Karla Trotman’s journey to leading Electro Soft, a contract manufacturing company, began at her family’s kitchen table in Ambler. Lisa Dukart highlights Trotman’s journey to running this 2024 family-owned business award honoree for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
As a child, Trotman learned to cut cables and wires under the guidance of her father, Wallace, who started the company there. Wallace launched the business after taking an exit package from his job. The demand for his cables grew quickly, moving production from the kitchen to the garage and later to space in Willow Grove.
Electro Soft quickly expanded to a facility in Montgomeryville, where it has operated for 25 years. It now occupies 19,000 square feet and employs 28 people.
Karla didn’t initially plan to join the family business. However, after starting her own e-commerce business and reflecting on legacy, she saw the potential to apply her experience to Electro Soft.
She joined in 2009, gradually taking over responsibilities until becoming president and CEO in 2020, transitioning the company to woman-owned status and continuing its growth, even through the pandemic.
Electro Soft, which reported $4.51 million in revenue in 2023, serves clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense. Now, Trotman passes on the lessons she learned to her sons and mentees, emphasizing the impact of being a family of color in tech. “For me, it’s really just leaving a little bit of a mark in the world where you’ve helped people change their entire family trajectory,” she said.
Read more about Karla Trotman and Electro Soft in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in November 2023.
