By Sue Nading

Restoration efforts – Rockwell Collins Principal Systems Engineer Eric Larkin volunteers at the Ulistac Natural Area, which is located near our facility in San Jose. Larkin is helping to transform the former city golf course into a California native plant garden.
Photo by Steve Castillo, Menlo Park, Calif.

For more than five decades, the Rockwell Collins display systems business in San Jose, Calif., has developed innovative products that have paralleled the dramatic advances in commercial technology.

Formerly known as Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics, this facility received a contract in June 1958 for development of the first operational cathode ray tube display - a product that served for many years on the U.S. Navy's A-6A Intruder and subsequent versions of the aircraft.

An industry first that provided pilots with critical navigational and weapon systems information, this success was followed by many others including development of an off-the-windscreen head-up display (HUD) for the F-14A - the only space-qualified unit for the space shuttle - and development of color stroke displays for early versions of the F/A-18.

Acquired by Rockwell Collins in December 2000, our facility in San Jose also was the first to use state-of-the-art liquid crystal display technology on the F-22 and F/A-18 aircraft.

According to Scott Kusich, principal program manager for Precision Strike Solutions in San Jose, our display systems business has evolved during the past 50 years, and today is considered a premier supplier of product for the U.S. tactical fleet including the F15, F/A-18, F22, and F-35 aircraft.

"Our employees are tremendously proud of our facility's heritage and are highly motivated to provide next generation technology for our military's needs," said Kusich, who joined our company as part of the acquisition. "As a relatively small company within a larger company, we are able to create a specialized product line, which contributes to the success of Rockwell Collins as a whole."

Creating a social fabric

Located in the Silicon Valley in Northern California, our facility in San Jose employs about 700 people, many of whom travel nearly an hour to work from nearby communities such as Modesto and Morgan Hill.

According to Don Pulliam, Human Resources manager in San Jose, our company sponsors community-related events to help create a "social fabric" beyond the traditional work environment.

These activities include monthly golf tournaments, year-round softball leagues, a running club, ski clubs, bowling leagues, scuba and white water river raft camping excursions, and quarterly luncheon barbeques cooked by employees.

"With the warm climate we have throughout the year, it's easy to plan these types of activities for our employees," said Pulliam. "We're committed to our customers, but we're also committed to our employees and our communities, and doing fun things like this helps create camaraderie."

Employee volunteer efforts also create a vital link to the community and surrounding areas. The Employee Club in San Jose sponsors blood drives with the American Red Cross, raises funds for area shelters and food banks, and provides gifts during the holidays for the Family Giving Tree.

A time to give – Rockwell Collins Senior Accountant George Naughten enjoys coordinating the annual Second Harvest Food Bank at our facility in San Jose. He also is involved with the facility's Family Giving Tree, which has collected more than 100 gifts for area families this year.
Photo by Steve Castillo, Menlo Park, Calif.

A 9/80 work week also is active in San Jose, which allows our employees an opportunity to work 80 hours over a nine-day period, making these volunteer efforts possible as well as giving our company a unique competitive advantage in hiring a talented and motivated workforce.

"The Silicon Valley is heavily engineering-oriented and a key to our company's success is the flexible work schedule we have here in San Jose," said Pulliam. "As a recruiting and retention tool, it has helped us maintain our competitive edge and our family atmosphere."

In fact, Pulliam says the average length of service among the facility's employee population is about 15 years.

"Our employees are very proud to be part of a leading worldwide tactical displays team," added Kusich. "We will continue striving to enhance our technical capabilities as we keep on supporting those key customers in our particular market segments."

- Sue Nading is a freelance writer.