Harwil Corporation began with the partnership of Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson and William Gregge in 1956. Hutch and Bill met through the Aerospace industry when Hutch worked to develop remote control anti-tank missiles. Bill was an accomplished draftsman.

In 1963 The Harwil Company was formed and business operations formally began in Santa Monica, CA. Hutch and Bill developed different types of products in several industries one of which was the bag sealer used for many years by the Los Angeles Times and other newspaper companies.

Hutch’s UCLA Physics Professor and mentor was Kenneth MacKenzie whom he met while earning his MBA. Prof. MacKenzie helped build the first cyclotron in 1939, and monitoring the water flow was a critical function to the equipment. He had brought it to Hutch’s attention that they were having trouble monitoring the flow of water through the various processes of heating and cooling in the switch was the model Q-1 which is still in production 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 product material specifications, production drawings, and customers’ designs.

The Harwil Company was incorporated as Harwil Precision Products DBA Harwil Corporation in 1976. To accommodate the company’s growth, Hutch and Bill purchased a 5,000 sq. ft. industrial building on 17th Street in Santa Monica, CA. It was at this location they hired their first employee, Maria Cabrera, who continues to work as our Production Manager. Products expanded to include controllers and relays.

Hutch purchased Bill’s interest in the company in 1989. In 1995, Hutch moved the company north to Oxnard, CA to a 10,000 sq. ft. building. During this time Vice President and general manager Bruce Bowmar took over so Hutch could focus on other ventures. In the late 1990’s he adapted the Q-8 and Q-12 for the pool and spa markets. The Q-12DS with its many adaptations continues to dominate in the pool and spa market; the Q-12DS is in virtually every major pool and spa.

In March of 2005 Harwil moved to its newly completed building with the mezzanine administration offices oriented towards the Camarillo Airport. This was crucial because Hutch, Anna, and Bruce were passionate about aviation. Hutch had the building designed with a contemporary aerodynamic wing above the entrance.

Hutch passed, and Harwil’s current President/CEO is Geoffrey Strand, Hutch’s long time friend and business confidant. After 20 years of guiding Harwil, Bruce left to manage a friend’s aviation related business. Harwil’s Controller Teresa Bowmar, manages operations as Sr. Vice President/CFO. Maria Cabrera still manages Production. Together with our other long-term employees, we strive to continue on in the tradition of quality and reliability.