Hartford Business Journal

14 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 11, 2024 Cici Bevin, president of storied Connecticut bellmaker Bevin Bros. Manufacturing. HBJ PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER A New 'Vision' Under 6th-generation leadership, Bevin Bros. Manufacturing returns to profitability, has ambitious plan to triple in size The cylinders operation shares shop floor space with the bell-making business, and now makes up 45% of Bevin Bros.' sales. 'Into the fire' Cici is a descendant of Philo Bevin, and her father Douglas and brother Douglas Jr. both worked for the company. However, working in the family busi- ness wasn't her original career plan. She spent many years in sales and marketing, working with multinational brands including Lindt chocolate and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Then, after a stint running a nonprofit, she felt the pull of her family roots. "It tied together very nicely my sales and marketing background because, to be candid, the previous iterations of this company for the last few decades have not had that background at all," she said. "So, I could immediately jump in and add value in that way." She jumped in at an interesting time in the company's history. In 2012, a disastrous fire caused by a lightning strike leveled Bevin's original factory. Only the fortuitous rescue of the original bell dies from the ruined building — alongside $100,000 in state aid — allowed the company to continue. Matt Bevin, then the president, is not a Connecticut native. Based in Kentucky and already a serial entre- preneur, he bought the company in 2011 from his uncle, who had been contemplating a closure, and kept it ticking at a loss for several years, enamored by the family history the factory represented. Then in 2015, Bevin ran for and won By Harriet Jones hjones@hartfordbusiness.com "I call this career 3.0 for me," laughs Cici Bevin, the new president of her family's storied manufacturing company Bevin Bros. Manufacturing. Bevin, 61, is part of the sixth generation of her family to run this East Hampton company — the last remaining bellmaker in a rural Connecticut spot that was once dubbed Belltown because of the prolif- eration of similar businesses. Though Cici Bevin joined the company in 2016, and has been a de facto leader since then, she's just now formally been named president — the first woman to hold that title. She owns a 10% stake in the company, alongside her fifth cousin Matt Bevin who still owns the remainder. Her tenure so far has brought the company back into the black for the first time in many years. She's also launched an ambitious plan to triple Bevin Bros.' size within the next decade. "I have very long, deep roots in East Hampton," she said. "Both my parents were raised here. I spent every summer here. I've always been proud to be a member of the Bevin family because of our history in this town." The history Bevin Bros. was founded in 1832 by four brothers: William, Abner, Chauncey and Philo Bevin. The company's history intertwines with many famous names and historical events. It makes most of the bells that the Salvation Army bell ringers use to fundraise during the Christmas season. Good Humor ice cream trucks have been fitted with Bevin bells since the 1920s. It was a Bevin bell that rang to open and close the New York Stock Exchange for decades. Bevin also claims to have invented and produced the first bicycle bells. Hundreds of boxing matches — including prize fights involving Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali — were punctuated by the ring of a Bevin bell. And it was also a Bevin bell that gave the angel Clarence his wings in the iconic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." The company's modern-day bestseller — by far — is a cowbell. The versatile three-and-a-half inch bell is stamped out on an old 1960s press on the shop floor and can be decorated in team colors for sporting events and political rallies, or adapted for novelty marketing ideas like a bear bell sold to hikers, or an abomi- nable snowman bell for skiers. The company has seen changes over the years. One of the most significant was the purchase of a business that makes metal cylinders for a range of industrial and scientific uses including calibration, filtration, fire suppression and medical oxygen. BEVIN BROS. MANUFACTURING Industry: Manufacturing Employees: 25-30 HQ: 17 Watrous St., East Hampton Website: bevinbells.com CICI BEVIN President Bevin Bros. Manufacturing Education: Bachelor's degree in economics and English, Colby College Age: 61

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