Strong Teams, Growing Companies: Felton Brush

Felton Inc. has experienced many milestones since its establishment in 1852.

When Mark Godfrey joined what was then Felton Brush in 1985 as production supervisor, he began a transition from an old-school hierarchical management style to one that is very open and participatory.

Godfrey became company president in 1997. The following year, Felton moved from Manchester to its state-of-the-art 75,000-square-foot facility in Londonderry.

“I was trying to transition the company from a traditional old-line brush company toward technical assembly,” said Godfrey, who is now Felton’s majority shareholder.

In 2006, the company took its next step in succession planning when President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Boehm joined the team. Boehm began to transform Felton into a market-driven company with a focus on broadening its technical capabilities. In 2007, he led an initiative to purchase Spring Machine to further enhance Felton’s ability to produce highly engineered assemblies.

“Dan brought an inspiring leadership style, along with executive experience in the plastics industry and really changed who we are to the point where we changed our company name in 2010,” said Godfrey. “We’re no longer Felton Brush. We’re Felton Inc., an engineering company that also manufactures.”

The rebranded company incorporates a tagline, “engineered to fit,” which illustrates its focus on advanced technology and full-service manufacturing. “The rebranding has been an extraordinary way of clarifying our mission, both inside and outside the company,” said Boehm. “It’s integrated in all we do and feeds right into the strong ownership culture we have built at Felton.”

Felton serves large and mid-size manufacturers in a broad range of markets. “We work closely with the technical arm of our customers to provide highly engineered solutions from the initial design and development, through the manufacturing and delivery of the finished product,” said Boehm.

Felton’s growth has fueled its continued investment in technology, including innovations with 3-D printing. “We are reinventing ourselves by applying cutting-edge technologies into practical end-use applications,” Boehm said.

As its innovation has expanded, so has Felton’s intellectual property portfolio, with numerous patents both granted and pending.

“There are exciting new markets we’re penetrating. We’ve developed new technology for use in the underground natural gas utility market, which is a radical departure for us when you think of our roots as a brush company,” Boehm said.

Godfrey attributes Felton’s longevity to its long-standing relationships with customers and strong partnerships, including with companies involved with Vested for Growth.

The latter have been forged through Vested for Growth’s CEO PeerLink, confidential peer groups in which CEOs connect and unlock solutions to their business challenges.

“Even though we’re a diverse group of companies, we have similar issues,” Godfrey said. For example, he was able to apply at Felton what he learned about leadership transitions from the experiences of others in the group.

“I’ve seen a lot of value in bouncing ideas off the other members,” Godfrey said.

Boehm looks forward to unveiling the latest representation of Felton’s brand: a 120-foot linear timeline that will welcome visitors to its Londonderry site. It was created with assistance from Image 4, another Vested for Growth partner.

“It’s going to tell the story of Felton from 1852 through today. When you really study the history, you find dramatic and pivotal moments which demonstrate how this company, for 160 years, has prospered as a manufacturer in N.H.,” he said.

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