Essex Industries

Essex Industries

Essex Industries was founded in 1947 when Harold Guller, returning from World War II, developed a radio noise filter for the F-214 jet in his father’s basement. His brother Sidney handled the accounting while earning his degree and later joined full time. The company remains entirely family owned, with second-generation members Keith Guller and Mickey Waldman serving as board directors and Evan Waldman, of the third generation, as CEO. Essex manufactures thousands of aircraft components — hydraulic, pneumatic, fuel, and anti-gravity valves, flame arrestors, and hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) grips for fixed-wing, rotary, and land combat vehicles. The cryogenics division produces liquid oxygen (LOX) converters ranging from 5-liter units to a 500-gallon trailer, with over 100,000 LOX systems supplied to military and commercial customers since 1963. In 1991, the company acquired DuPont’s Portable Breathing and Rescue Products Division, adding emergency breathing equipment that now equips the US Air Force and major global airlines. Key products include control wheels and weapons system officer hand controllers. The firm employs over 400 people across five locations in St. Louis, Missouri; Huntington Beach, California; and Milford, Connecticut. It serves both military and commercial customers internationally. The Guller Foundation, the family’s charitable arm, funds scholarships at Olin Business School and research at Barnes Jewish Hospital, and executive team members are active with the National Kidney Foundation, ALS Association, and other organizations. May 2026: Essex exhibited its LOX and emergency breathing systems at the Farnborough International Airshow, Hall 3, Booth 3031. Essex differs from many family offices by operating as a vertically integrated industrial manufacturer — the family generates wealth by building and selling proprietary hardware rather than deploying financial capital into external funds. The business has never taken outside investment and remains a pure operating-company structure under family control across three generations.