According to news from D'Addario this week, the Town of Babylon and D'Addario & Company took part in a ceremony to unveil street signs on Thursday, September 3, "designating Smith Street, from New Highway to Wellwood Avenue in East Farmingdale, as 'D'Addario Way.' Supervisor Rich Schaffer and members of the Babylon Town Board were joined by members of the D'Addario family for the ceremony."
According to a company statement, "The designation honors D'Addario & Company, the family-owned manufacturer of musical instrument strings and accessories that has operated in the Town of Babylon for decades and today ranks as the largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories in the world. Its products are sold in more than 100 countries."
"D'Addario is exactly the kind of company every town hopes to have," said Supervisor Rich Schaffer. "They could have gone anywhere. Instead, four generations of this family have stayed here, built here, and hired here. When you walk into a music store anywhere in the world and pick up a set of strings, there's a good chance they were made a few blocks from where we're standing. Putting the family name on this street is a small way of saying what that has meant to this community."
The statement continues, "The D'Addario family's string-making trade dates to the 1600s in Salle, Italy, and came to New York in 1905 when the family emigrated to Astoria, Queens. The business that exists today was formed in 1974 and moved to its Farmingdale campus in 1994, where it continues to design and manufacture products used by musicians at every level. The stretch of Smith Street now carrying the family name runs directly past that campus."
“The Town of Babylon has been our home for more than 50 years and this recognition is truly an honor for our family and family of employees," said D'Addario & Company CEO John D’Addario III. Having “D’Addario Way” run through the heart of our operations is a reminder of where we came from and the community that helped us get here.”
“The Town of Babylon has been the home of our family business for more than 50 years across multiple generations of our family and the families of many of our employees," he told MC. "The designation of D’Addario Way is an honor and a source of great pride among our loyal workforce, many of which not only call Babylon their place of work but also their home. It is our hope that it will be the home of our global business for generations to come.”
