First Place Winners

Santa Energy - Large Business Category
Santa Fuel was founded in 1940 by Stephen and Madelyn Santa, and today comprises three generations. 60 years ago, Stephen Santa bought a truck and a kerosene route from his employer and Santa Fuel was born. Through wise business decisions and innovation, the company expanded from a one truck operation to a successful retail, commercial, industrial and wholesale business.

Santa Fuel's first succession occurred in 1957 when Stephen transferred control to the second generation and named his oldest son, George president and control was distributed between the three older brothers, Norman, Donald and George. In 1988, Stephen's youngest son, John, became president. John has been the "change agent" for the family business. Under his leadership, the company developed a well-planned, pro-active transition plan that includes a succession plan for management; a strategic plan for the company; and an estate plan for retiring shareholders. According to John, "A great succession is one nobody notices - a non-event." Earlier this year, ownership and control of Santa Fuel was transferred from the second to the third generation and a few key non-family employees.

Today, Santa Holding Company has of four divisions: Santa Energy, Inland Fuel Terminals, Inc., Buckley Energy Group, Ltd., and Admiral Transportation, Inc. Their customers include churches, fuel dealers in Boston, homeowners in Fairfield County, hospitals in Vermont, state police fleets in Rhode Island and convenience stores and gas stations in New York and Connecticut. They have worked tirelessly to improve fuel and heating oil quality and advocated for the development of spill prevention technology to protect the environment. Santa Fuel is the only petroleum marketer in Connecticut to sell low-sulfur fuel. In recognition of their efforts to protect the environment, John Santa was named "Connecticut's Oilman of the Year" in 1996.

The Santa family gives back generously to the community by chairing committees, serving on boards, organizing events and raising funds for worthy causes. They created The Stephen J. and Madelyn M. Santa environmental fund in honor of their parents to promote environmental conservation practices. They just celebrated their 60th anniversary and what they say is true... "You can believe in Santa."

Plastic Molding Technology - Medium Business Category
Plastic Molding Technology was founded in 1973 by Charles Sholtis, who instilled in his sons a strong work ethic and trained them well through his modeling of strategic business decisions.

PMT is a plastics injection molding company that serves the automotive, computer, electronics and medical markets worldwide. They offer value-added service and parts for cars, electric shavers, surgical instruments and laptop computers. They have received many awards for excellence over the years and are QS 9000 certified.

After 27 years in business, PMT recently completed a succession to the second generation. Charles Sholtis began planning the succession five years ago and worked with outside advisors to develop his plan. Today, his efforts have paid off and his two sons, Chuck and Todd are shareholders and occupy top management positions in the company. The succession plan also included a provision for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). As you might guess, they have a very active employee ownership culture. This high-performance company supports their employee's efforts to continue their education through traditional college courses and in-house apprenticeships.

PMT has two facilities; the original plant in Seymour and a second plant in Slovakia, managed by Todd. The company contributes to many community organizations and gives generously to the United Way, local soup kitchens and area schools.

Chuck Sholtis has an interesting forecast for the future of the company: "PMT will be a company much different than we now are. We will not be able to compete with Mexico, China, or Asia in labor-intense operator-related jobs. We will do more engineering, product development and turnkey projects." Please join me in congratulating the Sholtis family of Plastic Molding Technology.

Carmon Community Funeral Homes - Small Business Category
Carmon Funeral Homes was started in 1946 in the home of the late Frank W. Carmon, Jr. and his wife, Nan, who lived upstairs with their four children. Due to the nature of their business, the children learned the value of helping their parents with chores and they learned about helping people with care and compassion through a difficult time.

Sons John, Frank, III and Richard joined the business in the 1970's. Over the years, their business grew to include 6 locations in greater Hartford and provides care for more than 850 families a year. They established Mary's Place to provide free bereavement counseling for children, teens and families. They also established Begin-Again, an adult support program that has met weekly for almost 25 years to help widows and widowers. Both programs are free and open to the public

. The Carmon family has resisted offers by consolidators to sell their business and have chosen instead to remain independent. With three generations active in the business, they are one of the largest family-owned funeral homes in New England. They hold regular family board meetings to review and discuss ideas and problems. They have worked hard to professionalize their business. They've developed a written succession plan and an employee handbook. They've also decided that no spouses will be employed by the firm and all family members must work outside the firm before coming to work for the family business.

The Carmon family joined President Clinton this past weekend in Washington, DC for the dedication and groundbreaking ceremony for the World War II Memorial. The list of community, youth organizations and charities they support is impressive. They've won many awards over the years for their innovative business practices. John Carmon is president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

First Runners-Up

Manafort Brothers - Large Business Category
Manafort Brothers is a construction company that was started in 1919 by James Manafort and has a rich family tradition. Their services have expanded over the years to include site clearance, demolition, grading, excavation, foundation concrete, highway, bridge rehabilitation, pipe work, utilities installation, paving, sidewalks and curbing, landscaping and planting, waste removal and recycling. Some of their projects have included Hartford's CityPlace, Foxwoods Resort Casino, and the decommissioning of the Maine Yankee nuclear plant.

Proceeds from the Manafort Family Foundation benefit many local organizations and the family is involved in many volunteer groups, boards and memberships, including Chambers of Commerce, YMCA, New Britain Boys' and Girls' Club and the National Women in Construction. Paul Manafort, a second-generation owner of the company and has served as Mayor of New Britain.

Now in their fourth generation of ownership, the Manafort name is a symbol of excellence in contracting.

Calabro Cheese Corporation - Medium Business Category
Calabro Cheese Corp. was founded in Bridgeport by Salvatore Calabro and his son, Joseph, in 1953. Today, the company is managed by the second-generation. With only a handful of employees, the co-founders developed and produced excellent fresh Italian style cheeses and built their business by selling door to door.

Over the years, the Calabros have developed innovative specialty products including a 100% fat-free ricotta cheese. In response to customer requests, the company developed several holiday recipes, and takes special orders for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. The family is involved in all aspects of the business. They have strong family values and consider their employees to be part of the family.

The Calabros are involved with many community organizations and have provided financial support and product donations to associations, organizations, scholarship fund-raisers and foundations. The Calabros are planning a transfer of ownership to the third generation son, nephew, daughter and niece.

Nielsen's Florist & Garden Shop - Small Business Category
Nielsen's Florist was founded in 1944 by Hilda and Christian Nielsen in a small greenhouse where they grew cut flowers in the fields behind the flower shop. Today, Nielsen's Florist and Garden Shop is a Darien landmark.

As you walk by clusters of blossoming baskets and through the glass double doors past the refrigerated unit that houses a rainbow of cut flowers, you wouldn't recognize this modern facility as the flower shop that Hilda and Christian Nielsen founded 56 years ago.

Third generation siblings, Sandra and Jerry Nielsen, recently took over the operations of the family business from their father Gerald, Sr., who still visits the business and assists with strategic planning. They've expanded the business and added a beautiful English-style greenhouse and new product lines.

The Nielsen's are very involved in their community. They present lectures to schools and community groups and have employed folks from the Society to Advance the Retarded (STAR) for many years. They have a long history of community service with civic boards, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lion's Club, United Way, YMCA and others. It is our pleasure to honor Neilsen's Florist and Garden Center. Please join me in congratulating the Nielsen family.

Finalists

Tauck World Discovery - Large Business Category
In 1925, Arthur Tauck, Sr. was a traveling salesman. Inspired by the beauty of New England, he wanted to share his adventures with others. He applied for and was granted Tour Broker License #1 by the U.S. Government and a new industry was born. His vision was to include every travel expense at an incomparable value. This all-inclusive approach is the foundation of Tauck's unparalleled service and value.

In 1958, when less than 5% of the public flew commercially, Arthur Tauck, Sr. was the first to charter an aircraft for leisure travelers. Arthur Jr. delighted travelers by creating air/land tours. Tauck World Discovery is known for delighting travelers by taking them beyond the traditional sights. Whether your desire is to travel to Hawaii, heli-ski in the Rockies, go on an expedition to Antarctica, or witness herds of giraffe on the Serengeti Plain, you won't be disappointed.

Today Tauck World Discovery is a leader in the travel industry. Their commitment to quality and attention to detail has contributed to the growth of this company and today, sales exceed $300 million. The company has received many industry awards and was recognized as the World's Best Tour Operator and Safari Outfitter by Travel and Leisure magazine.

In 1997, Arthur Tauck, Jr. stepped down and Tauck World Discovery transitioned to the third generation co-presidents son Peter, and daughter, Robin. Their 450 employees share the family's passion for travel and philanthropy. The Tauck family supports many community projects including the historical preservation of the Saugatuck River, YMCA, Levitt Pavilion and others.

Franklin Enterprises - Large Business Category
Franklin Enterprises was founded in 1917 by the late Frank Tagliatela, and has grown to become a diversified and broad-based company whose experience in the construction and real estate development business and enjoys a reputation as a modern, innovative builder.

In 1974, the Tagliatela family built the first indoor tennis facility in New Haven. Over the years, they have built churches, schools, office buildings, condominiums, libraries, auto dealers, restaurants and hotels, health spas. The East Shore Ice Rink in New Haven required unconventional building methods due to the marshy terrain and high water table of the building site. Franklin Engineers evaluated the site and developed an innovative technique to compensate for the inadequacies of the land that saved the city of New Haven $50,000.

They've produced three generations of business leaders that have demonstrated excellence in construction and management. Whether they build on a "turn-key" basis or other arrangement, Franklin has the experience, knowledge and staff to satisfy their clients with top-quality work at economic prices. They also give generously to the community and have established a family foundation, which this year alone donated more than $144,000 to charity.

CNC Software - Medium Business Category
CNC Software was founded by brothers Mark and Jack Summers in 1984. Their brother, Brian, joined them a couple of years later. Of the 70 employees at this company, ten are family members, including four 1st cousins.

CNC Software is debt-free. They recently built a 38,000 sq. ft. facility with an employee gymnasium, running track and other amenities. All expansion has been financed through profits - and they have been profitable since the beginning. The brothers believe in sharing financial information with their employees and maintain an open-book management system.

Their business is Computer Aided Design /Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology and Mastercam is their trademark product. Mastercam is a software package which provides an inexpensive way to program CNC machine tools and is the most widely used PC based CAD/CAM software in the world with more than 50,000 installations in 50 different countries.

The Summers family is very philanthropic and their good will has not gone unnoticed. CNC Software received many nominations from their employees, neighbors, relatives and friends who wanted to tell us about all the good things they're doing. Please join me in a round of applause.

Turbine Controls - Medium Business Category
The Birken Manufacturing Company was founded as a subcontractor to the aerospace industry by Louis Rogow just after World War II. Shortly thereafter, Sidney Greenberg married Louis' niece and partnered with Rogow. Over the years, their business has grown and today, they are in the third generation of family management.

When Glen Greenberg joined his father's business in 1979, he saw an opportunity to launch an overhaul and repair facility for jet engine parts - and Turbine Controls was born. Birken Manufacturing and Turbine Controls complement each other nicely - when the demand for manufactured products slows, the demand for maintenance grows. The family also owns two gas turbine businesses; TC Power and TC Logistics.

The Rogow and Greenberg families have endowed a chair in cancer research at the University of Connecticut Children's Cancer Center. The Greenberg family supports many medical research initiatives including the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Prior to his untimely death in 1987, Todd Greenberg, concerned about the outbreak of polio in Ethiopia, designed and donated several solar-powered refrigeration units for Save the Children. The World Health Organization shipped the units and hundreds of lives were saved. The Greenberg family provides scholarship money to children of employees, they have an interest-free loan program for employee emergencies and a tuition reimbursement program for employees who wish to continue their education. Please join me in congratulating the Greenberg family.

Mantilia Motors - Small Business Category
The one-car showroom founded by Albert Mantilia, Sr. in 1934 has evolved into Mantilia Motors - Greater New Haven's largest Ford car and truck dealership. Most family businesses are faced with adversity at one time or another and Mantilia is no exception. The hurricane of 1938 devastated Connecticut and could have wiped out Mantilia's business. Instead, it gave them a boost through the repair of storm-damaged vehicles.

During WWII, the banks had no money to lend and Mantilia's new car inventory went down to zero. With no income from the sale of cars, they survived on pumping gas and making repairs.

Customer satisfaction is their #1 priority. Most auto dealers provide transportation for customers who bring in their cars for service. Mantilia's goes one step further. They transport their customers in a stretch limousine.

Ford Motor Company has presented their highest award, the President's Award, to Mantilia's for the past three years. Now in their fourth generation of family ownership, they are proud to carry on their great-grandfather's legacy to provide the dependable, low-cost transportation, excellent service and ethical business practices.

VA Construction - Small Business Category
Vernon and Vincent Austin grew up in a housing project in Bridgeport. Their mom taught them that family ties, goals, a strong work ethic and determination were the keys to success. The twin brothers started VA Construction Company in Waterbury twelve years ago as a contractor involved in residential, commercial and institutional building rehabilitation and new construction.

Recently, the brothers bought a three-acre tract in downtown Waterbury and built a compound for their employees to live and work. It includes homes for themselves and four of their top staff, a swimming pool, a basketball court, a golf driving range, even a tree house, and all are available to employees and the neighborhood kids to enjoy.

Their mission is to surpass the needs and expectations of their customers - and apparently, they have. VA Construction has grown by more than 600% in recent years and was ranked 25th in Inc. Magazine's list of America's fastest growing, privately held inner-city businesses.

The brothers came from of the projects, they made it, they stayed in and they're giving back. Their objective to revitalize the blighted inner city areas of Waterbury and Bridgeport and to create opportunities for inner city men and women has been realized. We commend them for their positive contributions and for working to improve the quality of life for so many. Please join me in a round of applause.