| Work Detail |
Bob Confer has probably heard it many times before, but the line from the movie “The Graduate” can still make him smile. In the 1967 film, Dustin Hoffman plays a young college graduate getting unsoliticited career advice from a family friend who says to him, as if bestowing a great secret, “Just one word ... Plastics.” That advice has certainly proved true for the Confer family, whose Confer Plastics on Witmer and River roads has been thriving since Bob’s grandfather, Ray, built the business from the proceeds of his Gasport farm. Bob Confer is a third-generation plastics guy. His dad, Doug, with the company since the first day, eventually took over and added to the product line by inventing a plastic funnel for gasoline and fuel. “I like to say we deal in magic,” Bob Confer said during a recent interview at his bustling and expanding plant in North Tonawanda. “We can take little plastic balls and transform them into finished goods that make people happy.” The goods produced there include the bird houses used by retired talk show host Phil Donahue and his wife, actress Marlo Thomas, for their birdwatching website, gazebophil.com; toolboxes with a durable “living hinge” of plastic, invented by his grandfather; a foldable plastic funnel invented by his dad; as well as patio furniture, sleds, boat docks and much more. In addition, the company keeps hiring, making a special emphasis on Burmese workers after three men came to the company from Buffalo recently, looking for work. “When we brought in the three workers, there was a line outside for three days of Burmese workers from Buffalo,” he said. Apparently jobs are hard to come by for the near 9,000 Burmese who came to live in Buffalo after seeking political refuge in the U.S. during upheavals in Burma. Most had been living in refugee camps for many years, he said. Confer Plastics has hired a total of 28 Burmese workers, and Bob Confer hopes to hire more. “They’re really good people,” he said. The Burmese continue to add to the diversity of employees at Confer Plastics, said Confer, a circumstance noticed by tour groups from Leadership Niagara who regularly visit his company. “One thing the Leadership Niagara tours comment on each year is how high our diversity rate is,” he added. The company currently employs about 33 percent minorities. Confer needs more workers. Production was recently increased by about a third, thanks to a major new contract to produce plastic recreational items for a company he cannot name. The contract has allowed Confer to purchase a gigantic new plastics blowing machine which he believes is one of the five largest in the world. That brings his total of plastic product production machines to 19. The plan is to keep on hiring and continue to provide good benefits and a satisfactory wage for the 200 or so employees, while hiring more. Confer hopes to be at 230 employees by January and to continue to maintain his high rate of employee retention, which is just short of 10 years. People stay at Confer, he noted, because they like it there and they like being appreciated. “It’s pretty cool to bring people the quality of life that helps them live the American dream,” Confer said. Confer also supports a wide variety of community organizations and fundraiser by offering plastic picnic sets to those who are holding giveaways, which is deeply appreciated by the community organizations who benefit from his outreach. “They’re a great asset to our community,” said Laura Bernsohn, planning and development specialist for Lumber City Development Corp. “They provide well-paying, quality jobs and they’re committed to North Tonawanda. We hope we can attract more businesses like them. They’re a great company to have in our city.” Doug Taylor, owner of Taylor Devices and head of the economic development committee for the Chamber of Commerce for the Tonawandas, complimented Confer’s capability to not only grow but thrive. “To me that’s proof that, with a lot of work, things made in North Tonawanda can be competitive on a world market. And he has to compete with intelligence rather than low price labor.” Bob Confer, 41, and father of Alexandria, 4, likes to spend time with his daughter and wife, Bernadette, especially out in nature. He writes a nature column for www.allwnynews and also writes a weekly opinion column for the editorial section of the Niagara Gazette. Asked about his main goal, he replies: “Every day to impact as many people as possible, in a good way.” And, then he adds one other goal, evident to those who read his thoughtful columns and commentary: “You should always be learning.” |
