At a moment when most people think about careers in two-year increments, spending a lifetime at a family business might feel strangely anachronistic. Most 20-somethings would balk at the idea of doing the same thing for that long. But that type of commitment is exactly what creates the meaning so many people of my generation feel is missing.

When you do something for decades, it becomes part of your essence. Ask the Trumbull family, who have guided their company, Electro-Mech Components, every day since 1963. Wally Trumbull ran the business for close to sixty years until his death, and his son Terry has now been there for over forty. Along the way, countless others dedicated their lives to it, and in return gained lifelong relationships. 

When we asked Diana, an employee of over 50 years, to describe what Wally meant to her, “dad” was the only word that came to mind. A few weeks later, we put the same question to David, Electro-Mech’s plant manager of two decades. He responded by telling us about a weekly tradition of his and Wally’s: every Thursday without fail, they would turn on Sinatra, drive to lunch, and spend an hour discussing parts, politics, and philosophy. Both Diana’s and David’s reverence for Wally was palpable.

Electro-Mech Components is a special company with special people, and we are grateful to document its story for others. The lessons it teaches us are more important today than ever.