Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/587979
40 Hartford Business Journal • October 19, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com DATTCO Inc. Headquarters: New Britain Industry: Transportation services Founded: 1924 Founder: Helen Muter and Dominic Soccoli, Louis and Edward DeVivo, and Michael Tolomea Generations Currently Running Company: 2nd & 3rd Full-Time Employees: 656 Part-Time Employees: 1,514 Family Members Currently Employed at Com- pany: Don DeVivo, president (father); Kyle DeVivo, fleet coordinator (son); Kevin DeVivo, part-time employee (son). Website: www.dattco.com Q&A What would you say to your founder about how you run the company today? Our founders would be very proud of how much the company has developed and how diverse it has become. They would be thrilled to know the core of the business they started has changed very little. The tools (and lingo) may have changed, but people are the key to our business. What are the top two goals for your com- pany over the next 50 years? Fifty years is a long time, and I assume the transportation business will look vastly dif- ferent. Our goal is to accommodate changing trends and increase ridership as time goes on, therefore remaining relevant and profitable. Our other top goal is to retain our family culture. How do you plan to keep your business going even after your current top execu- tive retires? Don DeVivo has no current plans to retire. When that time comes, our hope is the next generation will be ready to take over. Our cor- porate philosophy has always been to hire the most talented individuals. This provides us with a stable management team that does not rely on day-to-day direction from ownership. n A/Z Corporation Headquarters: North Stonington Industry: Construction Founded: 1968 Founder: Ed Lorenz Generation Currently Running Company: 2nd Full-Time Employees: 442 Part-Time Employees: 0 Family Members Currently Employed at Com- pany: Perry Lorenz, president and CEO (father); Kent Lorenz, director of finance and develop- ment (son); Stephen Mahoney, program director (Perry's cousin); Kara Goodwin, marketing coordi- nator (Perry's niece). Website: www.a-zcorp.com Q&A What is the biggest challenge to your business in the coming year? One of the biggest challenges facing A/Z Corp. has been finding and recruiting techni- cally experienced personnel within the mar- ketplace. Leadership has taken several mea- sures to help ensure that the company is able to grow its qualified workforce and continue to meet the needs of our clients by offering comprehensive employment packages and the opportunity to grow. How can Connecticut improve its family business environment? Additional improvements to tax incen- tives or tax abatements would go a long way to retain business in Connecticut. What would your founder say about your company today? Nearly 50 years ago, Ed Lorenz founded A/Z Corp. on three core values: integrity, accountability and collaboration. A/Z's suc- cessive generations of leaders and employees have worked hard to make sure that these values continue to stay at the forefront of all our operations. Perry Lorenz and the senior management team firmly believe this com- mitment has allowed A/Z to sustain partner- ships with some leading Connecticut compa- nies like Pfizer, General Dynamics-Electric Boat and Dow Chemical. n (Top) Stephen Mahoney, program director (pictured far right), viewing plans for a National Grid project. (Bottom left) A historic photo of company founder Ed Lorenz. (Bottom right) Perry Lorenz with his son Kent Lorenz. (Top) A photo of the old Mastco bus. (Bottom left) Bus drivers celebrate a fellow driver's birthday. (Bottom right) Lou DeVivo, who recently passed away, with grandson Kyle DeVivo, at Kyle's wedding this past August. 2015 CONNECTICUT FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS CATEGORY: 200+ full-time Employees FINALIST 2015 CONNECTICUT FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS CATEGORY: 200+ full-time Employees FINALIST