Professional Profile: Paul Becker - 1974

Name: Paul Becker - 1974

Title: vice president

Company: Walhimer Agency

Location: West Haven, CT

Becker has established himself in the Greater New Haven area as one of the outstanding leaders in the commercial, industrial and investment field. This, he claims, is due in part to hard work, profound study of the industrial, commercial and investment fields and satisfied clients who return to him for advice and repeat services. He also believes his past experience in industry has played a major part in this, his second career. Becker spent the first 30 years of his business life in the wire and cable industry after two years in civil engineering with the New York Central Railroad. He was employed by Rome Wire Co., later a division of General Cable Corp., as an order chaser. He advanced finally to the position of mill superintendent. He left General Cable during World War II to become assistant general superintendent of Anaconda Wire and Cable Corp. at Hastings-on-the Hudson, N.Y., where he laid out the plant and organized the North Mill. He advanced rapidly in the Wire and Cable industry becoming plant manager of Electric Auto-Lite’s new 168,000 sq. ft. plant at Hazleton, Penn., again laying out the plant and organizing and training the workforce, starting with four experienced foremen and eventually employing over 500 people. He ended his career in manufacturing as vice president of Rockbeston Corp. in New Haven. During these 30 years he was always active in civic organizations and especially local industrial development, but a heart attack in 1957 forced him to leave industrial management. Not ready to retire, he decided he could best use his past experience and training in industrial and commercial real estate. He became associated with Les Walhimer in 1958. Although his training to this point had been only in factory management his past association with prominent men gave him the self assurance he needed to be a salesman. One of his first jobs in his new career was rental agent for College Plaza, the first building to be built in New Haven’s Central City Redevelopment Plan. Since then he became leasing agent for Maltby Plaza and 500 Walley Ave., eventually selling both buildings. He was appointed rental agent for Chapel Square. He leased and planned about 75% of the office space in the 150,000 sq. ft. office tower. Among many transactions in the industrial field, he twice sold a multi-industrial building at 75 Daggett St., New Haven, while acting as leasing agent. During his new career his personal sales have topped $10 million. Becker’s education consists of two years of architecture at Syracuse Univ., B.S. at Hamilton College and night courses in industrial engineering at New York Univ. About 12 years ago, Becker and a small group of New Haven Realtors decided to create a committee specializing in industrial and commercial real estate. From this beginning, the Commercial Investment Division (CID) was formed, first local, then state, then nationwide. Becker credits the accomplishment mostly to the energy and perseverance of Realtor Sam Falman. Becker is presently a director of Conn. CID and active, as usual, on the CID committee of the Greater New Haven Real Estate Board. Becker figures his heart attack in 1957 was a blessing in disguise. Having worked hard all his life, he would not know what to do with himself if he had been forced to retire at 65.