Whelen Engineering has been manufacturing emergency warning and lighting systems for more than 70 years and doing so in rural NH. While headquartered in Chester, Connecticut, Whelen Engineering employs 1,300 of its more than 1,800 workers at a manufacturing facility in Charlestown, which is led by Brian Boardman, senior vice president of operations.
The company’s emergency warning systems products—which include lightbars, sirens and control systems—help protect first responders, such as law enforcement, firefighters and EMS personnel. Whelen continues to innovate with the Whelen Cloud Platform, a fleet management platform that enhances real-time communication, operational oversight, and resource management for emergency fleets.
In the early 1990s, John Olson served as president of Whelen Engineering, expanding its facilities and workforce to enhance the company’s production capabilities. “He believed the more processes we do in house the more we control our own destiny,” says current CEO Geoff Marsh. “We’ve had this in our DNA for many years.”
That proved critical during the pandemic, says Marsh, who took the helm in 2020. “Our time to shine was during COVID,” he says, describing how competitors that offshored their production suffered due to supply chain issues and had to close. Whelen was able to reconfigure or redesign existing products to meet market demand. And the company continues to grow, investing in a new GreenSource facility (See page 10).
Marsh, who has been with the company for 32 years and began his career as a mechanical engineer, says Whelen’s commitment to developing its talent is also a major driver of success. “From the owners and the board directors to management, we have a heavy focus on investing in our people,” he says. “We want them to help grow our capabilities and this starts at the entry level.”
Whelen Engineering invests in the future of manufacturing in NH, including support for the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of NH, named for its former president. The company also collaborates with local schools and tech centers to provide mentoring and job shadowing opportunities for students.
Whelen is investing in the community as well, holding an annual Toys for Tots drive, providing financial and technical assistance to the local 4-H robotics team and organizing an annual community Trunk or Treat on its campus that draws hundreds of families. Whelen also encourages employees to serve as first responders by providing paid time during work hours to respond to emergency calls.
To learn more about these winning companies and celebrate their success with them, join us at the Business of the Year Awards celebration to be held on June 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel. For more information or to purchase tickets or tables, visit BusinessNHmagazine.com.
