Electro Soft Inc.
Electro Soft, Inc. (ESI) was founded by Jim and Sheila Wallace in 1986. ESI is dedicated to the creation and demonstration of linked component product lines, quality, and service. The company strives for the very best in all three areas and is dedicated to operating on a sound financial basis of profitability, growth, and increasing the overall value for customers and partners.
Electro Soft is expanding its sales in strategic areas like lead-free or RoHS assembly. The company’s focused strategy to provide quality and service at competitive prices and profitable rates has effectively positioned ESI to meet or exceed its client’s expectations.
We’ve been in business for more than 35 years and have a highly experienced team who are like family — most of whom have been with us a decade or more! Our staff is trained regularly to reinforce and strengthen their skillset and led by a robust leadership team.
President & CEO
Production Supervisor
Director of Operations
Quality Control and PCB Supervisor
Production Supervisor
Karla Trotman, Electro Soft’s CEO, has been with the company in one form or another since its founding in 1986. She started out cutting wire by hand and earned 25 cents an hour for sitting at a bench and using a ruler to mark the various lengths she had to make for her father. She graduated to stripping the wires, and eventually to helping operate the wave soldering machine.
Later, in college, Karla was able to put her skills — and business sense — to use. “I noticed that there was one phone in the room for two people to share. On top of that, the cord was too short. Because I grew up around electronics, I had a little business of splitting the phone’s jack and making longer cords so that roommates could each have phones at their bedside.”
She holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Logistics from Penn State University, where she graduated with a minor in the Legal Environment of Business and also received a Purchasing Management Certificate.
Karla lives in Ambler, Pa., with her husband and two boys, along with a 4-year old Shichon named Snickers.
Mai Tam Thanh is Electro Soft’s Production Supervisor and has been with the team since 1995, when she answered a newspaper ad and was hired as an assembler.
She received her high school certification in Vietnam before moving to the United States.
She loves everything about her job, but when she’s not at Electro Soft she enjoys working in her yard, buying, fixing and re-selling old houses, and shopping in the Montgomery County area.
Mai is a member of her church choir. She lives in Hatfield, Pa., with her husband and two children.
Zach Rowand, Electro Soft’s Director of Operations, has been with the company since 2005, when he was hired as a buyer.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Penn State University and enjoys the commerce side of the electronics manufacturing industry.
When he’s not solving the daily problems that occur in manufacturing, Zach enjoys spending time with his family and squeezing in an occasional golf game.
He lives with his wife and two children in Hilltown Township, Pa.
Dave Winter is Electro Soft’s Quality Control Manager. He’s been with the company since 1997 when a coworker at the Naval Air Warfare Center who knew ESI founder James Wallace suggested he apply.
As a kid, Dave was a tinkerer: He enjoyed taking things apart to find out how they worked, but not necessarily putting them back together — much to his mother’s dismay.
Dave has an Associate’s Degree in Electronics Technology and is a Certified ISO Lead Auditor.
When he’s not working, Dave plays guitar for the classic rock band “Dirt Cheap,” which has been performing in the Philadelphia region for more than 20 years.
He lives in Hatboro, Pa., with his wife, Jodi Winter, Electro Soft’s Quality Control and PCB Supervisor.
Jodi Winter is Electro Soft’s Quality Control and PCB (printed circuit board) supervisor. She started at the company in 2006, and holds an Associate’s Degree from the Lansdale School of Business.
In her spare time, Jodi enjoys watching her husband’s band; spending time with her nieces and nephews; painting; drawing; working on crafts, and going to concerts.
She’s active with the Lehman Memorial United Methodist Church and volunteers with Angels in Motion, an organization that helps to feed and clothe the homeless and addicted in Kensington, Pa.
Jodi lives in Horsham, Pa. with her husband, Dave, who is Electro Soft’s Quality Control manager.
Beth DiStefano is one of Electro Soft’s Production Managers. She has been with the company since 2017. She worked for GWL Technologies, which was acquired by Electro Soft.
She is an equestrian and owns a horse. She also loves mountain biking, hiking trails and likes to slip in a bit of kayaking.
Beth is a grandmother to two teenaged grandchildren and lives in Quakertown, Pa.