Time for annual Harold Webster Smith awards
Tuesday morning, the Waterbury Regional Chamber will honor two area businesses and one entrepreneur during the 25th annual Harold Webster Smith breakfast that will be held at Aria in Prospect. The 2023 recipients are leading examples of small businesses and entrepreneurs who have the vision to expand, diversify, and prosper — even through challenging times.
The 2023 Harold Webster Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award recipient is Maria Bruscino Sanchez, the owner of Sweet Maria’s, Inc., the Waterbury- based bakery that she started in a small space in 1990. Within nine years, the success of her business — based on delicious sweets derived from living with her mother and grandmother — led her to move to a new location and double the size of her space. She has 12 full-time employees, along with seasonal help. Sanchez published her first cookbook, “Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray,” in 1995 and has since published several other baking books. She has been a longtime member of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and is a frequent supporter of many area non-profits and events, including the Business Women’s Forum and golf tournaments.
The 2023 Harold Webster Smith Small Business of the Year Award recipient is Prospect Memorial Funeral Home. Owners Kim and Mike Palmerie, who oversee a staff of nin, recently expanded their business with the construction of a new 10,000- square-foot facility in Prospect on Waterbury Road. The new Prospect Memorial Funeral Home is a modern facility with expanded parking and is fully handicapped accessible. Prospect Memorial opened in 2013 with a mission to serve the families of Prospect, Waterbury, and surrounding towns with compassionate, individualized care. We applaud Kim and Mike for making a major investment to fill a need that they saw.
The 2023 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award recipient is UniMetal Surface Finishing, LLC, which is headquartered in Thomaston and has a facility on East Waterbury Road in Naugatuck. UniMetal Surface Finishing is a diverse metal finishing shop offering several surfaces and finishes across many industries, playing an important behind-the-scenes role in helping more than 300 businesses get their products ready for consumers. Recently, UniMetal was selected as a Products Finishing Top Shop in electroplating and anodizing for 2023 and Senior Vice President-CTO Patrick Hayden was honored with the Silvio C. Taormina Award at the SUR/FIN surface finishing industry trade show in Cleveland. The company employs about 130 and has partnered with other businesses in the area to jump-start a new surface finishing training program for area workers.
The awards are given in honor of Harold Webster Smith, who founded First Federal Savings of Waterbury in 1935 to help people build and buy homes. He served as CEO until 1937, and as chairman of the board until 1995, when First Federal was renamed Webster Bank in his honor.
The Premier Sponsor for this year’s event is Webster Bank; the Supporting Business Sponsors are Ion Bank and UniMetal Surface Finishing; and the Small Business Sponsors are Power-Station Events, Selim & Linda Noujaim, Tomasso Group, and Traver IDC.
If you’d like to register for this event to connect with other area professionals and hear inspiring stories, give us a call at 203-7570701.
Lynn Ward is president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber.
LYNN WARD
