BRISTOL – City leaders congratulated Alloy Welding, a third generation business, on 85 years of operation in the city.

Alloy Welding, located at 233 Riverside Ave., works with steel, stainless steel, aluminum, cast iron, copper, titanium and other metals. The company, which employs 15 people, offers custom services including metal fabrication, welding and water jet cutting.

Darren Frechette, president and general manager, said that Alloy Welding was started by his grandfather in 1937.

“The first location was just down the street and it was there through World War II,” he said. “After the Flood of 1955, in 1956, this space became available. He used to walk here every day to work from his house on Blakeslee Street. Gradually, he added onto it and it grew to 14,000 square feet.”

Frechette said that he has three children and four stepchildren, including his oldest son who is a mechanical engineer. He is hopefully that one of them will continue the family business.

Frechette attributes the success of Alloy Welding to the experience handed down to them and “a lot of good people” working for the company for many years.

“In Bristol, we’ve developed a reputation for quality,” he said. “If there’s a problem, we fix it and make it right. We have made connections with a lot of businesses and a lot of people have recommended us through word of mouth.”

Some of the projects that Alloy Welding is currently involved in include the railings at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington and the steps at Huntington Woods. They have also repaired the rides at Lake Compounce.

A new development at Alloy Welding is the introduction of hand-held laser welding. This new technology, Frechette said, came out about a year ago and will result in a “complete change” in the way he does business.

“It’s a lot more precise and works better with thinner materials,” he said. “It will greatly expand our capabilities.”

Mayor Jeff Caggiano said that the city presents plaques to businesses every 5 years after they have been in business in Bristol for 25 years. Alloy Welding, he said, was one of the older plaques presented, “about half-way to Lake Compounce or Barnes.”

“One of things I have come to understand as mayor is how smaller and medium-sized manufacturing companies have been so important in supporting our local economy,” said Caggiano.

Frechette said that he is “glad to have a mayor that is interested in small businesses.” Having recently completed a roof replacement, he plans to work with the city on finding a way to expand his current space. He said that he wants to be a part of the city’s efforts to revitalize Riverside Avenue.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.

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