Occasionally we chance upon some gems in the rough and do not realize their true potential until later when someone points out to us what we have found. This is one of the benefits of networking. The ASM Hartford Chapter provides many opportunities to network. Our premise, as your chapter officers, is to provide the opportunities to discover these rough gems, letting you develop their true potential for you and your business. It is our hope that you come upon many gems as you navigate our web pages, attend our monthly meetings and network among your fellow chapter members.
A recent business adventure in mid June took me through Berwick, Pennsylvania where I chanced upon the old American Car and Foundry (ACF) complex. Up until the late 1950's this facility made railroad cars, including the Pullman Sleeper, other passenger cars and a variety of cargo cars. During WWII, tanks and similar armored vehicles where made at the complex. It now has a new life as a industrial development area as ACF moved out during facility consolidations around 1960. That was the fall out of the downturn in the railroads due to pressures from the trucking industry. The widow of a Berwick doctor induced the manager of the Berwick Industrial Development Agency (BIDA) to give me a tour of the facility and the new business at the old ACF complex. The BIDA complex is the first rough gem that I identified on this adventure. In the complex are a Foundry, a Ribbon Manufacturer, builder of truck trailers and modular housing, a PCF plastic recycling plant and a high tech manufacturer of electromagnetic devices, Rotech Electronics, Inc.
As your Chapter Secretary, a metallurgist with Aerospace experience, a contributor to the Advanced Materials Sub-cluster, and an independent business owner, I found Rotech Electronics, Inc.'s history fascinating. From its formation in the 1960's to five years ago, this company was located on Long Island, NY near Grumman Aerospace. Many of Rotech's devices have served faultlessly in aircraft, submarines, the space shuttle, the Hubble Telescope and numerous deep space probes. It is a small business employing seven people. The nucleus of the operation is the President and Owner Jerry Owens, the son of Rotech's founder. As typical of small businesses, Jerry is also chief engineer, production supervisor, employee trainer and marketing manager. Jerry's wife is the chief financial officer, information manager and secretary, supporting the business in many necessary ways. Rotech is more than the typical "father and son" or "mom and pop" business. It is unique in its high tech products and manufacturing methods. Rotech is the second gem of this adventure. Jerry told me that Rotech was forced out of Long Island due to the taxes and many state/county regulations required for business of any size to operate there. Rotech found an ideal site at the BIDA complex. He is anxious to tap the possibilities of the Digital Greenhouse, which is a Pennsylvania cluster initiative in the Pittsburgh area.
What rough gems can you find through ASM Hartford? What are the worth of these gems to you? If you keep your networks open, you too can discover gems in the rough and develop them to their true potential. I hope to see you at the next Chapter Meeting.
Arnie
Grot
ASM Hartford Chapter Secretary