The state of Connecticut will aid Boardman Silversmiths Inc.'s move from Meriden to Wallingford, ensuring the company and its 11 employees stay in Connecticut. The company also plans to create 10 more jobs within three years.
The company was looking for a larger facility to expand its line of silver and pewter products by as much as 33 percent and plans to add new and more efficient tools and dies to its inventory of equipment. Georgia officials contacted Burton Boardman about moving his business there, but after working with Connecticut officials, a Wallingford site was chosen as a prime location.
The state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is assisting this project with a $147,512, low-interest loan through the Small Manufacturers Competitiveness Fund to help the company purchase machinery and equipment and upgrade their new facility.
T.D. and Sherman Boardman first established a pewter and silver business in Hartford along the Connecticut River in 1798. Eventually other family members set up shop in other cities. These businesses have been passed down through nine generations of Boardmans, with the name becoming is synonymous with quality and fine craftsmanship in silver and pewter manufacturing. Burton Boardman, who purchased his business from his father Joseph in 1985, plans to sell to his sons, daughter, niece or nephew.
