HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 9, 2026 B15
(15 TO 199 U.S. EMPLOYEES) SMALL/MEDIUM EMPLOYER CATEGORY | BEST PLACES TO WORK
BIRK MANUFACTURING NAMED
ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK
IN CONNECTICUT 2026!
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BIRK
MANUFACTURING INC.
HEADQUARTERS: East Lyme
INDUSTRY: Manufacturing
WEBSITE: www.birkmfg.com
TOP EXECUTIVE: Carleton Birk, President
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INSPIRA
HEADQUARTERS: Norwalk
INDUSTRY: Marketing/PR
WEBSITE: www.inspiramarketing.com
TOP EXECUTIVE: Jeff Snyder, Chief
Inspiration Officer
F
ounded in 1989, Birk Manufac-
turing is a lean manufacturing
firm that designs thermal prod-
ucts, including flexible heaters and
temperature sensors, for aerospace,
defense, medical and other markets.
Good Times: e company caters a
large anksgiving lunch, and each
employee gets a $50 gift card to help
celebrate the holiday with their fam-
ilies. For Memorial Day, employees
enjoy a picnic at Rocky Neck Park and
participate in a softball game, tug-of-
war and other fun games.
F
ounded in 2008, Inspira offers
integrated marketing services
such as brand storytelling, field
team activation and experiential
marketing for clients in a range of
industries.
Good Times: Employees enjoy themed
happy hours like NASCAR Day and
celebrate weekly with Cereal Tuesdays
and Bagel ursdays. Inspira provides
money to departments for outings.
Funds have been used for glassblow-
ing, ax throwing and sporting events.
Employee Benefits: e company
Employee Recognition: e Em-
ployee of the Month is voted on by
employees and receives a gift card
for going the extra yard. Discretion-
ary bonuses are given for process
improvements.
Employee Benefits: Company
covers 70% of medical and dental
expenses for employees and depen-
dents. Employees have 10 holidays
off as well as the days after anks-
giving and Christmas, Christmas
Eve and the days surrounding July 4.
covers 80% of medical costs for
employees and dependents, 70% of
dental for both and 50% of vision for
both. Maternity and paternity leaves
are fully paid by Inspira.
Staying Connected: Launched an
agencywide internal intranet to
streamline communications and
connect remote and headquarters
employees. Using a bottom-up
communications strategy, employ-
ees are encouraged to share wins,
milestones and shoutouts.
