Heather Falcone, the chief executive of Thermal-Vac Technology in Orange, said her original goal with an education in biology and chemistry was to go to medical school.
“I had no plans to go into rocket science,” she says with a smile.
Rocket science it is though, as Thermal-Vac’s work have been used on space shuttle flights and other prominent outer space projects.
“We are very proud to have participated in the Perseverance project for the Mars rover,” Falcone told the Business Journal on Aug. 30. “We also are heavily involved in the RS-25 engine for the SLS [Space Launch System]-Orion. This launch vehicle will be for the Artemis missions, which will return us to the moon and beyond, as well as putting the first female astronaut on the moon by 2024.”
Her company operates a brazing, heat-treating and finishing facility, for products used in the inner workings of space vehicles, as well as other aerospace and military products, to name a few applications.
Brazing is a process using heat to join pieces of metal together, using a molten filler metal in the joint. Think of it as a metallic, high-temperature glue, which can withstand the stresses of rocket launches and deep space travel, and also has numerous tech applications on Earth.
The company’s work is used in missile defense, deep space exploration, commercial and space heavy payload launch vehicles, medical devices and oil exploration among many other areas.
The company offers services to a wide customer base, including NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Honeywell.
Thermal-Vac won a Family-Owned Business Award in the medium-sized company category from the Business Journal that was presented before a crowd of about 300 OC business leaders and colleagues at a luncheon on Aug. 26 at the Irvine Marriott.
Family Business
Calling Thermal-Vac Technology a family business would be, well, a bit of an understatement.
Falcone’s father, Steve Driscol, founded the company in 1985.
Falcone says the company is “extremely lucky to have all of my brothers working in the business” — Sean, Shane, Shannon—all of them younger siblings.
More than 25% of the workforce is related to one another in some way.
“I was able to go into the family business almost seamlessly,” Falcone said, who took over as CEO in 2019. “And I have never looked back, and I could not be more grateful.”
The company has $12 million in annual revenue, and had 600 customers as of fiscal year 2020.
In 2019, it made it to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies.
“We grew 60% up until of course the pandemic shaved a little bit off that growth strategy,” she said. “But we’re fighting back.”
Thermal-Vac Technology currently counts 57 employees at its main facility at 1221 West Struck Ave., a roughly 10,000-square-foot building a short walk from the Honda Center.
In total, it employs 61 across its three locations. The company has been able to maintain a team with less than 10% voluntary turnover for the past decade.
How does the CEO feel about being a woman at the helm of a firm featuring such processes such as aluminum dip, hydrogen heat treat, case hardening, copper plating and cryogenic testing?
She says she’s always benefited from the support of family, colleagues and peers when she’s faced barriers.
“Of course, I have experienced sexism, misogyny,” she says. “That’s not completely absent from my life.”
“What keeps me going is the foundation and the core that I’ve learned from being in the position in the family business.”
Father’s Legacy
Falcone says a key advantage of being in a family business is “you can go as high as you want to achieve.”
Carrying on my father’s legacy is “critical,” she said.
“He has built this life and sacrificed and made it possible for the second generation to come in and honor him and continue that to the next level.”
Thermal-Vac partners with Chrysalis, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals experiencing homelessness, extreme poverty, and the criminal justice system to return to the workplace and gain self-sufficiency.
“We are a second-chance employer,” she says. In fact, she says 15% of the workforce is made up of Chrysalis clients.
“We want those as part of our family. Partnering with Chrysalis has helped us to bring on team members that have stayed for years and years.”
Falcone said after winning the Aug. 26 award that small family businesses are “the bedrock of the American economy.”
“Please reach out to your local small business and support them whatever way you can.”
