Orchard Park‐Based Curbell, Inc. Celebrates 75 Years of Growth and Evolution in 2017
What started as a macaroni producer and a small machine shop located in the heart of Buffalo’s industrial district in 1942 has become one of the nation’s leading suppliers of plastic products and a leading medical device manufacturer. Today, Orchard Park‐based Curbell, Inc., parent company of Curbell Plastics, Inc. and Curbell Medical Products, Inc. is celebrating its
75th year in business with a full year of activities to mark the occasion and its history.
Curbell kicked off its official anniversary this week with an internal communication and giveaways for employees. In May the company has organized an Anniversary Walk with donations going to the charity of each participating employee’s choice, and an Anniversary Party will be held in June. The events will take place at its corporate headquarters in Orchard Park, NY as well as office locations nationwide. Tina Sabuda, Vice Chair of the Board for Curbell, Inc. commented, “Curbell has gone through some incredible changes over the years and has been able to leverage new opportunities leading to our continued growth. It is testament to the innovation and creative problem solving that have always been our hallmarks, and to our employees who thrive in an entrepreneurial and innovative environment. Our employees set the bar high when serving our customers.”
The privately held, family‐run business is currently led by the third generation of the Leone family. Brothers Edmond and Leonard Leone founded the original company, located on Hertel Ave. in Buffalo, NY in 1942. The company began to evolve when local aerospace manufacturers approached them to fabricate parts for their businesses in the machine shop. This led to experimenting with a relatively new material called “plastic” and Curbell Machine Company was formed. The Curbell name originated from a combination of its two original customers: Curtiss Wright and Bell Aircraft. By the 1970’s the company was forming a national distribution network for its new polymer materials. Today, Curbell Plastics is one of the nation’s premier suppliers of plastic sheet, rod, tube, and related materials, with 17 sales and distribution centers located throughout the United States.
The evolution and growth continued with Curbell Medical Products as a new division, growing from the company’s Plastics business. The company partnered with General Electric to fabricate parts for a line of wired remote control units for its hospital televisions, commonly known as “pillow speakers.” The company leveraged its assembly expertise to build relationships with other television manufacturers, including Zenith, RCA, and Admiral, until Curbell became the industry’s largest supplier of replacement pillow speaker units.
Today, Curbell has 461 employees in 18 locations and is frequently cited as one of Buffalo’s fastest
growing companies in Business First of Buffalo.