[Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 41, Issue 51

[Rick Wheeler]

This is a fascinating thread. It's nice to know Eric and Wayne have no
intention or retiring in the foreseeable future and although many of us
would like to think otherwise you guys can't go on forever! 

I am only 46, and as nearly everyone who owns an Elecraft product, have
become very brand loyal to the Elecraft line. I am too young to
remember the Heathkit era but perhaps there are some parallels of early
Heathkit and Elecraft. Many times I read from old-timers that Elecraft
was the vital spark that brought them back into Ham radio since
Heathkit. Nothing since the demise of Heathkit with regards to Ham
Radio came close.

Perhaps someone more familiar with the history of Heathkit could draw
some similarities? I would be most interested to know what many thought
was the reason for the end of Heathkit with regards to Ham Radio. 

Rick
K4LX
K2 #2006
 


> > From: "Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft" <eric at elecraft.com>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K rig's longevity?
> Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:19:18 -0700
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> 
> Retire at, or near 50? Are you kidding? (Wayne and I are both at the
> big 
> five-o..)
> 
> I tried it once, back in my 30's, and went crazy after a year of
> goofing 
> off. After a year I started another company. (Verisys, Inc.) I'm not 
> planning on retiring for a very long time, if ever. My father is
> still 
> happily working at 75, not because he has to, but because he loves
> his 
> work and it keeps his mind young. I plan to be doing the same.
> 
> Elecraft is not venture capital backed and is fully owned by the 
> founders, Wayne and myself. There are no external pressures to cash
> out. :-)
> 
> 73, Eric   WA6HHQ
> ------
> 
> 
> 
> David Woolley wrote:
> > N2EY at aol.com wrote:
> >
> > The other issue is that Elecraft is a small company and we have 
> > discovered, this week, that one of their founders is turning 50 and
> 
> > another key technician learned algebra in the late 1950s, it seems
> to 
> > me that a lot of the key personnel are reaching the point where
> they 
> > think about retirement.  As well as losing the product knowledge, 
> > founders of startup companies in that position often want to turn
> the 
> > value of the company into cash to fund their pensions.  To me, the
> K3 
> > could well be there in order to make the company sellable.
>