Horst opens new manufacturing facility in East Hartford

Oct. 13—EAST HARTFORD — Horst Engineering formally opened its new manufacturing facility Tuesday, celebrating the growth of Connecticut's manufacturing industry and the evolution of a three-generation family-owned business.

"This is not just a celebration of our grand opening here at 141 Prestige Park Road, but it's a celebration of manufacturing overall and what makes Connecticut special," Scott Livingston, Horst Engineering's chief executive officer, said.

Livingston joined state and local officials in describing the facility's importance to both East Hartford and Connecticut's manufacturing industries, especially the commercial aerospace industry, which experienced a downturn because of COVID-19. Livingston and his father, Stanley Livingston, also chronicled how their family built Horst Engineering into a leading contract manufacturer of precision-machined components.

Colin Cooper, who is Connecticut's chief manufacturing officer, said the military side of the aerospace industry remained strong through the pandemic, but the commercial side "took a big hit," as airlines' passenger counts fell. Cooper said the commercial side is starting to recover, but it's still not all the way back.

Horst Engineering gets its name from Livingston's grandfather, Harry "Horst" Livingston, who fled Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1938, according to his obituary. At that time, typewriter companies dominated the manufacturing industry, Scott Livingston said.

Harry founded Horst Engineering in 1946, and began helping engineers at Hartford typewriting manufacturers such as Underwood and Royal figure out how to build typewriters faster, Livingston said.

"We keep a typewriter around because it's symbolic that you need to change," Livingston said.

The company has embraced change throughout its history. Horst has long served the bicycle products industry, and has manufactured products for various other industries, such as the naval and marine, medical device, and power generation industries. It has even ventured into the commercial sector by selling toys and other accessories on its website.

Horst's current best-selling product is a dreidel that engineers designed for a family day event. The dreidel bodies are made from aluminum, titanium, or stainless steel. And much like the typewriter before it, Horst's dreidel is a symbol of the company's capability and innovation.

What hasn't changed at Horst is the entrepreneurial spirit that runs in the Livingston family. Generations of Livingston family members have worked at Horst, including Stanley and his younger brother, Bert Livingston, who formed a great team even though they had opposite personalities, Livingston said.

Livingston's mother, Adeline Livingston, joined the company in the 1980s, and Livingston referred to her as the hub because she gave the organization direction.

Now Livingston said he discusses business with his children, introducing them to concepts like interest rates and supply chains.

"My children have heard about this project at the dinner table much like I heard about business at the dinner table," Livingston said. "That's what being in an entrepreneurial family is all about."

Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, said family-owned businesses used to be a big part of Connecticut's economy, but have since dwindled.

"That's why we have to celebrate, recognize, and identify ways of trying to strengthen family-based businesses as they grow and become much, much bigger," Anwar said.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, who grew up in East Hartford, called the Livingston family "legendary." Larson said his father worked at aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney for 37 years, and he quoted the company's slogan, "We Keep the Eagle Flying," to emphasize Connecticut's dependence on small manufacturers like Horst Engineering.

"What keeps the eagle flying in East Hartford and around the country are the small manufacturers that produce precision components that power engines whose thrust and energy and heat are so hot, it could melt all that metal in that engine," Larson said.

Horst Engineering's new facility consumes about 7 acres in an East Hartford industrial park on Prestige Park Road. The building's previous tenant ran a flea market, but left the property in "rough shape," Livingston said.

Standing in the mud wearing muck boots, Livingston and one of his advisors made an eleventh-hour deal with the previous owner to purchase the building, he said. According to a company press release, Livingston acquired the property for about $1.5 million in 2019 before completely renovating it.

"It took a dramatic reinvestment to produce what we have here today," Livingston said.

After the press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Livingston gave a tour of the facility. Inside, machinists, programmers, and other employees produced various parts in an assembly line. James Bailey, 51, ground screw tips to a precise point, and programmer Nick Samela, 55, who has worked at Horst Engineering for 19 years, oversaw a machine equipped with high-pressure coolant pumps that sprayed parts to prevent chip buildup.

Livingston said he is optimistic that the aerospace industry will continue its resurgence in Connecticut, and that Horst Engineering will be able to accelerate its operations in the months ahead. Livingston said he also has "high hopes" for the 50-year-old industrial park that houses its facility.

"The industrial park can be better as a result of Horst Engineering upping its game," Livingston said. "It's just like your own neighborhood — when one house gets fixed up, the others tend to follow suit."

Austin Mirmina is the Journal Inquirer's business reporter and also covers the town of Windsor.