Growing welding, steel fabrication company targets 30 new jobs following $1.4M purchase of Waterbury HQ
Michael Puffer | Hartford Business Journal
Peter Griffin, owner of Griffin Welding, recently paid $1.4 million for a 20,000-square-foot industrial building at 185 Interstate Lane in Waterbury. There, Griffin aims to expand from a 10-person shop to a 40-employee company within a year.
Griffin Welding
Owner: Peter Griffin, 30
New HQ: 185 Interstate Lane, Waterbury
Contact: 203-628-6309
The welding company Peter Griffin launched from the back of a Dodge RAM pickup truck in 2017 recently paid $1.4 million for a 20,000-square-foot industrial building in Waterbury, with plans for a big staff expansion.
Griffin, 30, of Southbury, currently employs 10 people out of a leased 1,900-square-foot shop in Newtown. With the new building, he aims to grow his workforce to 40 in a year.
“I’m proud of it,” Griffin said. “I did this from nothing. Blood, sweat and tears. Now the business, it’s incredible. We worked our way up.”
Griffin Welding focuses on commercial clients, including quarry operators, site developers, equipment dealers and highway contractors. The company repairs equipment and fixtures. It also fabricates components for highway signage and signalization.
The new location will give it the room it needs to serve more clients in a broader area and produce bigger components, Griffin said.
Griffin said he is finalizing certification with the American Institute of Steel Construction, which will allow him to produce parts for bridges. He is also looking to extend services to smaller companies in the greater Waterbury area.
A limited liability company tied to HOB Industries Inc., of Wolcott, sold the 1990-vintage building on nearly 3.7 acres at 185 Interstate Lane to another LLC tied to Griffin Welding in a $1.4 million sale recorded by the city on Dec. 5. The seller paid $900,000 for the property in 2013.
Dawn Ciappetta, of William Raveis, represented the buyer. Broker Ed Godin Jr., of Godin Property Brokers, represented the seller.
The Waterbury building had hosted metal-stamping manufacturer JOMA Inc., which was sold and then recently consolidated into a new home in Cheshire, Godin said.
Godin said the property drew multiple inquiries and went under contract within five months of its listing. He said the limited supply of industrial buildings and current high costs to borrow money and build new has kept up demand for existing assets.
“It’s a continuous trend of buildings turning fairly quickly,” Godin said. “We don’t see that changing anytime soon with the limited inventory still out there.”
Griffin expects to complete interior renovations to the Waterbury building and move in within two months. The bigger space will allow for a “much higher volume of steel,” he said.
That means more work.
Griffin is followed everywhere by his 45-pound white dog “Ghost,” a Corgi and American Eskimo mixed-breed dog he found dumped on a jobsite six years ago.
Waterbury Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath met with Griffin to encourage his entry to the city and refer him to business incentive programs.
“I think it’s great to bring 40 manufacturing jobs to the city,” McGrath said. “It’s a great location.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments