The founder, Robert M. Hadley, established a metal products company in
Los Angeles in 1929. A man of uncompromising principles, tireless enthusiasm,
and optimistic vision, he served fifty years as the Company's head.
The Company's logo, selected by Robert, is based on the Hadley family crest.
It depicts the dove with olive branch from the story of Noah and the Ark.
The traditional Quaker values of hard work, self-sufficiency, independence,
and an active striving towards peace were fundamental characteristics that
influenced Robert in his formation of the Company and his management style.
In its beginning, the Company fabricated equipment racks, stamped laminations,
and struggled to survive during the Great Depression. The early 1930's brought
a boon to manufacturers of economically produced table-top radios in Los
Angeles. Gilfillan, under license from RCA, was assembling radios at a rate
that could not meet the burgeoning demand. Robert began to take orders for
transformers from "bootleg" radio manufacturers. Driven by economic
necessity, the Company's skilled mechanics designed and built winding machines
on site.
The Company continued to struggle during the 1930's but was able to grow
due to the expanding market and the diversity of producing both transformers
and sheet metal products. The Company developed a reputation for high quality
and a dedication to service.
During the Second World War Robert was approached by an engineer from Gilfillan
who requested the Company's help for the war effort in the manufacture of
military grade hermetically sealed devices. Robert invested heavily in engineering
development and in the machinery needed to help the defense contractors
meet the country's war time needs.
At the conclusion of the war, that same engineer acknowledged the Company's
performance as the magnetics supplier with the best quality record nationwide.
The post war transition brought with it cancellation of military contracts
and the Company's transformer business diminished. However, in 1949 Robert's
son Arthur started with the Company bringing to it his electrical engineering
background and an interest in the transformer portion of the business.
The Company turned to catalog sales of general replacement transformers
for television and radios. Transformers were designed for low distortion,
high efficiency and a ruggedness of construction derived from experience
in producing military grade devices. Arthur promoted flexibility in meeting
customers' special needs. The Company made substantial investments in modern
automatic equipment and pursued a policy of progress and improvement. Arthur's
younger brother, Charles, joined the Company upon completion of his military
service.
The Korean Conflict brought a shift back to military work. The Company grew
again and expanded during the 1950's and 1960's establishing a strong reputation
in the defense industry for quality and reliability. The Company began manufacturing
space grade transformers and inductors at the beginning of the space age.
Early applications of this type were for exploration and scientific spacecraft.
The 1970's brought a great expansion of government and commercial space
work.
Chris Waian, the son of the shop foreman, started at the Company in 1971
after completing undergraduate degrees in math and physics. He did production
work in winding and assembly and later performed special testing and research
projects. While pursuing studies in electrical engineering he began doing
design work. Chris dedicated an increasing amount of effort on space projects
and by the late 1970's was managing the high reliability product line.
Mary Hadley Waian joined the Company in 1980 after graduating with a degree
in Industrial Engineering. Mary concentrated on the production control of
the high reliability product line.
James Hadley joined the Company in 1986 after working as a petroleum engineer.
He assisted Arthur in sales, purchasing, and as a project engineer. James
has served as president since 1993.
In 1993, the third generation acquired majority ownership from Arthur. Chris,
Mary, and James formed a leadership team to combine a new vitality of management
with a commitment to growth. As the essence of management passes from generation
to generation, the Hadley vision remains fixed on the future while all energies
are directed toward customer satisfaction.