HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA STANDOFF
CALIFORNIA STANDOFF WAS STARTED BY KEN DIXON IN 1975 IN CUYAMA CALIFORNIA. CUYAMA IS BETWEEN BAKERSFIELD AND SANTA BARBARA. KEN HAD RECENTLY SOLD A BUSINESS THAT MADE MACHINES THAT WERE USED TO MAKE IC CHIPS AND RETIRED TO A 200 ACRE ALFALFA FARM. DOUG DUNCAN OF MS INSERTS SUGGESTED THAT KEN SHOULD START MAKING STANDOFFS AND SPACERS IN CALIFORNIA BECAUSE MOST OF THE MANUFACTURES WERE IN THE EAST. WANTING TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WHILE THE ALFALFA WAS GROWING KEN STARTED MAKING STANDOFFS AND SPACERS. WANTING PEOPLE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT AND WHERE HE WAS DOING IT KEN NAMED IT CALIFORNIA STANDOFF. THUS WAS SET IN MOTION THE EVENTS THAT RAISE QUESTIONS TO THIS DAY......WHAT IS A STANDOFF?........WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CALIFORNIA STANDOFF AND A MEXICAN STANDOFF?......WHERE DID YOU GET A NAME LIKE THAT?
KEN RAN CALIFORNIA STANDOFF FOR FOUR YEARS AND BUILT THE CLIENTELE TO 24 CUSTOMERS. THE FACILITIES LEFT SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED HOWEVER. CALIFORNIA STANDOFF OPERATED FROM KENS BARN THAT IT SHARES WITH HIS REGISTERED MORGAN HORSES. WORK BENCHES WERE IN SHORT SUPPLY ON THE FARM SO BAILS OF HAY WERE USED TO SUPPORT SOME EQUIPMENT. IN EARLY 1979 KEN DECIDED TO SELL THE COMPANY.
DAVID KUDIJA HAPPENED TO LOOK IN THE 'BUSINESSES FOR SALE' SECTION OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ONE SUNDAY IN APRIL OF 1979 AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON AN AD CAUGHT HIS EYE. AFTER CALLING TO GET MORE INFORMATION, DAVID FOUND THAT THE BUSINESS FOR SALE WAS MANUFACTURING EXACTLY THE PRODUCT THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN AND USING THE TYPE OF EQUIPMENT THAT HE HAD OPERATED IN HIS FATHERS COMPANY SINCE HE WAS IN THE FIFTH GRADE.
A DEAL WAS STRUCK AND IN JUNE OF 1979 TWO DAYS AND TWO PICK UP TRUCK AND TRAILER LOADS MOVED CALIFORNIA STANDOFF TO BALDWIN PARK CALIFORNIA IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA. WITH THE MOVE TO BALDWIN PARK CALIFORNIA STANDOFF QUADRUPLED ITS SIZE AND MOVED INTO A 1300 SQ. FOOT INDUSTRIAL BUILDING WITH A CONCRETE FLOOR.
THE EIGHTIES AND LOS ANGELES WERE GOOD TO CALIFORNIA STANDOFF. FACILITIES EXPANDED FROM 1300 TO 2600 TO 5000 TO 8000 TO 12000 SQUARE FEET. SALES ROSE TO OVER $100,000 PER MONTH. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A CONCENTRATION OF SALES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CALIFORNIA STANDOFF SOLD ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ALSO DEVELOPED SOME SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL SALES. ALONG WITH SERVICING THE NEEDS OF THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA STANDOFF BEGAN MAKING PARTS TO FILL THE NEEDS OF THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. STANDARD AN, MS AND NAS PARTS WERE ADDED TO THE INVENTORY OF ELECTRICAL STANDOFFS AND SPACERS. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE AEROSPACE PARTS, CALIFORNIA STANDOFF EXPANDED ITS CUSTOMER BASE TO INCLUDE AEROSPACE SUBCONTRACTORS AND A NUMBER OF PRIME CONTRACTORS SUCH AS BOEING, McDonnell DOUGLAS, TO BETTER SERVICE THE NEWER CUSTOMERS AND MORE COMPLEX PARTS AND LARGER VOLUMES, CALIFORNIA STANDOFF ENDED ITS EXCLUSIVE USE OF BROWN AND SHARPE SCREW MACHINES AND STARTED RUNNING DAVENPORT MULTI SPINDLE SCREW MACHINES AND CNC TURNING EQUIPMENT.
IN THE MID EIGHTIES WEDDING BELLS TOLLED AND WITH MARRIAGE THOUGHTS TURNED TO RAISING A FAMILY. NOT WANTING TO RAISE CHILDREN IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA, DAVID CONDUCTED A SEARCH OF OTHER POSSIBLE LOCATIONS FOR CALIFORNIA STANDOFF. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WAS SELECTED AND IN 1990, 26 HEAVILY LOADED 18-WHEELERS MOVED CALIFORNIA STANDOFF TO A 19,000 SQ. FT. FACILITY IN PASO ROBLES CALIFORNIA.
PASO ROBLES IS A LOVELY SMALL TOWN ON CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST. IT IS ON HIGHWAY 101 EXACTLY HALF WAY BETWEEN LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. PASO ROBLES HAS A POPULATION OF 18,000. DURING A TYPICAL YEAR THERE WILL BE 10 DAYS OVER 100 DEGREES AND 10 MORNINGS UNDER 20 DEGREES. THE CLEAR WEATHER ALLOWS PASO ROBLES AIRPORT TO BOAST 350+ DAYS A YEAR OF VFR FLYING.
IN PASO ROBLES CALIFORNIA STANDOFF HAS DOUBLED ITS CNC EQUIPMENT AND DOUBLED THAT AGAIN TO BE ABLE TO ECONOMICALLY PRODUCE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX PARTS FOR ITS ELECTRONIC, COMMERCIAL AND AEROSPACE CUSTOMERS.
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