U.S. Rep. Lou Correa recently toured the 70,000 sq. ft. campus of long-time Santa Ana-based R.A. Industries, a supplier to the oil and gas, aviation, defense and space industries. Some of R.A. Industries' components can be found on the International Space Station, AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile, Mars Rover, C-130 military transport, MD-80 commercial airliner, A-10 Warthog and more. Correa serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime.
During the tour, Rep. Correa saw first-hand components such as sonar instruments used for oil and gas exploration. Also, he viewed the electronics housing part for air-to-surface missiles and other parts for military application.
Rep. Correa honored company Founder and Chairman Robert Follman for contributing to the Orange County manufacturing landscape and multiple vital U.S. industries. "I want to commend Robert Follman for his dedication to our local Orange County economy and for providing a workplace for skilled employees who contribute so vitally to our nation's aviation, defense and space industries supply chain. Our national interest starts at home," he said. "We need more training for future machinists and skilled workers to achieve the American Dream."
Robert Follman's father, Adam Mathew Follman, founded a company in the 1960s, providing parts and materials to the oil and gas industry in southern California. He subsequently founded R.A. Industries in 1976 and expanded it beyond oil and gas drilling equipment and nuclear field turbine components. During the aerospace and defense boom in the 1980s, Follman diversified the company's markets and began engineering and manufacturing specialized parts for defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin.
To meet the demands of increased sales at R.A. Industries, Follman founded Markall in 1985. This allowed R.A. Industries to focus more on providing engineering and manufacturing solutions to its customers, and less on sales and marketing functions.
"Since the inception of both companies, even with industry fluctuations, Follman has provided jobs for skilled employees in Orange County. When oil and gas declined, the company focused on aviation, defense and space," said a company spokesperson.
Follman's daughter, Robin Follman-Otta, is CEO of both R.A. Industries and Markall. She turned in her three-decade international operatic career for an executive MBA from Chapman University and a helm at of both companies. She is a member of the Board of Governors at Chapman University and a member of the Board of Counselors at its business school, The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics.
Under Robin's leadership, Markall became a 51% woman-owned and managed small business. In 2016, Markall received its certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) from the Southern California Minority Supplier Diversity Council (SCMSDC), a chapter of the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC).
Follman's son Jack is VP of Engineering, and another son Adam manages special projects and investments.
For more information contact:
R.A. Industries, LLC
2230 South Anne Street
Santa Ana, CA 92704
877-431-6756 / 714-557-2322
www.ra-industries.com