About Our Engineered Products Company

Connor Corporation is an engineered products company based in Fort Wayne, IN, manufacturing components and sub-assemblies for automotive, truck, appliance, industrial, consumer electronics, and medical applications. Our global manufacturing network of forging, casting, machining, metal injection molding (MIM), powdered metal, and rubber molding factories produce components made from steel, aluminum, zinc, brass, copper, and rubber.

A Comprehensive Approach

Our customers bring us their drawings and engineering specifications, and we do the rest. We manage the process from quoting your mechanical components, designing and building tooling, manufacturing components and sub-assemblies, shipping of your components to our distribution centers in North America and then sending your components to your factory or shipping directly from our factories to your factories in Asia. We handle all manufacturing, import logistics (including freight and duty) while providing full engineering and quality control support services locally and at our factories. We provide inventory-stocking programs for your components, so you have a local supplier with a short supply chain and the ability to respond to fluctuations in requirements.

Multinational Reach

Our engineered products company has multinational delivery capabilities and currently ships throughout America and Asia. Our customer base includes many Fortune 500 companies.

Why choose Connor?

Corporate Headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana housing our engineering, customer service, sales, executive and administrative team
Distribution centers in Indiana and Texas, a “Foreign Trade Zone” facility to service our customers with factories in Mexico, with the ability to ship direct from our factories to our global customers
Manufacturing in the U.S. and in Low-Cost Countries throughout Asia
Bi-Lingual Engineering and Quality Personnel in China
Bi-lingual engineering and quality personnel in Asia providing “boots on the ground” support
Connor and its manufacturing partners are ISO 9001-2015 certified, with many partners TS or IATF 16949 certified as well as ISO14001 certified
Providing Engineered Mechanical and Rubber Components for Our Customers in North America

Management Team

William S. Esther

Chairman and CEO

Mr. Esther has 40+ years of progressive operational and sales experience in both public and private companies. He has worked with such companies as Manville Corporation and Johnson and Johnson in various plant Superintendent and divisional Director of Manufacturing and Engineering roles. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Esther was involved in the plastic injection molding industry in the capacities of General Manager and Vice President of Operations. Since 1998, Mr. Esther has been employed by Connor as its President and was instrumental in developing its Far East connection utilizing his extensive experience in this area. He was named Chairman of the Board in late 2002. Mr. Esther holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia and has attended the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Yvan Carriere

President and COO

Mr. Carriere has 30+ years of progressive financial and business management experience in both public and private companies in the United States and Canada. He spent his first 17 years in financial roles in various industries with such companies as Ernst and Young, Ambrosia Chocolate, and the Katy Inc. group of companies (Gemtex Abrasives, Glit/Microtron, Woods Industries). Since 2003, he has led various consumer products businesses ranging from $55M to $200M in revenue. While at Woods Industries Canada, Mr. Carriere successfully led the business through a major change in business model in 2003/2004, moving from domestic manufacturing to 100% global sourced in response to a shift in buying models by major retailers. In 2007, he was also named the President/CFO of Woods Industries in the United States where he executed a turnaround plan that resulted in the successful sale of the business to Coleman Cable Inc. With Coleman Cable, he led the $200M consumer products division to record EBITDA in 2013 and 2014.

Mr. Carriere joined Connor Corporation in May 2015 as their Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and in December 2015 was promoted to President and COO.

Rick Ludwig

Director of Finance & Administration

Mr. Ludwig has 23 years of financial management experience in primarily small to mid-sized manufacturers in Northeast Indiana. He began his career as an auditor with Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) and Ernst & Young. During his time at Ernst & Young, Mr. Ludwig served small to mid-size manufacturing clients. He went onto work for one of his clients, Metal Spinners, where he oversaw their finance, IT and HR functions. In addition, he assisted in an acquisition, two venture capital buyouts, bank refinancing, ERP system implementation, and cost-cutting projects that saved the company over $100,000. He went onto serve as Corporate Controller for DeKalb Molded Plastics, a market leader of structural foam molded products, and CFO for Brindle Products, a market leader in the fabrication of specialized delivery trucks and utility trailers. He has focused his efforts on streamlining, cost-cutting and simplifying the backroom operations of his employers. Mr. Ludwig holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Purdue University. He is a member of the AICPA and Indiana CPA Society.

Mr. Ludwig joined Connor Corporation in December 2016 as their Financial Controller overseeing the accounting function. In December 2017, Mr. Ludwig was promoted to Director of Finance & Administration and was given responsibility for the purchasing, warehousing, and customer service functions.