Camio Custom Cabinetry named New England Family-Owned Business of the Year

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has named Camio Custom Cabinetry of Canton as the 2017 Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England.

Camio Custom Cabinetry headquarters on Jackson St.

Camio Custom Cabinetry earned the recognition for its success as a third generation family business — committed to its customers, employees and manufacturing high-quality products with old-fashioned craftsmanship. Camio manufactures custom cabinetry and millwork for residential projects that include custom kitchen and bath remodeling as well as commercial projects consisting of working mostly with general contractors and builders on office space buildouts, medical buildings, and apartment and condo projects.

“The Jeff Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year Award is very special here in New England, being named for the late New England Regional Administrator Jeff Butland, a tireless advocate of family owned small businesses,” said Robert Nelson, SBA Massachusetts District director. “Seventy years ago, Mr. Domenic Constantino started his family business out of a 350-square-foot building in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood with little more than a handheld saw and a few dozen boxes of nails, and the business has now passed on to the third generation, which is phenomenal in this day and age. The business website speaks to the importance Camio places on family and community, which is what makes family-owned businesses so special.”

Through the years, the quality of their work became well known in the industry and Camio kept outgrowing facilities — moving to larger spaces to keep up with demand. Domenic’s grandson Michael Shea eventually brought his talents in woodworking to the company. Dominic’s other grandson Chris later joined the company as vice president of business operations, focused on streamlining operations and expanding marketing, customer relations and business development efforts. Cousins Chris and Michael began taking over the management of the business, and in 2011 they officially purchased the business from Robert and Donald.

In early 2011, Chris started receiving counseling from Melinda Ailes, senior business advisor at the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center network, to explore the possibilities of purchasing the business, and her assistance turned out to be invaluable. Chris has also taken classes with Cliff Robbins, also of the MSBDC network, to assist with various business development programs.

“I can’t put enough value to the advice and education I received from both Melinda and Cliff,” said Chris Constantino, now president of Camio Custom Cabinetry. “On top of that, the work I did with Beth Davis in the SBA Emerging Leaders Program gave you the confidence to strike out and make things happen. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Today, with the third generation continuing to build the business — Chris as the president and Michael as the vice president and chief operating officer — a new chapter has begun. Camio is keeping pace with a changing industry and continues to grow by staying current with the latest state-of-the-art machinery and equipment. Camio is currently located on Jackson Street in Canton and has become a leader in the manufacturing of frameless cabinetry throughout New England.

Sales have continued increasing exponentially as a result of the investment in new equipment and change in the manufacturing process. At the end of 2016, Camio purchased a countertop manufacturing company that will lead to another expansion for manufacturing. Camio plans to open a 4,500-square-foot design center on the first floor of the newly acquired space.

Chris also stays active in the community and continues to grow the business with the support of the SBA small business resource network. Chris received SCORE counseling in 2012 and was a graduate of SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative program. He also completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program — all of which helped Camio grow its business from six employees in 2011 to 14 employees today.

Chris has also served on the board of directors for the Northern New England Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association for eight years, including service as president. He also founded Trips for Kids Boston, a mountain biking program for underprivileged kids, and was awarded the Neighborhood Hero Award and the Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us Award. He has also raised over $75,000 for various charities on cycling rides and is the treasurer for Plymouth Youth Soccer and Boy Scout Troop 9.

The Family-Owned Business of the Year award is presented annually to a family-owned business with at least a 15-year track record that has passed from one generation to another.

Camio Custom Cabinetry was nominated by Kathleen Kelly, VP, SBA relationship manager of Leader Bank. Chris Constantino and Michael Shea accepted the award at an SBA luncheon ceremony at Granite Links Golf Club on Tuesday, May 2.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on May 12 2017. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.