Historic East Hampton bell manufacturer Bevin Bros. has a new leader. Cici Bevin, a sixth-generation member of the founding family, will take over as president of the company, stepping up from her current role as chief operating officer.
Bevin will also assume an ownership stake in the company. She is the first woman to lead the 192-year-old business.
Bevin Bros. was founded in 1832 by four brothers, Abner, Chauncey, William and Philo. It was most recently led by Matthew G. Bevin, who in 2015 was elected governor of Kentucky.
Cici Bevin joined the company in 2016.
“Cici has been effectively managing operations at Bevin Bros. for a number of years,” Matt Bevin said in a statement. “This title change is simply a well-deserved reflection of the work she is already doing.”
Bevin Bros. is one of the oldest bell manufacturers still operating in the United States. The company makes most of the bells that the Salvation Army ringers use while fundraising during the Christmas season. It also invented and produced the first bicycle bells, and makes sleigh and ship bells, as well as the bell that was used to open trading on the New York Stock Exchange for many years.
In 2012, its historic East Hampton mill was hit by lightning and razed in the ensuing fire. The company’s existence was in jeopardy, but it had resumed manufacturing in a new facility close to its original site by 2017. Many of the original manufacturing dies were rescued from the ruins of the fire.
Alongside that legacy business, Bevin now also manufactures steel cylinders for compressed gas.
“We see tremendous potential for continued growth,” Cici Bevin said. “We remain fully committed to the long-term strength and profitability of this company.”
