By Owen Boss and Ben Storrow
Staff Writers
NORTHAMPTON - The Berkshire Electric Cable Co. in Leeds will double its employees to about 70 after it was sold this week to the Champlain Cable Corp. of Vermont.
Executives at both companies said that Champlain Cable wants to use Berkshire Electric's knowledge of electric wiring used in hybrid automobiles.
Garson R. Fields Jr., whose father Garson R. Fields Sr. established Berkshire Electric in the center of Leeds in 1949, said Champlain Cable was dedicated to expanding operations at the River Road plant, where the company has been based since 1954.
"It's really pretty simple. You do what's in your family's best interests and then, if you're like me, you do what's best for your employees," Fields said, explaining the sale. "It's a big opportunity for me and the community because Champlain is going to double the work force here, probably by the end of the year."
The younger Fields joined the company in 1974, and became president after Fields Sr. died in an airplane crash in 1986.
Richard A. Hall, president of Champlain Cable, said the decision to purchase Berkshire Electric was an easy one and was made in an effort to expand his company's offerings and streamline distribution.
"Our sales are up significantly, and this is just a really good fit for us," Hall said. "Half of their business is producing our existing products and the other half is creating wires and cables for pleasure boats, and that is a market we were looking to get involved with."
Both Hall and Fields declined to reveal the price paid for the Leeds company. Fields did not disclose how long the two parties had been in negotiations, but said he had established a strong working relationship with Champlain Cable over the years.
The Vermont company's interest in Berkshire Electric was largely driven by the latter's expertise in larger electric cables, Fields said. The electric wiring industry has generally followed a trend of miniaturization recently, he said, in which the electric cables being produced became smaller and smaller.
But with the advent of hybrid automobiles, there's a growing need for larger electric cables that can deliver more power to a vehicle, Fields said. Berkshire Electric has experience with such wiring and Champlain Cable is looking to become a major player in the hybrid auto market, Fields said.
"They needed to expand their capacity," he said. "Champlain are major players in the automotive industry, and I think it is a win-win for everybody."
According to the company's website, Champlain Cable manufactures high-performance wire and cable products that are sold to automotive, industrial, military and data markets. The company has a 200,000-square-foot facility in Colchester, Vt., and recently built an 80,000-square-foot facility in El Paso, Texas.
Champlain is part of the American Industrial Acquisition Corp., a group of 36 manufacturing companies with 5,422 employees in 13 countries.
Berkshire Electric, which now has 35 employees, produces cable sold to boating, specialty electronic and appliance companies. All current employees were officially terminated Friday and rehired Monday.
As part of the asset transfer, Hall said, Berkshire Electric will continue operating as an independent division of Champlain Corp. The decision to continue running Berkshire Electric as it has in the past, Hall said, is a testament to the company's lasting success.
"The cable production community is pretty incestuous, so I've known Garson for a long time," Hall said. "Berkshire has done some great work for us over the years, and we want to continue that."
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com. Ben Storrow can be reached at bstorrow@gazettenet.com.
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