TRL Systems Celebrates Four Decades of Success
Lynn Purdy (Founder) turning a dream into a reality.
It was spring of 1981 when Lynn Purdy and his partners, Tom Matlock and Rodney Weinberg formed TRL Systems. Named by combining the first initial of the founders’ first names, the new enterprise launched with much optimism and a handful of employees.
TRL became a family business in 1983 when Lynn hired Mark Purdy to join the company. Mark, TRL’s CEO today, started out assisting Lynn with estimating and selling along with doing whatever was needed to service TRL’s small roster of customers.
The next year Lynn bought out his partners and began building the company we have today. Jeff Purdy, now COO, joined the crew a few years after Mark and many family members and friends have come on board in the ensuing years. From the beginning, the philosophy has been that everyone who works for TRL is part of the extended family. That’s why, despite tremendous growth in the last 40 years, TRL remains a tight-knit group.
From Humble Beginnings . . .
Eddie Rodriguez on a service call. 25 years later, Eddie now serves as Healthcare Testing Manager.
The first job Lynn landed with the newly minted TRL was the Red Lion Inn in Ontario (now DoubleTree). It was on that job that Lynn met a young Steve Adams who would, not too many years later, be recruited to join the fledgling firm. “Although everyone had a specific role,” says Steve, “in the beginning we all did a little bit of everything.”
Working at TRL on weekends and over the summer while still in high school, Jeff remembers officially joining TRL as a 20-year-old newlywed. “When I started, I had no experience other than shoveling manure and odd jobs,” remembers Jeff. “I was as green as they come. I learned on the job and I was blessed to have been mentored by Steve Adams and Ed Ritterbusch in the early days.”
Peter Javryd, senior TRL sales wizard and an important catalyst for TRL’s growth, had only been in the U.S. a few years when he sold Mark a refurbished copy machine in 1995. Impressed with Peter’s style and follow-through, Mark asked him to come and sell for TRL. “Back then I didn’t know anything about the business,” shares Peter. “Basically, I got the yellow pages and started calling hospitals.”
Onward and Upward
Armed with more resources than Lynn had back in the day, Mark, Jeff and the TRL team have taken the business far beyond Lynn’s original vision. While there have been several significant milestones over the years, Mark remembers an important turning point in 1997 when TRL landed two large jobs and went from a $2-million-a-year company to $8 million overnight.
Although no less exciting four decades on, multi-million-dollar contracts are par for the course for today’s TRL which is proud to count 2000+ clients and 200+ employees.
Ariel Armenta (Fire Project Manager), Gustavo Ruiz (Foreman), and Letty Flores (Sales Operations) staying safe and supporting our customers from the Tustin office.
TRL’s explosive growth over the decades has led to a thoughtful evolution in all aspects of the business. “The decisions we made over the last 10+ years are the reason TRL is so successful today,” says Mark. “We moved into our new building here in Rancho, added the Burbank office, created our Healthcare, Security and Fire Divisions and restructured our Service team. All of this made us more efficient and fueled our ability to exceed customer expectations.”
Looking ahead Mark intends for TRL to double its market share in the Southern California market. “Today we’re the best at what we do,” says Mark. “We’ve created a ‘there’s nothing we can’t do’ reputation for ourselves. We get called on for the most difficult and complex projects, those are the ones we shine on.”
In addition to being the best, Mark is setting his sights on being the dominant player in our market. With an eye toward elevating the industry as a whole, Mark plans for TRL’s level of excellence to ultimately become the industry standard.
Some Things Never Change, Thankfully!
Since its beginnings, TRL’s leaders were determined to work with a “do the right thing” ethic. That intention, which is as alive today as it was in 1981, has fueled by our tremendous culture of teamwork and collaboration. And it’s placed TRL in a unique position of maintaining several customer relationships for 20+, 30+ and even 40 years.
“Every person doing their best work is essential to the whole of TRL,” says Mark. “I’m proud of our TRL team, in the office and out in the field. We have the best professionals in the industry and together we’ve created something extraordinary.”