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BUSINESS UPDATE: A 138-year-old New York Manufacturer Gets Another Life in Fulton
E.J. Willis Co. was founded in New York City in 1888 and for generations it has made ship’s bells and other equipment for the U.S. Navy and American shipbuilders. This summer, the new owner moved the company’s equipment to Fulton By Stefan Yablonski E. J. Willis Co. cast brass ship’s bells — handcrafted in the United States since 1888. Ship bells, “built to last a lifetime at sea,” are now manufactured in Fulton. E.J. Willis Co. has moved its operation and manufacturing business to Fulton. They are currently operating out of N.E.T & Die. The company is now under the ownership of Jonathan Hyatt. He recently acquired the company after seeing a for sale note on Craigslist. [caption id=attachment_11110 align=alignright width=400] Entrepreneur Jonathan Hyatt is the new owner of E.J. Willis Co. He bought the business this summer after finding a listing on Craigslist by chance.[/caption] “I had been looking for something to do. I had been 20 years in corporate America and I was just tired of building someone else’s empire, you know what I mean? I was in consulting, pretty much a jack of all trades. I wanted to do something that I could call my own,” he explained. “I’d been on this path of trying to find a business to buy for about a year. One night I am on Craigslist about 11:30 in mid-April searching for something completely unrelated. At the bottom of Craigslist was a ‘things you might be interested in from outside of your area.’ There was an ad that said 138-year-old bell manufacturing company for sale. So, I clicked; why not, right? I wasn’t looking to buy a manufacturing company, but I went down the rabbit hole, absolutely fell in love with the history and ended up buying it.” He read the ad and responded. “I called and I am talking to the owner of the business for about two hours. We ended with, let’s have another chat and then come on out here and have a look. I figured, well I might wind up getting kidnapped and getting murdered or there is a real business here. But I gotta see it through,” he quipped. “And sure enough, there is a big machine shop operation there. The gentleman who owned it was retiring and in the corner of this shop is a little room where they make bells and they have been doing this ever since the company had started.” That’s the one constant thing that has survived the changes of the business. [caption id=attachment_11061 align=alignright width=300] Sales 1929 general catalog published by E. J. Willis Co, listing all the merchandise it sold. It’s like the Sears Roebuck and Co. catalog for marine parts.[/caption] “I drove home and told my wife, ‘This is what I am doing for the rest of whatever we are calling this — mid-life crisis.’ And she said, ‘absolutely you got to do it.’ I took out a loan and off we go.” He put in an offer on the business and they closed on July 1. He didn’t disclose what he paid for the company. “In terms of price, the seller and I have agreed to keep those terms private.” “I am finding that I am a business owner, an archeologist, opening files and cabinets that haven’t been opened in 100 years. It’s just amazing, just cool things that I am finding,” he said. “I want to build the business back. I want to be able to sell the bells to outsiders. I think they are beautiful. “It’s really a wild story about a company that started in lower Manhattan, exploded in the automotive space, sold parts to the Wright Brothers, moved into the aeronautical world and then landed in marine. The cool thing, I have been digging around and the gentleman who owned the company prior to me was not a digital guy. There is nothing out there. “Now I am sitting here with all the art from like the 1930s, the E.J. Willis boat catalog it’s like 250 pages of things this company used to make. It’s like the Sears-Roebuck and Co. catalog for marine parts. We are modernizing, we are staying true to the heritage of the business. It’s exciting to be the next steward of the whole business.” Initially he thought he’d move everything from the company’s plant in Middleville, Herkimer County, to Boston, out of convenience. “Then I thought let’s keep the foundry where it is. Let’s not move anything right away,” he said. “I want to get a good sense of what we’ve got, what works and what doesn’t. “I went to the foundry and met with the people there, lovely people, and said here is my position — I am buying a company where everyone is retiring. There is machining and polishing to be done, who would you work with around here? Without hesitation they said, ‘you need to go to NET Tool & Die and talk to Michelle [Shatrau]. She is a third-generation machinist and she runs the company now.’” So, he drove to Fulton. “I knocked on the door, they let me in. And she said, ‘how’d you get in here?’” he said with a laugh. “We became fast friends. I told her what I am doing. It must have struck a nerve. She has a very entrepreneurial background. I must have said something right because she came out and she said, ‘I’d love to help you. Why don’t we move the equipment that you have into my large building and I will give you a space to work at and use my team?’” [caption id=attachment_11058 align=alignleft width=300] Bell in progress awaiting assembly[/caption] It’s a great relationship so far. “We are bringing the business into the modern world. It’s been a lot of stuff all at once. But it has been very exciting,” he said. “We moved in a month ago [in July]. We closed on the business July 1. We moved a couple weeks later. We had all our equipment set up, electrical being run, everything. [caption id=attachment_11059 align=alignright width=300] Bell attached to a lathe going through the machining process[/caption] “We’re working with NET Tool & Die to rebuild production and preserve manufacturing processes that, in some cases, existed mostly in the heads and hands of the people who had been doing them for decades. We’re currently working on several 200-pound ship’s bells and bringing an old two-way manual bilge pump back into production.” He said he will be working with NET employees for the time being, adding, “I’d love to get to a point where I have so much growth that I need to hire people.” No one wakes up and says, ‘I am buying a bell today,’ Hyatt admitted. [caption id=attachment_11060 align=alignleft width=225] Bell after receiving a custom etching toward the bell mouth[/caption] “Everyone does wake up and has things that deserve acknowledgment and remembering — a promotion, a marriage, the birth of a child,” he said. “These are the things I feel like if there was something that could capture a particular moment in time and will literally outlast the person that bought it, a bell is that. We can engrave a bell if you get married or the birth of a child. We can put anything on a bell. “I have orders, yes. I am working on several orders right now. We have a little bit of busyness. But there are still some things to work out. I want to make things consistently and continue to move forward.”
Brownsville Native Supports U.S. Navy Osprey Squadron
Petty Officer 2nd Class Makayla Ward, a native of Brownsville, Texas, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to the “Sunhawks” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 50 (VRM-50).
United Bank hires Phil Poliquin to lead government contracting business
Phil PoliquinUnited Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI), has announced that Phil Poliquin has joined the Bank as senior vice president and managing director of Government Contracting (GovCon), leading the next phase of growth for United’s GovCon business across the Bank’s footprint.United has a longstanding history of serving government contractors and meeting the dynamic banking needs of companies supporting federal, state and commercial markets. Building on that foundation, the Bank is establishing a dedicated GovCon team led by Poliquin. The new team will bring together bankers from across United's footprint under a focused strategy designed to deepen industry expertise, strengthen client relationships and expand the Bank's presence in this important market.“Government contractors operate in a complex and highly specialized environment, and Phil understands that environment from multiple perspectives,” said United Bank Chief Commercial Lending Officer Mike Proctor in a press release. “His extensive commercial banking experience, combined with more than two decades of military and government service, brings tremendous depth and expertise to our team. We’re excited to have his leadership and insight as we continue strengthening how United serves our GovCon clients across the nation’s capital and beyond.”In his new role, Poliquin will lead United’s GovCon lending strategy and a team of specialists, with a focus on deepening client relationships and expanding the Bank’s presence in the government contracting and defense sectors. He will also serve as a subject matter expert across the organization, partnering with bankers across United’s footprint to support GovCon clients and opportunities.“Government contracting has long been an important part of the economy across the Washington region, and we believe it remains an attractive sector for growth,” said United Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Adams, Jr. in a press release “As the needs of these companies continue to evolve, investing in specialized leadership strengthens our ability to build on our established presence, expand how we serve this market, and pursue new opportunities.”Poliquin has a decade of experience in commercial banking, most recently serving as executive director of Aerospace, Defense, and Government Services (ADG) commercial banking at JPMorgan Chase. In this role, he led a team responsible for providing specialized financing and treasury advice to federal government contractor companies across the nation. Previously, he also held senior leadership positions at Bank of America.Prior to his banking career, Poliquin served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring at the rank of Captain in 2013. A Naval aviator, he flew more than 100 combat missions in operations around the world and served in senior leadership positions, including as commanding officer of an F/A-18 Super Hornet squadron, leading more than 250 personnel during two combat deployments. He later joined the Intelligence Community as a program manager at the National Reconnaissance Office and contributed to the development of the Navy’s unmanned aircraft system strategy.“United has a strong foundation in government contracting, and I’m excited about the opportunity to build on that foundation by expanding our industry presence, deepening relationships, and developing a team with specialized expertise focused on serving government contractors,” said Poliquin in the release. “The goal is to be a trusted resource for growth-oriented companies that need a banking partner who understands what they do, where they’re headed and can help them navigate the opportunities and complexities of this market.”Poliquin holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in national security strategy from the U.S. Naval War College, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Navy announces $1.7B Hampton Roads military housing plan
The U.S. Navy announced an agreement for a $1.7 billion project to build or develop housing for thousands of sailors across Hampton Roads.
U.S. Navy demand for Maine-built vessels remains high, official says
Bath Iron Works is expected to finish a new destroyer for the Navy in a little over a year.
Jonny Kim’s resume already lists Navy SEAL, astronaut, doctor. He’s now returning to active duty.
After almost a decade of working at NASA, Jonny Kim will return to active duty for the U.S. Navy, where he previously served as a SEAL.
From Veteran to Legal Advocate: A Monarch Public Health Alumna Working Toward Change
When Melissa Feliciano (B.S.P.H. ’24) left the U.S. Navy in 2021, she thought her future was mapped out. She would become a doctor, work in medicine and help patients one-on-one. But, somewhere between studying public health, working as a medical assistant and volunteering, her vision for creating change grew much larger.
Councilor Ed Flynn decries ‘petty Boston City Hall politics’ amid veterans leadership snafu
A Facebook post, later taken down by Councilor Henry Santana, got tongues wagging in Boston by suggesting Councilor Ed Flynn, a U.S. Navy veteran and critic of the mayor, was stripped of his veterans committee vice chairmanship.
Mental Health Is a Warfighting Readiness Problem for the U.S. Navy
“You cannot be at mental peace always. You will be worried. So even my family — they are scared all the time, and they were anxiously praying the vessel
Rear Adm. Case Visits Naval Health Research Center, Underscores Importance of Warfighter Readiness
SAN DIEGO –Rear Adm. Matthew Case, Acting Surgeon General and chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, visited the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) on August 7 to gain firsthand insight into the command's most recent research initiatives supporting warfighter health, readiness, resilience and recovery.
Colorado, like America, past due for generational change in politics
I was 27 before I ever voted for president. At 19, in 1964, the Constitution had not yet been amended establishing 18-year-old voting eligibility. In 1968, I was serving overseas with the U.S. Navy at a time when there was little effort to assist sailors or soldiers in obtaining an absentee ballot. Fortunately, that’s changed […]
CNBC Daily Open: U.S. Navy faces mental health challenges as Mideast conflict drags on
Mental health challenges aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are raising concerns over the health of U.S. soldiers, as the Middle-East conflict drags on.
Can Science Applications International (SAIC) Justify Its Valuation After New Defense Contract Wins?
Science Applications International (SAIC) recently announced a $400 million recompete contract with a U.S. Intelligence Agency, along with a $70 million U.S. Navy radar task order. These deals underscore fresh contract momentum in government and defense work. See our latest analysis for Science Applications International. These fresh contract wins come as Science Applications International shares trade at US$126.54, with a 90-day share price return of 36.58% and a 5-year total shareholder...
U.S. Navy Research Office Unveils New Science and Technology Strategy
The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) has released a new Science and Technology Strategy outlining how it plans to prioritize research and accelerate the delivery of new technologies to the U.S. Nav
She Studied Ways to Make People Smarter. Then Her Grant Was Cut.
Jessica Cantlon had a grant with the U.S. Navy to explore whether people could improve spatial problem-solving skills through training. Then the program was cut.
Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Portsmouth Earns Top Marks in Radiation Health Audit
The Radiation Health team at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Portsmouth has earned top marks following a recent audit conducted by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, placing the program among the top 10 percent of Radiation Health programs across the U.S. Navy.
Around the MHS
The latest news from around the Military Health System for the week of May 11-15, 2026, includes nationally recognized scores for military hospitals, a U.S. Navy audiologist’s efforts to protect hearing, and a U.S. Armed Forces partnership that’s strengthening relationships between the U.S., Africa, and global allies.
Get Real With SOMD Politics: Chuck Borges Discusses Housing Affordability, Economic Development And Tax Reform
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — On a recent episode of “Get Real with Southern Maryland Politics,” host Chris Hill sat down with state Senate District 29 candidate Chuck Borges for a wide-ranging discussion about his background, career, and priorities for Southern Maryland. Borges, a 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, said he came to Southern Maryland in 2004 for test pilot […]
Around the MHS
The latest news from around the Military Health System for the week of April 13-17, 2026, includes the U.S. Navy medical team recovering Artemis II, a U.S. Army Captain’s unconventional journey to becoming a dentist, and a first-of-its-kind spinal surgery at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Hawaii.
Around the MHS
The latest news from around the Military Health System for the week of April 13-17, 2026, includes the U.S. Navy medical team recovering Artemis II, a U.S. Army Captain’s unconventional journey to becoming a dentist, and a first-of-its-kind spinal surgery at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Hawaii.
US negotiators leaving without a peace deal with Iran
A U.S. official said several U.S. Navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz; three supertankers passed through, shipping data showed.
Why the U.S. Navy’s retail business is fighting Walmart and Amazon to fund its own future
The Navy runs more than 300 stores globablly but its operations are at risk because retail giants like Walmart, Amazon and Target are taking market share.
Workers approve a contract deal with Bath Iron Works, ending weeklong strike
Hundreds of employees at one of the U.S. Navy's biggest shipbuilding contractors have voted to approve a deal with Bath Iron Works, ending a weeklong strike.
San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering brings industry leaders to Petco Park
Exhibitors include Ballet Folklorico Moncayo, Children’s Museum of Discovery and the U.S. Navy, plus major pharmaceutical companies like Bristol Myers Squibb and Genentech among others.
Trump tried to troll Greenland's free public health care system with U.S. Navy hospital ships still in dock. 'It’s a no thank you from here'
"That is a deliberate choice — and a fundamental part of our society,” Nielsen said. "That is not how it works in the USA, where it costs money to see a doctor.”
Thanks but no thanks: Trump’s hospital ship plan provokes defense of Greenland health care system
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would deploy a hospital ship to Greenland, alleging that many people there are sick and not receiving care, even though both of the U.S. Navy’s hospital ships are currently docked at a shipyard in Alabama.
Around the MHS
The latest news from around the Military Health System for the week of Feb. 9-13, 2026, includes a new leader for the Defense Health Agency, a roadmap for leveraging artificial intelligence in military medical education, and the U.S. Navy’s human performance optimization initiative.
U.S. Navy veteran and VA health care executive appointed as Department of War’s top medical leader
Keith Bass, a retired U.S. Navy commander and health care leader, was sworn in Jan. 12, 2026, as the assistant secretary of war for health affairs.
Hegseth issues letter of censure to Sen. Kelly after warning about following illegal orders
Hegseth said that the censure was "a necessary process step" to proceedings that could result in a demotion from Kelly's retired rank of captain in the U.S. Navy.
Trump’s menacing military moves wearing thin with voters
When I reported to my initial assignment following Naval Officer Candidate School, my commanding officer asked me somewhat jovially, “You know why the Navy sends me Ensigns don’t you Mr. Hudson?” Puzzled, I replied, “No, Sir.” Still grinning, he explained, “If anyone screws up here, I’ll need someone we can court-martial.” U.S. Navy discipline has […]