Harwil’s History
Harold Hutchinson in the first days of Harwil.
Harwil began with a partnership between Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson and William Gregge in 1956. Hutch and Bill met working in the aerospace industry, where Hutch was developing remote control anti-tank missiles. Bill was an accomplished draftsman.
Hutch and Bill developed various products in several industries, one of which was a heat-sealing bag sealer that is still in production today. In 1963 The Harwil Company was formed and business operations began on Montana Street in Santa Monica, CA.
Hutch met Professor Ken MacKenzie while earning his Masters of Science in Physics from UCLA, and MacKenzie became a mentor to Hutch. Prof. MacKenzie pioneered the cyclotron technology in 1939. He brought it to Hutch’s attention that cyclotrons were having trouble monitoring the flow of water through the various processes of heating and cooling. This water flow was a critical function to the equipment. In response, Hutch designed a very sturdy and reliable flow switch that became a standard in that industry. His first flow switch, the Q-1, is still in production and selling well today.
Hutch continued to design a variety of flow and level switches, denoted with Q for flow and L for level. All our switches from the hefty Q-5 to the agile Q-12 were designed for reliability and quality. Bill drafted the designs for customer and material specifications.
The Harwil Company was incorporated in November 1976 as Harwil Precision Products DBA Harwil Corporation. That same year, to accommodate the company’s growth, Hutch and Bill purchased a 5,000 sq. ft. industrial building at 1548 17th Street in Santa Monica. There, they hired their first employee, Maria Cabrera, who continues to work at Harwil as Production Manager.
Hutch purchased Bill’s interest in the company when Bill retired in June 1989. In early 1995, Hutch moved the company north to a 10,000 sq. ft. building in Oxnard, CA. He hired Bruce Bowmar as Vice President and general manger so he could focus on other ventures.
In the early 1990’s Harwil adapted the Q-8 and Q-12 for the pool and spa markets. The Q-12DS with its many adaptations continues to be a leader in those markets.
Hutch and his wife, Anna, oversaw the building of a new 33,000 sq. ft. industrial building to house Harwil’s growing manufacturing needs. In March of 2005, Harwil moved to the newly completed building with the mezzanine administration offices oriented towards the Camarillo Airport. Hutch, Anna, and Bruce were passionate about aviation, and their passion inspired the building and its location. Building architect Gary Heathcote designed a contemporary aerodynamic wing above the entrance due to Hutch’s strong interest.
Hutch passed away in August 2009. Harwil’s current President is Hutch’s long time friend and business confidant Geoffrey Strand. Geof, Bruce, and Maria, along with many other long term employees continue the tradition of quality and reliability. The Harwil Corporation that Hutch created continues each day when a warm voice answers the phone, with new product innovations, and with our products being hand packed and shipped from our location to yours.