When Negaro Jr. succeeded his father — and Chabaso’s founder — Charles Negaro Sr. as CEO in 2019, the torch was passed and with it, the responsibility of keeping the business’ ethos alight. The foundation of this company philosophy can be traced back to Negaro Sr., who ignited the spark years ago after meeting with a former employee whose undiagnosed diabetes caused him to lose part of his leg.

“My dad really took that to heart, like he could have prevented it somehow,” Negaro Jr. said. “That’s the spirit my dad always started things with.”

After hearing the employee’s story, Negaro Sr. was inspired to create and implement a company-assisted healthcare plan in the early ’90s and establish a 401K program with a high match in the early aughts.

“In New Haven and in our area, there are a lot of organizations trying to help employees at other companies or provide [key] services,” said Reed Immer, director of sales and marketing for Chabaso. “For us, the challenge is connecting the dots and making sure we’re embarking on smart partnerships and not trying to reinvent the wheel if there’s an organization around the block that could help, too.”