4 Hartford Business Journal • July 4, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com
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Birken Mfg.
Except for a sales lull for months after
the U.S. Sept. 11 terrorism attacks in 2001,
Birken's sales and customer counts have
steadily grown, Greenberg said. Its workforce
numbers 120 up from 90 just six years ago.
Privately held Birken has sales of about $32
million a year, reflecting an average 5 percent
sales growth rate in recent years, Greenberg said.
Loyal workforce
Walking Birken's sprawling but packed shop
floor with Greenberg, he says it is basically
divided into five work cells. Each is neatly orga-
nized so that the specific tools workers need
to complete their tasks are within easy reach.
Birken, like most other smaller, "Tier 2" sup-
pliers and subcontractors to larger "Tier 1'' ven-
dors like Pratt, are under ever-increasing pres-
sure to perform its best-quality metal-finishing
work quickly and cheaply.
To do that, Birken always has 30 to 40 parts
that are being engineered in its research and
development department, Greenberg said.
"There are no shortcuts in this indus-
try,'' he added.
The same applies to Birken's unceasing quest
for talent, Greenberg said. Many of Birken's
workers have been with it decades, promoting
a sense of "family'' on and away from the shop
floor, Greenberg said.
He pridefully points to a group photo
taken in 2012, when Birken celebrated its 50th
anniversary by hosting its active and retired
employees at a cookout on company grounds.
Birken, too, annually funds a scholarship
to a student, who while studying manufactur-
ing at Enfield's Asnuntuck Community Col-
lege, also apprentices part-time at Birken.
So far, six employees have successfully com-
pleted the program, Greenberg said.
Birken over the years has expanded through
acquisitions. In 1990, it bought a former Granby
sheetmetal fabricator, absorbing its equipment
and processes to improve Birken's value-added
metalwork, like finished engine-mount assem-
blies for the huge Airbus A380, Greenberg said.
For time being, Greenberg stands as the
last in his family to run Birken. His two sons
live outside Connecticut and aren't involved
in manufacturing. His brother owns a com-
pany located right next door to Birken.
He says he regularly fields calls from deal-
makers asking if Birken is for sale or inter-
ested in a merger. They get rebuffed.
"Nothing I've been interested in,'' Green-
berg said. "I love the business. I've been here 34
years and this is the best time for us, in terms of
the business and backlog. … And I'm not going
to retire anytime soon. At the moment, you
couldn't pay me enough to make me leave.'' n
Honor your
Chief Financial Officer
for their outstanding
performance and
commitment.
The CFO of an organization is a vital and often overlooked position in creating business success. The CFO of the Year
Luncheon honors these financial professionals for their commitment to excellence and outstanding performance. In
addition to an awards event, winners will be recognized in a special issue of the Hartford Business Journal.
Finalists will be recognized at an AWARDS EVENT on: September 8, 2016
at FARMINGTON GARDENS in Farmington, and in a SPECIAL ISSUE of the
HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL publishing
September 12, 2016.
NOMINATION DEADLINE:
July 6, 2016
Nominate at: HartfordBusiness.com/CFO
For questions about this event please contact Amy Orsini at
860-236-9998, ext. 134 or aorsini@hartfordbusiness.com.
Presented By:
Event Sponsors:
Event Partners:
#HBJCFO
NOMINATE YOUR CFO TODAY!
LAST
CHANCE
to
nominate!
