Waterbury Regional Chamber Announces Recipients of the 2015 Harold Webster Smith Awards

WATERBURY, Conn. - Dec. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- The Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Small Business Councilhas announced recipients of their prestigious 2015 Harold Webster Smith Awards established to recognize companies which have shown achievement and excellence in small business. The Council also announced that Nicholas S. Perna, Ph.D., economic advisor to Webster Bank, will be the keynote speaker at the Chamber’s annual awards breakfast Thursday, January 29, 2015 from 7:45 to 9:30 AM at the Aria Wedding & Banquet Facility, 45 Murphy Road in Prospect. Recipients of the 18^th Annual Harold Webster Smith Awards are Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire for Small Business of the Year; Don Cipriano of Cipriano Training & Development in Waterbury for Entrepreneur of the Year; and RAM Specialty Fabrications Inc. in Naugatuck for Manufacturer of the Year.

Harold Webster Smith founded First Federal Savings of Waterbury in 1935 to help people build, and buy homes. He served as CEO until 1937 and chairman of the board until 1995 when First Federal was renamed Webster Bank in his honor. Today, Webster Bank is the largest financial service organization in New England, and each year, the Chamber honors small business leaders who, like Smith, have the vision to expand, diversify, and prosper. “In honor of Harold Webster Smith’s legacy and small business inspiration,” remarked Lynn Ward, president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber, “we recognize small companies and entrepreneurs who share his passion for business development and his commitment to positive economic progress of the Waterbury region. Throughout his career, Harold Webster Smith served as an inspiration for countless small businesses. We are very pleased to recognize the many companies that share his ideals.”

The 2015 Harold Webster Smith Small Business of the Year Award recipient, Barker Specialty Company was founded in the late 1940s by Herbert and Gloria Barker and their son, Gerald (Gerry) Barker, has been president since 1984. The company prints and produces promotional products for some of the nation’s largest companies and the U.S. Government. Barker Specialty has 68 employees and offers in-house screen printing, embroidery, laser engraving, hot stamping and pad printing, plus they design websites, online stores and catalogs. The family-owned business is operated by Gerry Barker, his brother, Steven Barker, executive vice president; his sister, Adrienne Barker, vice president and manager of the company’s south Florida office; and their sister, Amy Barker. From 1981 to 1984, Gerry Barker was a corporate officer with Irving Trust Company. Presently he also serves on the boards of directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, Temple Beth David, and Abilities without Boundaries. Previously he served as president of Abilities without Boundaries, Temple Beth David and on the board of directors of the Cheshire Education Foundation.

Recipient of the 2015 Harold Webster Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Don Cipriano, owner of Cipriano Training & Development, founded the company in 1977 with his wife Mary Ann Cipriano as a part-time business. Cipriano, known as “Professor Insights”, is an author, coach, consultant and trainer with 16 years as a professional educator serving as a teacher, counselor, principal, college dean and graduate instructor. For the past 35 years, Cipriano has devoted himself to “increasing organizational effectiveness by improving personal performance.” He has consulted internationally; published over 30 training, audio and video programs; trained and coached thousands of individuals; and received numerous awards. Most recently, Cipriano has given certification programs for corporate trainers in Amsterdam, Bangkok, Cork, Dubai and Geneva; developed an e-learning module on “Leveraging Differences”; completed a major study of character and leadership; published two graduate courses in leadership; developed a recognition and motivational program for employees of a large financial service organization; presented an organizational leadership development  program for an international company; and conducted an executive coaching assignment for a trauma hospital. In addition, Cipriano is the advisor to the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Leadership Greater Waterbury Program and has provided each student with personal and career development training over the past ten years. Cipriano’s community involvement include serving on the Alumni Board of Directors of St Michael’s College; past president of the Waterbury Rotary Club; Rotary District 7980 Assistant District Governor; former member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Waterbury Regional Chamber; former treasurer of Brass Center Limited; and past chairman of Freight Street Reclamation.

The 2015 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award recipient, RAM Specialty Fabrications in Naugatuck was founded in a garage in 1946 by Joseph Reilly and Thomas Mahn as the two-man Ram Welding shop. RAM’S current owner, David J. Murelli, is Joseph Reilly’s son-in-law who began working at RAM in 1973 as a steel fabricator. In 1981, Murelli purchased the eight-man shop with a vision to grow it into a modern steel fabrication company. Since 1981, Murelli has engineered RAM’s growth into a 45,000 square foot state-of-the-art sheet metal fabrication company that is considered one of New England’s premier precision sheet metal fabricators that produces precision sheet metal parts as well as custom metal fabrications in varying shapes and sizes. The company services customers in industries that include the U.S. military, construction, telecommunications, medical, alternative energy, aerospace, and industrial equipment. Their products range from small brackets and electrical boxes to large machine bases and sound enclosures. Today RAM has over 75 employees including some of the most skilled sheet metal mechanics and engineers in the region. By delivering customer service without compromise, and re-investing in the newest manufacturing technology available, RAM continues to grow and thrive.

Premier sponsor of the January 29^th breakfast is Webster Bank. Small business supporters of the honorary awards event are Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppes; Secor, Cassidy & McPartland, P.C.; Traver IDC; and Winvian.

To reserve a seat for the January 29th Harold Webster Smith Awards Breakfast at Aria Wedding & Banquet Facility in Prospect, and to learn more about the Waterbury Regional Chamber, visit www.waterburychamber.com, call 203-757-0701, or email to info@waterburychamber.com.