🔒$10M Westminster Tool builds growth strategy on culture, training and diversification

Westminster Tool in Plainfield specializes in making complex injection mold systems, composite tooling and high-performance components for the defense and medical device industries. But Ray Coombs sees the Quiet Corner company he founded in slightly different terms. “We’re not in the manufacturing industry, we’re in the opportunity business,” he said. By that he means his company is rooted in its human capital and processes. In effect, given the right people and the right approach, he believes, Westminster could be doing anything. It’s a strategy that this year earned Westminster Tool a place in the Manufacturing Hall of Fame, recognized for its recruitment, onboarding and employee-driven culture — which Coombs views not as a “nice-to-have,” but as his competitive advantage. “The only way I’m going to beat everybody is to get the best human beings. Hire for character, train for skill,” he said. And some of that human capital is homegrown: the next generation of Coombs family members is now writing Westminster Tool’s next chapter. Coombs’ daughter, Hillary Thomas, is now vice president of Westminster Tool. Her brother, Colby Coombs, is chief financial officer, and her sister, Hannah Belmont, is the brand and talent manager. The family connections don’t stop there. Hannah’s husband, Micheal Belmont, is sales manager, and Hillary’s husband, Aaron Thomas, is IT manager. “I ​did ​not ​plan ​on ​them ​being ​part ​of ​the ​company,” Coombs said. “But ​when ​they ​came ​back, ​the ​good ​Lord ​just ​stepped ​in ​and ​​said, ‘​okay, ​this ​is ​how ​it’s ​going ​to ​go.’”

Westminster Tool splits its business evenly between defense and medical device clients, with about $10 million in annual sales. But it has big growth plans for the future. The company recently acquired a deep-sea fishing tackle maker in Essex, and plans to diversify into industrial clients in areas like automotive and HVAC.

Turning point

Ray Coombs grew up in a farming family in Canterbury, and always loved working with his hands, describing himself as a kinesthetic learner. While pursuing an engineering degree at Quinebaug Valley Community College, he also held a toolmaking job at a company called Ivanhoe in Thompson — work he soon realized was the “love of his life.” “It took me six months to get the courage up to tell my father I wanted to drop out of college and become a tool-and-die maker,” he said. But he did, and then bought a milling machine and set it up in his basement — following in the grand Connecticut tradition of mom-and-pop manufacturing. His first client was a company that made automated printing presses, and business gradually expanded until it outgrew the basement and relocated to Westminster Tool’s current site, just off I-395 in Plainfield. By 2008, Coombs had 20 employees and a thriving company — until the Great Recession hit and the bottom fell out of manufacturing. The bank called in his loans, and he came close to losing the business altogether. He was saved by one contract from an old friend — his former employer at Ivanhoe. “I don’t know how the hell it happened, but they gave me this $100,000 job,” he recalls. “We got out of it, and from there on we put all of our profit back into infrastructure to promote human capital and opportunities.” It was the turning point for his new approach.

Workforce development

Today, Westminster Tool has 42 employees and a satellite facility in Sterling, and it’s still growing. The company is now making its 10th hire of the year. “One of the things that we’re known for is how we onboard, and our training programs,” said Hannah Belmont, the brand and talent manager. It’s something she credits for helping the company reduce employee turnover in the long run. “Our turnover in the first 90 days is close to the industry average, like 30, 40%,” she said. “But after 90 days and especially after a year, our turnover is like 5%, 10%.” That’s because the company holds new hires to high standards during their first few months, and doesn’t hesitate to part ways with those who aren’t the right fit. “They’re evaluating us, too,” she said. “Is this what they’re looking for?”

The expectations don’t involve prior skills or experience though. Tim Spakowski, who’s currently in charge of the polish department, has been at Westminster for a year. He previously worked as a boat builder and restorer, and had no experience in manufacturing. “They ​keep ​giving ​me ​more ​and ​more ​learning,” he said. “They’re ​moving ​me ​around ​the ​shop. ​I’ve ​been ​in ​four ​different ​departments ​already ​in ​a ​year.” This cross-training is supported by the company’s Westminster Academy, an online learning and assessment program that employees use at their own pace. Workers log when they’ve practiced or mastered a skill, and supervisors verify their progress. “​It’s ​kind ​of ​our ​checklist ​for ​new ​hires,” Spakowski said. “It’s ​a ​really ​good ​guide ​for ​me ​to ​know ​where ​I ​stand.” The other core value Westminster Tool stands by is its investment in emotional intelligence — fostering a workplace culture where teamwork, cooperation and civility are emphasized. Spakowski says it’s a totally new experience for him in his work life. “​I ​come ​from ​jobs ​where ​that ​wasn’t ​the focus ​at ​all, and ​you ​start ​butting ​heads ​more ​than ​you ​would ​really ​like ​to,” he said. “Here, ​if ​you’re ​feeling ​upset, ​overwhelmed ​or ​stressed … ​you ​just ​take ​10 ​minutes, ​calm ​yourself ​down, ​breathe, ​go ​outside.” Everyone in the company — management and employees — comes together at the beginning of each work day for a 45-minute meeting where they give feedback and talk about how the business can be improved. “Our culture is really what attracts people,” said Hillary Thomas, the company’s vice president. And by that she means not just potential employees, but also customers. “We’re not afraid to roll up our sleeves and talk about problems,” she said. “We’re not afraid to take accountability. We’re not afraid to be emotionally intelligent and stay calm. We’re trained to be creative thinkers and problem-solvers.”

Diversification play

Thomas — who, like her brother and sister, grew up on the shop floor — returned to Westminster Tool in 2017 after a career in international sales. She initially thought she was coming back to help her father for a couple of years, but eight years later she sees the family business as her future. She’s now focused on broadening the company’s client base to help recession-proof the business. “We used to have two key accounts, and 20 to 30 accounts that gave us a little bit every year,” she said. “Now, we have the majority of our business coming from about seven to eight businesses. And we have enough of them that if one or two drop off for the year, we can replace them.” She said this past year was the first time the company has operated at full capacity without any lulls, with sales up 15% over that period. But Thomas sees far more potential for Westminster Tool — much of it achievable without major capital investment. Thomas said the company could boost output by an additional $3 million to $5 million simply by making better use of its existing equipment — through added shifts, greater automation, and more efficient use of the machines already on the floor. “We’ve been working on strategically aligning ourselves to have profitable, repeatable work that drives the business success versus just revenue,” she said. The next few years will also involve implementing a succession plan that may see founder Ray Coombs step away from the day to day, although his daughter said she can’t imagine him not being involved in the business in some capacity. Coombs said he has confidence not only in his family leadership team, but also in the young employees they’re cultivating. The average age of his workers has fallen from 52 when he did the business turnaround in 2008 to 31 today. “This young generation, they got it figured out,” Coombs said. “Everybody whines about them — they don’t want to work 100 hours. Right, they want to embrace their fellow human beings. They want to have some compassion.”