In the autumn of 1941, my grandfather, John A. Lavieri, who was a toolmaker, and his brother, Daniel, who was a building contractor, began a very small tool and die shop. They were encouraged by Prosper, another brother, who later joined the firm. Located in the family’s cow barn, the shop soon filled the entire ground floor. The cows, having dwindled to a very few, were moved to a small outbuilding. The old family barn presently houses the administrative offices of the Company.

During World War II, Sterling worked almost exclusively for the Vought Sikorsky Company which was developing the Corsair fighter plane. Sterling earned an Army-Navy “E” Award for excellence in defense effort and production. After the war, the Company began to expand. Sterling was fortunate in being able to hire skilled toolmakers who lived in the area, but had been working in Hartford, New Britain, and Bristol.

In the early months, John’s sons, Carmine and Joseph, worked in the Company part-time, while finishing their education. They later took full responsibility for the management of the firm with their brother-in-law, David Parsons, who joined the Company in 1947. Under their leadership, Sterling enjoyed a long and steady growth from a fledgling start-up to a mature, progressive company. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, many members of the third generation of the family joined the Company and are operating the Company today.

As time passed, the changing nature of important customers caused a gradual shift from toolmaking to contract machining work. At present, the largest part of Sterling’s work is the machining and assembly of parts for jet engines, land-based gas and steam turbines, semi-conductor machinery, and other process machinery. Sterling met the challenge of the 1970’s and 1980’s in its acquisition and use of tape-controlled machinery. Now as we navigate the new millennium and the computer age, Sterling continues to lead the industry in its use of computer technology to control its systems and its ever-increasing number of state-of-the-art computer numerically-controlled (CNC) machines.

Our success has flowed from the close, mutually beneficial relationships we have developed with our customers throughout our 60-year history. We understand that they depend on Sterling Engineering for reliable, cost-effective service and full, open communication. Our commitment to fulfilling that trust has enabled us to enjoy enduring, profitable relationships with many of our customers for generations.

We welcome you to Sterling Engineering and look forward to developing such a relationship with you.