronism, what do you see when you look to the future? I like to think there is a very bright future for bells and for Bevin Brothers. As the only U.S. manufacturer, our Made in the U.S.A. status is very compelling to customers. And we are constantly working with more organiza- tions to expand current uses and opening new channels. While I technically don't have a specific title at the company, I like to think of myself as Chief Growth Officer. Keeping the company growing, vibrant and profitable — taking care to have it here six more gen- erations from now! n P I M P M Y R I D E A Rare Bird That Really Flies O ne of the things Chris Monk likes the most about his 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe is its distinctiveness. "ere really are very few of these on the road," he says. Developed during the brief shotgun marriage between Chrysler and corporate savior Daimler, the two-seat coupe was built by German coachbuilder Karmann for the model years 2004-08. Fewer than 2,500 of the model Monk drives le the factory. e other thing he likes? "It's just a really fast car without much technology," he says. What he likes best of all about his Crossfire, though, is what's under the hood: an AMG hand- tuned, supercharged 3.2-liter V6 that delivers 349 horsepower and 332 .-lbs. of torque. Monk acquired the roadster in 2012 for $16,000 with fewer than 30,000 miles on the odometer. (e SRT- 6's MSRP in 2005 was $49,370.) e Crossfire is a hybrid of Mercedes-Benz hardware and Chrysler design. e two-seater is based on the Mercedes-Benz R170 platform and shares 80 percent of its components with the first- generation M-B SLK. e Crossfire was conceived as Chrysler's answer to Audi's highly successful TT Coupe series as well as Nissan's 350Z. Monk divides his time between Stratford and Shanghai, China, where he works as a senior commercial real-estate consultant for Asia Pacific Properties, a global real estate and corporate relocation firm headquartered in Hong Kong. "If you don't see many Crossfires in Connecticut, you really don't see them in the People's Republic," Monk notes. en there's the panache factor. e Crossfire evokes an almost Art Deco sensibility in a 21st-century package — "well appointed but not flashy," Monk says. But not so 21st-century that technology eclipses the actual driving experience. "When you're on the open road and let it loose, you really connect with the car and the driving Chris Monk and his 2005 Chrysler Crossdfire coupe: Less technology, more horsepower. experience," Monk says. "It feels like you're actually driving — not like being in a computer with wheels." n Thanks to a Bevin bell, Clarence got his wings.

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