El-Com Farewell and Thank You 2022

To my Employees, Colleagues, Customers, Suppliers, and Stakeholders,

With mixed feelings in my heart I am sending this letter notifying you of my decision to retire as the El- Com President (Winchester VP for Engineered Cables) effective 12/31/22.

For the past 30+ years, I have given everything in my being and from my soul to make El-Com a great partner to work with and a wonderful and supportive home to work at. While there have been many challenges and tribulations along the way, what resonates with me is the great accomplishments and wonderful people I had the pleasure to work with.

Today I would like to extend sincere appreciation to the great people that have mentored me and helped me grow personally and professionally.

To My Father

First and foremost, my father Elie who had a great belief in me and a vision for my acumen and fortitude that I did not even have for myself, I could not have done this without your support and trust. Thank you for giving me the stage to grow and succeed.

To El-Com’s Customers

I would like to express a sincere appreciation to El-Com’s amazing and loyal customers, who have allowed us to serve as your partner on critical and impactful programs. During my tenure at El-Com we have had the absolute honor of working with some of the most outstanding people and companies in the world. Companies that are world leaders in technology, defense, and space.

Typically, we succeeded in meeting your high expectations, but even during challenging times, when the outcomes were not optimal, you were supportive and collaborative in working toward successful outcomes.

You inspired me every day to find ways to improve as a leader and a company and I am forever humbled by these opportunities. Thank you again for your friendship and for entrusting us to support your most critical projects, challenging products, and crazy timelines.

To My Employees and Co-workers

Sincere gratitude and appreciation to the employees and co-workers who believed in me to lead you on this journey. You have given your hearts and souls to make our mission successful and accepted my vision and dreams, even when they were not plausible.

I know it was not easy to keep up with the demands of our customers’ challenges as well as to live up to my unrelenting expectations of greatness and growth, but I am comforted that you have all benefited in some way from our work together and I am honored to call so many of you my personal friends.

To El-Com’s Stakeholders and Partners

Thank you to our supportive stakeholders and partners for standing by El-Com not just during times of prosperity but also in times of struggle when we needed you most. Deep gratitude to Winchester Interconnect & Aptiv PLC, who believed in El-Com, our employees, and our story and moved forward with a very successful acquisition in 2021.

Looking back at the past year I am so content with my selection of Winchester as the acquirer of El-Com, most importantly because I have experienced firsthand the alignment and commitment of our shared values to employees and customers, and I have no doubt that this will continue to guide the next phase of El-Com’s success and growth.

To My Amazing Team and El-Com’s New Leader

I am leaving behind a great team of committed, inspired, and knowledgeable people who will continue the growth and success of El-Com in 2023 and beyond. I am happy and proud to see my good friend and colleague Mr. Herman Rozenberg step into the leadership role as the VP of Engineered Cables (my former role). I have total faith in Mr. Rozenberg and management team in place to continue the great work we have started.

Mr. Rozenberg joined El-Com with an already impressive background of 35+ years in numerous technical and leadership positions in design, integration, and manufacturing of sophisticated interconnects for defense industries.

In the past 2 years I have seen firsthand his management and leadership capabilities as he has transformed our California site into a more productive and customer-aligned plant. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Herman, as well as the entire El-Com leadership team, in a supportive role during this transition so that we maintain overall continuity with our customers & overall business success as we enter into this new phase.

To All of You

Thanks again for giving me this moment and this stage. For standing behind me in the times I was imperfect and made mistakes, and in general, when I needed your support. I look back with gratitude, fulfillment, and total humility at what we have accomplished.

I look forward to seeing El-Com’s exciting future alongside Winchester’s support in the coming years.

And a special thank you to my amazing wife and children, who have supported me through the many ups and downs of this exciting yet very challenging journey. You are simply the best!

For Me Personally

As I am embarking into 2023, which I call my year of metamorphosis, I look forward to embarking on a new phase of my professional life & growth, which I am still imagining and creating. I am excited to have the opportunity to fulfill my purpose of accelerating significant technological progress and to continue
to make a difference.

Wishing you all a festive holiday season and a wonderful 2023. Yours Truly,
Arik Vrobel