The evengelical sun culture of Orange County, California, is a place where extremes have thrived culturally, politically, and in the business of manufacturing. Orange County was the base for the political career of Ronald Reagan and for a time, home to Timothy Leary in Laguna Beach. Disneyland opened in Anaheim, in Orange County, California, in 1955. Walt Disney himself led the opening day ceremony. The same year, the Reverend Robert Schuller preached at a drive-in theatre in Garden Grove, California. Orange County itself was officially separated from Los Angeles County by the California State Legislature in 1889. Some historians point to taxes as the defining issue for independence, others say it may have just been a troublesome commute for those who wanted to get business done and had to travel up north.
We fast forward to Irvine, a master-planned community incorporated in 1971. City planner envsioned a technology park in the city alongside UC Irvine, and soon enough, the manufacturers came. They were led by Western Digital, a powerhouse in the disk drive market. Roger Johnson became CEO of Western Digital in 1982. A prominent local business leader, he also was an original board member for Triconex. In 1992, Mr. Johnson invited Presidential candidate Bill Clinton to speak at the Western Digital campus, and the event drew a sigificant crowd. Mr. Johnson, a Republican, later served in the Clinton administration.
A Western Digital employee who worked under Mr. Johnson, Bob Rasmussen, came to work for Triconex in the early 1990's. Mr. Rasmussen was a graduate of the California State University of Long Beach. Not long after being hired by Triconex, he assumed full command of the manufacturing operations for the company, supervising over 100 employees. His facility manufactured the world's leading emergency shutdown system for industrial plants, and therefore was required the highest quality and international certification standards. He was a product of the people-centric culture inspired by leaders like Roger Johnson and Triconex CEO Bill Barkovitz. Over a decade of his leadership, his facility produced over 100 million dollars annually for the corporate parent, and each year faced the same external and internal pressures that each manufacturer faces, particularly in a high-cost area like Orange County. Mr. Rasmussen's team consistently exceeded his goals each year. Eventually, corporate cost targets, and markets demanding lower prices led to the decision to outsource much of the Triconex manufacturing base. It was a facility that was built into the original business plan by Jon Wimer in 1983. Denny Harris, hired in 1986, brought quality controls into the process from his background from Ford Aerospace.
Mr. Rasmussen steadfastly announced the outsourcing move to his team in April, 2009. The transition would be complete in December, 2010. There were over 200 people in the room during his presentation, and at least 100 people in the audience realized that their jobs would be affected by the announcement. It was Mr. Rasmussen's forthright delivery, he was a man who could speak to hundreds, yet connect with each individual in the crowd, that instilled that bit of confidence in each listener. The future would be different, but there was going to be a tomorrow. And for the next 18 months, as those who lost their jobs said their goodbyes monthly, there were hugs, tears, and yet not a single incident to disrupt operations. It was the culture that sustained the family during the times of transition.
After overseeing the move, and Mr. Rasmussen himself left Triconex after 18 years to join his old boss, Kevin McGlensey, at FMC corporation. Mr. McGlensey had been a former President of Triconex.
The History of a Safer World.
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