Seconn News

Metals manufacturer expanding with warehouse in Waterford

By Patricia Daddona
The New London Day, January 2006

Waterford – A local metal manufacturer has purchased a warehouse and land at the corner of Cross Road and Hartford Turnpike for $1.45 million and plans to move his business there.

Rob J. Marelli Jr., 39, who owns Seconn Fabrication Precision Sheet metal at 1068 Hartford Turnpike (Route 850, bought property at 180 Cross Road and 952 Hartford Turnpike on Dec. 20. He made the purchase through R.J. Marelli Jr. Realty LLC of Waterford.

Marelli said Thursday that he left a similar manufacturing firm in July 2003 to start his own company. He said that in the past few years he has expanded from four workers and 5,000 square feet to 30 workers and 35,000 square feet. He expects to eventually employ 40 people.

“While we were young and aggressive, we wanted to continue the growth and get a footprint that could successfully support it,” he said.

Seconn  Fabrication fabricates, cuts, welds and bends steel, aluminum and other alloys that can be used to house emergency lighting on fire trucks, lights in grocery stores, enclosures for computers in banks and display racks at coffee shops, Marelli said.

He recently added powder coating to the list of services he provides.

The company markets its products and services throughout the Northeast, chiefly in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Marelli said.

Last week, Marelli obtained a building permit and has begun refurbishing the warehouse. He also will need a land use permit to design a parking lot and landscape the new property, Planning Director Thomas V. Wagner said.

Marelli hopes to open for business I his new location between April and June.