Manufacturing may seem like a man’s world, the ultimate man’s world, in fact. Even Rosie the Riveter was told to go home after World War II ended.
Still, women had proven themselves in manufacturing, and today women like Bonnie Del Conte have gone one better.
Del Conte, a Bristol native who is president and CEO of Rocky Hill-based business consulting firm CONNSTEP, is used to getting small- and medium-size manufacturers in shape.
In the movies, a character resembling Del Conte, the business consultant, would show up at a manufacturing facility and immediately butt heads with grizzled veterans of the shop floor.
“What does she know?” they would ask before trying their best to sabotage her efforts.
But the truth, especially in times like these, is much different.
“We are a no-nonsense resource organization for manufacturers to maintain stability and stay competitive,” Del Conte explained. “And it’s remarkable that there are so many proactive manufacturers. They are very lean and running very efficiently. You forget there are so many great companies here in Connecticut.”
And many of them are greater because of Del Conte’s efforts.
An accounting graduate of Central Connecticut State University and a licensed CPA, Del Conte had manufacturers as clients when she worked in the accounting field.
When she came to CONNSTEP seven years ago, it was for a position in the finance division. She’s been president and CEO for four years.
But Del Conte, 54, is much more than a numbers-cruncher.
She’s active in the community and has served on several energy or environment-related task forces and committees at the state level, including former Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s task force on the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Perhaps closest to her heart, though, is her hometown, Bristol, and, in particular, its rich manufacturing history.
Del Conte sits on the advisory committee of the Bristol Historical Society. Having grown up in town, she’s seen the sweeping changes that turned Bristol from a hub of automotive manufacturing to a bedroom- and office-park community.
“Our local history is tied to manufacturing,” she said. “New Departure, a bearing company that produced products for General Motors, had 20,000 employees” at its Bristol facility during its heyday.
There’s still some manufacturing in Bristol, including springs, and some aerospace and defense business, but the sector has undergone a shift from the days when Bristol made everything from auto parts to clocks to brass.
Del Conte points out that the historical society as an entire room dedicated to the wide array of products that were made in Bristol.
Del Conte takes a lot of pride in her hometown, and pride is a quality she says is key for Connecticut’s manufacturers in today’s ultra-competitive, global economy. And that’s true for companies run by men and women alike.
“It’s interesting. There are a few manufacturing companies that are run by women, but they are certainly in the minority,” Del Conte said.
In the end, though. It doesn’t matter who’s running the company as long as he or she is doing it right.
“We see it from the same perspective. Companies that get it all see it the same way: Pride in their products and good business strategy. If there’s a good plan, if it’s run by a woman or a man, it’s pretty much the same,” she said.
Del Conte’s simple, tough, effective approach to manufacturing certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. In a positively glowing nomination for the Hartford Business Journal’s Women In Business award, John C. Kornegay, president of Middletown-based Kaman Precision Products, said Del Conte has left her mark on Kaman, Kamatics and the Aerospace Manufacturers Consortium, of which he is a past president.
“Bonnie is a tireless supporter of manufacturing in Connecticut,” Kornegay said. “I give Bonnie all the credit for creating the organization which has enabled these innovative services.”
Running a manufacturing company is a tall order for anyone. Running an organization charged with bringing manufacturers up to speed on the latest business strategies, lean manufacturing initiatives and efficiency programs is equally challenging.
To unwind, Del Conte is, of course, competitive, or at least somewhat competitive. She enjoys swimming and golf, although she admits, “I’m not a great golfer, but I love golf.”
She also is an avid reader and hiker, and frequents the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, which straddles Bristol and Burlington.
Del Conte has seen women’s role in business change tremendously over time. And one thing women have learned over the years is how to support each other. That support didn’t necessarily exist for women who broke into the patriarchal working world a couple of generations ago.
“Women have found a lot of opportunity for great networking, and they are extremely good at supporting one another,” Del Conte said.
Name: Bonnie Del Conte
Occupation: President and CEO, CONNSTEP Inc., Rocky Hill
Location of business: Rocky Hill
You should know: Bristol native with an accounting degree from Central Connecticut State University and a certified public accountant. To sate her passion for manufacturing history, she sits on the advisory committee of the Bristol Historial Society. She is past president of the Aerospace Manufacturers Consortium.
Favorite coffee spot: “Dunkin Donuts. I pick one up on my way to work: Light and sweet regular.”
– John C. Kornegay, president, Kaman Precision Products
