History & Future

Company History & Future

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

In the 1960s, a hardworking and ambitious young man in Franklin, Massachusetts was building his career working as a chemical technician for a manufacturer of eyeglasses. As those with an entrepreneurial spirit will do, he wondered whether some of the technologies used for coating eyeglass frames could be used elsewhere. Specifically, he wondered if he could use what he’d learned about eyeglass coating chemistries to satisfy product needs he had heard in the woodworking industry. His suspicions were correct and in 1971, armed with his drive to succeed and his business acumen, Carmine M. Iannuzzi founded what is now Camger Coatings Systems, Inc.

 

As with many small businesses, Camger started in humble beginnings. Launched in a basement storefront, which doubled as a hat store (see photo), Carmine went to work serving his clients by filling small batch orders of lacquers and adhesives with one 55 gallon drum mixer and a bench top drill press for smaller batches. His sons, daughters, and wife were among the first employees on his payroll. They learned about the value of hard work in that basement storefront by filling, labeling, and packaging gallon and quart containers. As a family, the Iannuzzis put in the overtime to get their business off the ground.



PHOTO LEFT: Carmine outside of the "hat store" with company van

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Inside a few years, Camger had grown enough to move into their first dedicated manufacturing facility, on Fisher Street in Franklin, Massachusetts. To handle that growth, Carmine purchased a box truck to replace the van for shipments, hired a driver, increased the production staff, which included adding a production foreman, and hired a bookkeeper. With their staff approaching 10 employees in the new facility, what had been a "mom and pop shop" company with a staff made up mostly of immediate family was rapidly turning into a scaled-up manufacturing business. And people were noticing.

ACQUISITIONS AND BURGEONING FRIENDSHIPS

Year after year, Camger’s business continued to grow, and more staff was brought onboard to support the business. By 1976 they had outgrown the Fisher Street facility and purchased the 35,000 square foot building which is  the current headquarters and site of manufacturing in Norfolk, Massachusetts . Bolstered by a strong customer base, which valued Camger’s emphasis on customer service and personal relationships, the company was faced with a new challenge. With the woodworking industry evolving and customers approaching with new product demands, Camger needed to find a way to diversify their product offerings in a short period of time. So, in 1978, Carmine decided to engage an opportunity to purchase Burgess Fobes and Company out of Portland, Maine. Burgess was known for oil paint, varnish, stains, and enamels, which would considerably add to Camger’s product arsenal, along with Burgess’ rich history of industry knowledge dating back to its founding in 1878. But Carmine wasn’t the only business-savvy entrepreneur who viewed Burgess as an opportunity for expansion. Brian Falder, son of a founder of HMG Paint Ltd in the U.K., had a vested interest in who was pursuing acquisition of Burgess Fobes, as HMG needed to confirm that they could continue to work through Burgess to serve their U.S. accounts. Through Carmine’s purchase of Burgess, a lifelong friendship with the Falder family formed which would prove to be pivotal in the lives and prosperity of both of their families. 

PHOTO: (Maine Historical Society) Burgess Fobes & Co. of Portland, Maine

BUILDING ON A FOUNDATION

The acquisition of Burgess not only added to Camger’s product portfolio, it also opened access to new territories and customers, thus increasing the company’s sales footprint. With the transition going well, it was time to finalize the integration of Burgess into Camger. In 1980, the company consolidated their manufacturing operations and office administration, bringing everything from Burgess in Portland down to the Camger’s facility in Norfolk. 

 

With Camger now sitting on a robust foundation of product lines, as well as a stable and growing customer base, the company was positioned to build on this foundation for many years to come. Carmine remained remarkably engaged in the community, particularly in Franklin, where he lived and started his company. Afforded by his success and his generous spirit, he was known for his philanthropic pursuits in supporting other small businesses trying to make their way, as well as his contributions to society through his membership and contribution to the Rotary Club of Franklin, where their motto is “Service Above Self.” He was also a member of the National Paint and Coatings Association, President of the New England Coatings Association, and Chairman of the Mass Paint Council.


NEW GENERATIONS

A man of unflinching ambition and courage, who never lost sight of the importance of others, founder Carmine M. Iannuzzi passed in 1996, leaving leadership of the business to his children who had been active in it. Having picked up the torch, the second generation of ownership continues to carry Camger forward to new heights while maintaining the core values which Carmine had founded the business on. 


During the years following Carmine’s untimely passing, the New England paint and coatings industry saw aggressive consolidation as smaller companies could no longer compete with large national corporations. Many of the New England companies also moved their operations to the deep South, where attractive tax and labor incentives were offered by various states. Despite this, Camger remained stalwart and New England proud. Carmine knew the value of family-owned, family-run business with a local mindset and his children do, too. So while most small coatings companies were either bought up or moving out, Camger remained privately held and thriving in Norfolk, Massachusetts. More than just standing strong while others folded, over the next two decades Camger experienced tremendous growth, both organically and through acquisition. 



PHOTO RIGHT: Founder Carmine Iannuzzi, taking care of business.

ACCOLADES

PHOTO: Debra Degrazia, Dan Iannuzzi, and Tom Meisner at the Massachusetts State House

receiving Camger's Manufacturer of the Year award in 2018.


Dan Iannuzzi and his sister Debra not only focused on successfully growing the business, they also strengthened Camger’s internal infrastructure. To this end, in 2008 Camger successfully achieved ISO 9001:2000 accreditation and presently holds ISO 9001:2015 accreditation. In recent years, under the leadership of company president Dan Iannuzzi, Camger has consistently engaged the optimization of our ERP software, resulting in successful implementation of improved, function specific, planning systems. Dan and Deb have also pursued identifying and hiring talented employees to fill strategic positions in the company. These efforts have now brought the staff count to approaching 40 – a far cry from the original four back in 1971! This has made the company stronger and better able to support the tremendous growth it has experienced since 2010. The combination of these efforts and more led to the achievement of being the Manufacturer of the Year award recipient for our region of Massachusetts in 2018. State Representative Shawn Dooley, seen above, is known for his extraordinary efforts in supporting Massachusetts business. This is just another testament to that fact.

NEW ENDEAVORS

Come be a part of Camger's rich history!

After over 50 years of hard work, commitment to the cause, and little bit of “buona fortuna,” Camger finds itself stronger and better poised for growth than ever. We are presently working on what will be our new 20,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which will sit on six acres of land adjacent to the existing building in Norfolk. This new facility will allow for state of the art controls leading to streamlined and safe manufacturing. Something great for coatings is happening near the South Shore of Massachusetts. Come be a part of Camger’s rich history…and promising future! .

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