Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • December 17, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Reporter's Notebook Gregory Seay | gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Real Estate, Economic Development/Construction, Banking & Finance and Manufacturing MANUFACTURING How a fire sparked Yankee Casting's 'rebirth' U sually, a devastat- ing fire is enough of an emotional episode for a household, exposing gaps in recovery plans for a family to get back on its feet. But when a fire destroys the bulk of the assets of a family business, the emo- tional stakes aren't the only things that intensify. There's the financial toll, too. That was the case for two generations of the Vecchari- elli family, co-owners/ex- ecutives at Enfield foundry Yankee Casting Co. Found- ed in 1961, by the family pa- triarch, Yankee today makes aerospace, automotive and other industrial parts from aluminum, bronze and magnesium castings. On March 8, 2016, amid fallout from a fire that could have proven the end of the line for the multi-generation firm, the Vecchiarellis laid the founda- tion for seizing an opportunity at that fateful moment to re-cast their $6 million-a-year foundry and come back even stronger than before. They also chose to stay in Connecticut. "It was a rebirth for us,'' said second- generation Yankee Vice President Brian Vecchiarelli, whose son, Nick, is the company's foundry foreman. In all, six Vecchiarelli siblings work there, including sister Madaline Vecchiarelli, who is the office manager. His cousin, CEO Kevin Vecchiarelli, another grandson of Yankee's late founder, Albert Vecchiarelli, says he can still clearly remember the mas- sive orange glow from the fire that all but obliterated 12 of the 13 build- ings that comprised the company's foundry facilities at 243 Shaker Road. Fatefully, Enfield firefighters had re- sponded earlier in the day to a report of a fire in one of Yankee's buildings where sparks from a welder's torch ignited some ceiling tiles. Apparently, however, some embers reignited later that night, after Yankee staff had gone home. Yankee, which since 1962 has produced aluminum alloy and mag- nesium castings primarily for the aerospace industry, had a disaster- recovery plan, "but it wasn't nearly as detailed as we're going to make it,'' said Kevin Vecchiarelli. The CEO pegs the insured loss from the blaze at $2 million. How- ever, Yankee's overall cost to rebuild and replace what insurance did not boosted the overall cost of the fire to $4.5 million, he said. Recovery efforts After the blaze, the Vecchiarellis who work for Yankee quickly crafted an action plan. First up, they said, was relocating as much of their remain- ing usable tools and equipment into the last building standing, housing one of Yankee's two smelters. From there, the Vecchiarellis alert- ed customers, all but one of whom remained with Yankee, and suppli- ers to their disaster. All the while they assured them the company was still active and working feverishly to restore limited production. About half the company's 45 workers were immediately laid off. Neighborly support, too, sped Yankee's recovery, the family said. Camerota Truck Parts, another family operation opened around the same time as Yankee Casting, let Yankee staff access its internet to commu- nicate with customers/suppliers. It also lent Yankee trucks and equip- ment, to salvage and relocate usable tools and equipment to Yankee's lone unscorched building. The town of Enfield, too, stepped up, Kevin Vecchi- arelli said, expediting Yankee's filings for permits to rebuild. In September, Yankee relocated most of its disrupted operations into a newly erected steel shell that encompasses much of the once-burned out shop floor. "The biggest loss was in the memories,'' said Mark Vecchiarelli, 72, a second- generation who is president. "We're back to normal.'' While planning the new building, Kevin Vecchiarelli, a mechanical engineer, took the opportunity to re- configure what previously was a hodgepodge produc- tion line for setting and filling molds, and finishing stations into a cohesive, linear setup that is more efficient than before. Yankee Casting also invested in time-saving tools, like a $400,000, seven-axis robot capable of hoisting and deburring a 200-pound cast engine part for the military's C-130 Hercules cargo plane in about two hours — 45 minutes faster than one worker with a hand-held grinder and a band saw. Customer base As one of only 10 foundries in North America, roughly six of every 10 parts Yankee Casting molds is for orders from Connecticut manufacturers, among them Bloomfield aeroparts maker Birken Manufacturing Co. Many are subcontractors or suppliers to other large Yankee customers, including Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Britain's Rolls Royce PLC, its largest customer. One of its cast parts gives Dixie paper cups their distinctive shapes. One lingering element of the fire is three pending civil lawsuits from three insurers, including The Hartford, seek- ing to collect on more than $125,500 paid out in insurance claims to owners of some of the pattern molds destroyed in the 2016 blaze, court records show. Looking ahead, Kevin Vecchiarelli says he's focused on expanding the company's sales, which eventually will lead to more hiring. The result of the post-fire rebuild, he said, is that Yankee Casting now has about 60 percent more produc- tion capacity. It also expanded its materials-testing and quality-control stations with the new building. "The old man used to say,'' Mark Vec- chiarelli said, " 'quality sells for you'. " DEAL WATCH NAFI's $500K Hartford buy A vacant, 9,840-square-foot office building in Hartford's South End sold recently for $500,000. NAFI Connecticut Inc. purchased the property at 49-51 Wethersfield Ave., from seller 49-51 Wethersfield Avenue Associates LLC, according to sole broker Reno Properties Group LLC. NAFI Connecticut is the parent of nonprofit North American Family Institute, a community-based provider of support services for children, youth and adults with mental health and/or behavioral issues. Cranmore FitzGerald's city lease Hartford law firm Cranmore, FitzGerald & Meaney LLC has leased 5,958 square feet of office space in Hartford's South End. Landlord The Marshall Realty Corp. inked the lease for space in its building at 1010 Wethersfield Ave., according to tenant broker Reno Properties Group LLC. JLL Connecticut was the landlord's broker. Cranmore FitzGerald has provided legal representation to individuals, corporations, financial institutions and their affiliates for more than 30 years. Harsco's Hartford facility sold A four-building industrial complex on Flatbush Avenue, near the Hartford-West Hartford border, has sold for $300,000, brokers say. LLUKA Holding LLC bought the buildings totaling 41,727 square feet on 3.97 acres at 540 Flatbush Ave., from Harsco Corp. Harsco is a diversified industrial company based in Camp Hill, Pa. Harsco for years fabricated steel scaffolding on the site, brokers said. Sentry Commercial was the sole broker in this transaction. 49-51 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED 1010 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Yankee Casting foundry workers pour molten metal into a mold.

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