North Country Engineering

Vermont Business Magazine, Aug 01, 2006 by Edelstein, Art

While most Vermonters think shops are primarily the Springfield or Barre areas, North Country Engineering in Newport is also thriving. This company, with 36 employees, in business since 1972, has annual sales of $2 million.

According to general manager Tom Bronson, his company makes components for valves and does aerospace work for Goodrich Aerospace in Vergennes. It also fabricates components called load cell elements for weigh scale manufacturers.

This is an equipment intensive business with machines costing from $100,000 to $300,000 each. "It's important to keep current," notes Bronson. "Technology changes so fast, but we have a program to keep up."

North Country has a nationwide and Canadian clientele. He says the Internet makes a very small world and his website www.northcountryeng.com has been a valuable tool in marketing.

The website is used as an online brochure but government agencies look at it as well. The company is listed in CCR, the Central Contractors Registry.

Because there is no large pool of skilled machinists in the area, the company trains employees. This can be a downside because, "we are on the edge of the employment pool so close to the border," says Bronson.

"With the technology today where you are located is irrelevant except for finding employees."

This company plans to grow. In the past 18 months it has added 20 percent to its employee count and is within the top 10 manufacturers in the area.

Of the Newport area, Bronson says too much has been negatively written. He sees good programs emanating from The Agency of Economic Development. The agency, he says, has been asking employers what is needed and then setting up programs to help them while asking companies what they want to see in the training programs.