Published on Monday, 28 November 2022 15:30
Written by BRIAN M. JOHNSON
@brianjohnsonBP
BRISTOL – City and Chamber leaders honored Springfield Spring Corp for 80 years in business Monday, praising the manufacturing company for its longevity, growth and continued investment in Bristol.
Springfield Spring Corp. has a 16,500 square foot location at 34 Dell Manor Dr., which is overseen by Norm Rodriques. The company also has a 15,000 square foot location in East Longmeadow, Mass., which is overseen by Rodriques’ business partner, Tina Malley, and plans to expand to a 27,000 square foot space next April. The Bristol location employs 30 people and there are 32 employees working at the Massachusetts location.
Rodriques, who has been with Springfield Spring Corp. for 35 years, has overseen a series of expansions of the Bristol location, which was originally 6,000 square feet.
“We have grown from making $500,000 a year in 1986 to making $13 million a year today,” Rodriques said. “That success does not come from being a powerful leader – it comes from leading powerful people.”
Justin Malley, city economic development director, toured Springfield Spring Corp with Mayor Jeff Caggiano and members of the Central CT Chambers of Commerce. During the tour, Rodriques showcased a variety of machines and introduced city leaders to employees, most of whom he had nicknames for.
At one stop, Rodriques showcased a machine which makes 1,000 components an hour for Cooper Lighting. He also identified a machine which made components that hold the hubcaps in place on Tesla cars. He also pointed out a metal tape that the company produces which is used in elevators around the world.
Rodriques said he originally brought Springfield Spring Corp to Bristol because the city has a large amount of spring manufacturing companies and there is also a large pool of talented workers.
“The spring talent is here, it’s the epicenter of spring hubs in the world, and people don’t want to drive 50 minutes to work every day,” he said. “I knew that I needed to be here to capture that talent.”
Malley pointed to Rodriques’ story as an example of why Bristol is so focused on developing its workforce.
“He sought out the Bristol workforce and Bristol talent,” Malley said. “This is an advantage that Bristol has over other communities.”
Caggiano said it is “very cool” to see the success Springfield Spring Corp has had in Bristol. He added he has undergone a lot of leadership development training and recognizes many of the strategies and terms which Rodriques uses with his employees.
Rodriques attributed several company policies to Springfield Spring Corp’s success. He said the company has an “open book” policy. He also encourages employees to be cross trained to work in different departments.
“We don’t have departmental silos,” he said. “We’re like a team.”
In addition, Rodriques said Springfield Spring Corp “invests in companies that invest in us.” He spends between $500,000 and $1 million each year – upgrading equipment to new, state of the art technology. Recent investments include new CNC equipment and sophisticated testing equipment to ensure that components are up to proper specifications.
Springfield Spring Co. manufactures components for industrial, medical, military and commercial firearms fields. The biggest area of growth in recent years, Rodriques said, has been in the medical field. Springfield Spring Corp has undergone audits from major medical institutions and qualifies for the 134845 Quality Management System.
“Some of the biggest medical businesses in the world are here in this area and you have to have certain qualifications just to talk to them,” Rodriques said.
During the visit by city leaders, Rodriques handed Caggiano a pair of $2,500 checks in support of the families of the late police officers Dustin DeMonte and Alex Hamzy, who were killed in the line of duty on Oct. 12.
“It was absolutely heartbreaking and unfortunate that happened,” he said. “But, if nothing else, the outpouring of support these families has received lets us look into the heart of our community and see that 99.9% of us are good people.”
For more information about Springfield Spring Corp, visit springfieldspring.com or call 860-584-6560.
Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.