CEO daughter tends to family company's roots

Hanging near the door of her office in Hauppauge is a photo of a 5-year-old Anne Shybunko-Moore celebrating her graduation from nursery school with her father.

"That picture, for me, represents a lot," says Shybunko-Moore, who is now owner of aircraft-parts maker GSE Dynamics Inc., the company Daniel Shybunko founded in 1971. "We're still side by side," she said of her father, who remains chief executive.

The youngest of five children, Shybunko-Moore recalls tagging along with her father every Saturday when he went to work. "He's been showing me parts since I could walk."

Shybunko-Moore, 38, is co-chair of the manufacturing committee of the Hauppauge Industrial Association and a former physical therapist. She is married and has four sons.

How do you motivate people during an economic downturn?
"I communicate how we're doing -- good and bad. If we miss a target month, they know it. I've just been doing a lot more talking with them about how each job is running and some of my future goals."

What are your plans to grow the business?
"We just went through a big growth phase -- 2004-2005 was a huge pivotal point in the history of the company, where we went from one building, 32 people, doing $5 million to $6 million. And now five, six years later, we're doing double the revenue and not quite double the amount of people. Now it's really stabilizing after the growth.

"Along with what's going on in the economy,  of course, cash flow and access to money is critical. I certainly don't want to get too big too fast.

"I don't have dreams of being a 100-people public company. I'd like to keep it in the roots of the culture where it's manageable. I know everyone that works for me. We're a second family here, something that I cherish. That was the philosophy that my father set."

What do you look for in hiring?
"Good solid people. I need to bring in some young folks who are willing -- and this is so important right now -- to be mentored. The generation right now is feeling somewhat entitled to certain things, and a big push for me here is that you need to be mentored, you need to be taught.

"You don't come in with full knowledge of the field. When I'm looking at hiring people, I'm looking at potential, making sure that they're open to learning the business and learning the trade."

What's your strategy for taking on the competition?
"Honestly, it's not worrying about the competition. I focus on what we do and do it well. I'm not a cutthroat person. If you stay true to what you do and to your ethics and your quality, then there's enough for everybody."

What would you change about Long Island?
"The critical thing is to figure out how to keep our young folks on Long Island. And to create jobs and career paths that will encourage them to stay here and see it as a viable place to raise a family. We have to get away from a service-focused [economy] and get back to the days of making things."