 It sounds cliché to
say that George LaFrazia is a living example of the American Dream,
but one would be hard pressed to find a more perfect example. Born
in 1937 New York, a post-depression baby to an Italian-American
family, George knew hardship and poverty firsthand. At age 11,
his first job was as a pin setter in a bowling alley.
Throughout
his childhood and early teen years, George worked at least 2 jobs
to help support his single mother and 3 younger siblings until
the age of 17, when he joined the Marines. The Marines gave George
a skill. "At that time, anyone with a decent IQ was sent to technical
training," says George. For him, technical school opened a door
to a new passion... electronics.
After his 3-year tour with the Marines, George left to further
pursue his education in electronics, majoring in mathematics at
NYU, and studying science at Cooper Union. During his studies,
George had the opportunity to move to California and began working
at California Polytechnic Institute with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
JPL was full of tremendous opportunity for George. His initial
position was as an Electronics Technician in the Space Sciences
Department. It was 1965 and before long, he worked his way up to
Cognoscente Engineer working on the Mariner 2 & 4 and Apollo
15 & 16 space missions. George even earned his first of 2 US
Patents while at JPL.
Even though George's career was on path for success, in 1968 he
and his wife Donna, decided to move their family to the Pacific
NW and escape Southern California's growing population. They relocated
to Portland, Oregon and George began work with Allis-Chalmers as
a Design Engineer. After being with the company only 6 months,
Allis-Chalmers moved their Portland engineering division to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Happy in his new home, George decided to stay behind
with thoughts of beginning his own electronics consulting business. "But
these things don't happen overnight" he says.
"A wise man once told me, 'The only way to make money is to do
it in your sleep'" says George of his early experience with his
consulting business. He realized that if he were to be successful,
he would have to manufacture a product and sell it. George began
using his business contacts to put the word out that he was not
only a consultant, but also a design engineer and a manufacturer
with test capabilities. "The beginning of ControlTek was a scary
time," says Donna LaFrazia, wife of 44 years, ?we were living in
a part of the country where we had no extended family and had 3
young children with the fourth on the way!?
After a few years of struggle, George landed his first major customer,
Hyster. ControlTek manufactured circuit board assemblies for Hyster.
In the beginning it was a small affair, George did the sales, design
and prototyping while his wife Donna, their 4 children, and several
neighbors and family friends did the assembly work. Eventually
the business grew enough to move out of the home and in 1980, into
a facility on Elam Young Parkway in Hillsboro, Oregon. Business
began to boom and after only 9 months ControlTek moved into a larger
facility on Science Park Drive in Beaverton, Oregon. Growth continued
on Science Park Drive until ControlTek occupied 10,000 square feet.
In 1993, George moved ControlTek to Vancouver, Washington to, "take
advantage of the friendlier business environment." ControlTek moved
into a facility on Stonemill Drive and, as in the past, quickly
expanded as the business continued its growth.
ControlTek continued its growth curve while George began to ponder
retirement. George's children were taking a more active roll in
the business. "Of course I wanted them to be involved in the business,
but it wasn't until after they were able to experience the world
that they could choose to make ControlTek a career," says George.
In July of 2000, George retired from ControlTek, appointing his
eldest son Andy as President.
Retirement for George is full of many enriching activities, for
both George and his community. He is active in numerous charitable
organizations including the Marine Corp League, St Vincent DePaul,
The Sons of Italy and the Veterans Hospital. George and Donna spend
a great deal of time travelling the world and love coming home
to enjoy their 7 grandchildren. And, when he can fit it into his
busy schedule, George is a model train enthusiast.
From truly humble beginnings, George LaFrazia struggled to obtain
skills that he would eventually use to become a successful businessman
and outstanding member of his community. When asked what is the
most important aspect of a successful business George replied that
he's always believed "Knowing your customer. Know their needs and
make it your purpose to solve those needs on a daily basis."
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