Since 1981, Santa Fe Springs-based Hurlen Corp. supplies aerospace metals to commercial companies and military contractors. Chief Executive Jay Hurtado founded the company after a similar one he worked for folded, and he later brought aboard Emily Mountcastle, who was forming the Florida-based Kenig Aerospace, as a partner. She serves as a co-owner with Hurtado and is president of the operation, which is No. 64 on our List of Minority Owned Businesses.
Hurtado spoke with the Business Journal about starting a company and being his own boss.
Tell us about Hurlen Corp. and how you came to be an owner and CEO.
I was a controller with Transamerica at one of their divisions. After that, I went to a controllership position with TI Industries out of Garden Grove. Small company, similar to my company now. I was working for a friend of mine. He got divorced and he had to shut his company down and he left the industry. Five of us — myself and four salesmen — opened up Hurlen in 1981. We struggled. It was pretty tough days, trying to get loans from the banks. We financed our receivables, which is the thing to do when you don’t have any money, but it’s also very expensive. We did struggle for about five years until we met someone in Florida we dealt with who wanted to start her own company, so we financed her in obtaining a building and opening up there. That really got us going. It doubled our sales, and we became an international selling company with her on board. She’s still here now. She’s my only partner. Since then, we expanded, and our revenue went up to $50 million one year. We’ve had our best years during the pandemic.
What advice would you give someone who’s about to start their own business?
Back when I got out of a college, I went to work for a large CPA firm called Ernst & Ernst for about five years. I got my CPA certificate, the whole works. For someone starting off in business, that’s just a step in the right direction — a business degree…
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