Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/587979
www.HartfordBusiness.com October 19, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 33 Capt. John's Sport Fishing Center Inc. Headquarters: Waterford Industry: Charter business Founded: 1946 Founder: Earl Wadsworth Generations Currently Running Company: 3rd and 4th Full-Time Employees: 5 Part-Time Employees: 10 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Robert Wadsworth, president and captain (father); Elizabeth Berner-Wadsworth, office manager (mother); Daniel Wadsworth (son); Ryan Berner, captain (son). Website: Sunbeamfleet.com Q&A What are your most significant accom- plishments in the past 12 months? Our family business has refurbished our dock for social events. We are also complet- ing the restoration of our 70-foot vessel Sun- beam VII to be added to our fleet. How do you instill your family values in your employees? Most of our employees have been with us for many years and are treated as family. Their safety is dependent upon trusting each other as they do. How can Connecticut improve its family business environment? The services our family business offers are optional or discretionary. Our custom- ers don't have to use us; they choose to. So, when the economy is bad (as it has been) and people stop spending money, we lose much needed business. What compounds this prob- lem is when we get additional state regula- tions and taxes imposed on us. The net result is we get fewer customers and a higher cost per customer to operate. Connecticut can help improve its family business environment by being more sensitive to the needs of our industry that is hanging on by only the thin- nest of threads, and encouraging the state's tourism agency to promote family businesses more aggressively. n DiFiore Ravioli Shop Location: Hartford Industry: Retail Founded: 1982 Founders: Andy and Louise DiFiore Generation Currently Running Company: 3rd Full-Time Employees: 22 Part-Time Employees: 10 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Don DiFiore, president (father); Andrea DiFiore, food preparer (sister); Dan DiFiore, vice president (son); Andrew DiFiore, sales associate (son); Stephanie DiFiore, sales associate (daughter); Bethany DiFiore, sales associate (daughter); David Dreier, delivery driver/packager (cousin). Company Website: www.difioreraviolishop.com Q&A What is the one family value you want passed onto each generation in your business? I would like to see future generations have as much passion for the business as current generations do. That way work never feels like work for them either. What is the biggest challenge to your business in the coming year? Our biggest challenge will be continuing to expand by opening a third location. We're aiming to open another store in West Hartford within another year, and with the recent open- ing of the Rocky Hill location and the Hartford store, that could be quite a lot going on. What are the top two goals for your com- pany over the next 50 years? Our top two goals are to always produce as high of a quality product as possible and to always be as convenient as possible to our customers. n (Top) Captain John's employees at a corporate function after they returned from a fishing trip. (Bottom left) The original office of the Sunbeam Fleet. (Bottom right) Captain Bob and his son Daniel with a 200-pound tuna. (Top) Dan DiFiore, vice president, poses for a photo. (Bottom left) A rib- bon-cutting ceremony for the company's newest location in Rocky Hill. (Bottom right) A DiFiore employee makes raviolis. 2015 CONNECTICUT FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS CATEGORY: Fewer than 25 full-time Employees FINALIST 2015 CONNECTICUT FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS CATEGORY: Fewer than 25 full-time Employees FINALIST