Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 8, 2024 11 in about 30 locations, including nine in New York, two in New Jersey, and one each in California, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas. "While our network is currently small, there is a lot of room for growth in that area, which we intend to pursue heavily over the next few years and beyond," Williams said. Really scary Like most manufacturers, the pandemic presented challenges for Kenyon. When Connecticut started shutting down most businesses, Kenyon was able to remain open because it manu- factures cooktops for the military, making it a government supplier. "The pandemic was really scary as a business owner," Williams said. "Our cooktop business declined during the pandemic because so many of Signature Grill The electric grill business for maritime use started in earnest in 2005, when Kenyon designed and manufactured a grill specifically for the marine marketplace. The company produces electric grills in a variety of designs and sizes, ranging from portable to built-in. Last month, it introduced the Signature Grill, which Williams lauded for its design. "I've seen a lot of really nice grills, but this one, in all the features that it includes, far surpasses anything that I've ever seen produced by any company anywhere," he said. The Signature Grill is powered by two independent 1,500-watt elements operating at 240 volts with 13 amps. It features a lid with three layers of stainless steel that includes vents in the middle layer to allow air to move through, keeping most of the heat from reaching the outside layer. While the lid gets warm, it doesn't get hot enough to burn like a gas or charcoal grill lid would, Williams said. The lid is also removable and dishwasher safe. Other features include an optional patented rotating handle that has a built-in, high-intensity LED light that illuminates the entire grill surface, and a digital temperature control system that "can actually dial in the temperature you want the grilling surface to be," he said. The temperature also can be locked so children can't change it, he added. For all of its grills and cooktops, Kenyon uses U.S.-produced mate- rials whenever possible, including all of the metal. "Some of the parts are brought in from overseas only because nobody in the United States is making it," Williams said. Since Kenyon mostly sells its products directly to manufacturers, the military, hotels or builders, that did not allow it to develop "a strong network of brick-and-mortar resellers," Williams said, while adding that has now become a focus to help the company grow. Kenyon recently developed a relationship with West Marine, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based chain of boating supply and fishing retail stores, he said. West Marine has placed Kenyon grills in 13 of its stores, including one in Old Saybrook. Overall, Kenyon products are sold our accounts around the country had to stop the construction on their facilities. But the grill business went through the roof. People wanted to update their outdoor kitchens, or build an outdoor kitchen." The marine industry also experi- enced growth in boat sales, which boosted Kenyon's business. The company now employs 53 people, and Williams, who declined to disclose annual revenue figures, said Kenyon added more sales people earlier this year. "We've got a very good crew," he said. "A lot of them have been with us for many, many years." He added that Kenyon provides benefits that match those provided by submarine maker Electric Boat in Groton. "We have to, because we're competing against them for engineers, for workers," Williams said. "We do well making sure our employees are taken care of." The Signature Grill can be used indoors or outdoors. "Our Cash Management Solutions will help ensure that your business banking processes are efficient, effective and safe from fraud." Member FDIC – J E N N I F E R Y E R G E A U, V i c e Pre s i d e n t , Ca s h M a n a g e m e n t Co m m e rc i a l & I n s t i t u t i o n a l S a l e s j y e rg ea u @ b a n ka t p e o p l e s . c o m | 8 6 0 . 3 9 7 . 9 0 1 4 Fraud Protection • Check Positive Pay • ACH Positive Pay • Online Banking Tools Secure access codes and tokens Customizable alerts Definable user access levels Dual control settings Real-time stop payments bankatpeoples.com/fraud-protection

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