Description
Ken Bryant is CEO of Bead Industries in Milford, which for nearly a century has distributed Bead Chain. The company also owns McGuire Manufacturing, which makes commercial plumbing supplies. Q: How's business right now? A: Last year was one of the best years we've had in a long time. In November [2008] we took a bit of a hit, then came back a little bit. But things are certainly slow for January. Q: What changed, and when? A: We're in the automotive, telecommunications and PC board industries. What has helped us is we had added quite a few more customers last year, so while everybody's down in sales, we have more because of our marketing efforts. Q: What is your company doing to respond? A: Over the last ten years we've really gone through a lot of lean manufacturing initiatives, so we're pretty light on our feet. That's how we've really responded. Click here to read more. 5/01/2008 This November, Jillian Bryant Mayer joined her father, Ken Bryant, in his Milford-based manufacturing plant, a business that's been in the family nearly a century. Jillian's great-grandfather, Waldo D. Bryant, started Bead Industries in Bridgeport, CT in 1915. In the years since, four generations of Bryant have joined the company's ranks. Bead Industries, a distributor of bead chain and manufacturer of electronic pins, employs approximately 26 employees and specializes in metal swaging. Bead Industries, despite its strong history, has not survived without hard work. After a move from Bridgeport to Milford and reorganization in 2003, they have outlasted most of their competitors. This is a credit to their excellent customer service and dedication to the continuous innovation of their products. Click here to read more. 1/07/2008