A quarter of a century ago, Frederick N. Levinger left his job as a marketing
and sales executive to found his own jewelry company called Colibri, Inc.
Levinger's background was unusual in the jewelry industry because most executives came
from the manufacturing sector, but it served his fledgling company well. Instead of
settling for a narrow line of products, Levinger envisioned a broader range, one which
would have wide appeal to a large number of customers.
In the early years, Colibri's principal products were high quality cigarette lighters sold
by jewelry stores. In fact, as recently as 10 years ago, cigarette lighters still made up
more than 80 percent of the company's sales. But in 1984 Colibri acquired Avedon
Manufacturing Corp., a 40-year-old New York manufacturer known for its hand-tooled
prestige men's jewelry. And Colibri was on its way.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, the Colibri of today is a manufacturer and
distributor of a broad line of pocket and wrist watches, pocket and tabletop cigarette
lighters, clocks, pens, novelty giftware and jewelry. The styling of Colibri's core
products range from contemporary gift items such as Mickey & Co. jewelry boxes and
mouse-eared pens to the finest precious metal jewelry. Today, the company has built up a
customer base of nearly 16,000 customers ranging all the way from discounter Wal-Mart's to
the higher-end Tiffany's.
At a time when the state's jewelry industry is struggling in an increasingly international
market, Colibri success in the same market has meant an increase in the number of its
employees. The company has tripled its number of employees in the last 10 years, from
about 150 employees to nearly 450 today. It now stands as the sixth largest employer in
the jewelry manufacturing industry in Rhode Island.
Colibri's expansion came about both by internal change within the company and through
acquisition of other companies. After the company acquired Avedon Manufacturing Corp., the
next two acquisitions were Van Dell, a manufacturer of 14-karat ladies' jewelry, and the
Linden Clock Company, another New York company. The company's latest acquisition, in 1993,
was Dolan & Bullock, which Colibri rescued from bankruptcy. Dolan & Bullock is a
manufacturer of fine quality precious metal jewelry and it significantly improves
Colibri's product line of men's jewelry. The Dolan & Bullock acquisition also saved
over 30 jobs from being lost.
In addition to these acquisitions, Colibri is also the exclusive distributor for Dunhill
pens, watches, lighters and men's jewelry and products with the brand name, Kreisler.
Bucking another trend in the jewelry industry, Colibri has been reducing its imports and
increasing its manufacturing base in Rhode Island. Originally, nearly all the company's
products were imported. However, by 1994 about 40 percent of the company's products were
manufactured here, with the remainder being imported. This happened in a period when most
other manufacturers have had to cut production as competition from imported goods has
reduced their markets.
The company currently operates out of three facilities in Providence with a total office
and manufacturing space of 81,000 square feet. As a result of its growth, the company has
found it necessary to move to larger quarters for the second time in 25 years. (The first
move was in 1988, when it moved its manufacturing operation from 50 Park Lane in
Providence to its current location on Niantic Avenue.)
In anticipation of this new move, the company has been approached by out-of-state economic
development professionals who would like to see Colibri bring its business to their
region. However, Colibri remains committed to its home state because its roots are in
Rhode Island and because of the high quality of the state's labor force. Following this
commitment to Rhode Island, Colibri's management is actively working to see that
businesses here can remain in the state and, at the same time, stay competitive and
profitable.
Today, Colibri is a leader in the jewelry industry. Its success serves as a model for
other businesses. As part of a landmark project, the company is one of eight Rhode Island
companies selected to participate in the Rhode island Industrial Competitiveness Alliance
project. Arthur D. Little & Co. is supporting the research and consulting for this
pilot project for small businesses which seeks to help other businesses improve their
manufacturing efficiency.