News

Who's Who: Larry Loerch

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the Top Gun flying school, Larry Loerch's touchscreen industry career has taken flight since joining 3M Touch Systems in 2000.

April 18, 2002

Larry Loerch's was not nicknamed "Goose" and his co-pilot did not look like Tom Cruise -- for that matter, his instructor did not look like Kelly McGillis -- but in 1977, Loerch lived the life that Hollywood made famous in the late `80s.

He is a graduate of Top Gun, the U.S. Navy's elite fighter weapons flying school.

"That was some awesome flying," said Loerch, who is now Global Business Manager, Monitors for 3M Touch Systems. "There was no Kelly McGillis, but the flying aspect was fun."

For Loerch, 51, the experience did not translate into a lifelong military career. A 1974 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he left the Navy after just 5 ½ years in the service.

But nearly two decades later, the military's loss benefited the touchscreen industry. Loerch came to Micro Touch Systems in February of 2000 and remained with the company after 3M bought it a year later.

As global business manager, Loerch deals with a wide array of clientele whose needs can differ dramatically. But Paul Baril, 3M Touch Systems marketing manager, said Loerch's military background makes him the right fit for the job.

"I've known several folks that graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and they have always seemed to be the same type of person," Baril said. "They're very good in crisis situations. They gather all the facts and make rational decisions. They don't shoot from the hip."

The Danger Zone

Loerch's Top Gun experience came in the back of the cockpit, not the pilot's seat. He served as the radar intercept officer on a Naval F-4 jet, giving him the responsibility for the plane's radar systems and weaponry.

At Top Gun, located in Miramar, Calif., Loerch said he learned how to take himself and his equipment to extremes.

"It's the sense of discipline that's exciting," he said. "It's the sense of flying on the edge, being aggressive, and being able to take risks.

"What's great is you're flying the plane the way it's supposed to be flown," Loerch added. "In peace time, you go up to log hours. At Top Gun, you can fly and test the aircraft's limits. That was a lot of fun. That was a wonderful opportunity. You go and learn, and then you go back to your squadron."

So Loerch went back to his squadron. But his stay in the Navy lasted just another year-and-a-half. Loerch did not go for subtleties when asked why he left.

"I'll tell you why, 5,000 close male friends on a boat for six months at a time," Loerch said. "It was fun, and I have a lot of respect for people who stay in, but it gets tough on the family when you're gone for six or eight months at a time."

Just another challenge

After leaving the Navy, Loerch took on management roles in several different industries, working with electronics materials and also in the specialty chemical business. He was working in the circuit board manufacturing industry when the opportunity to join Micro Touch came along in early 2000.

Loerch was entering the touchscreen business cold. But the challenge of doing something different and learning a new industry was too hard to resist.

"I saw it as an opportunity to join a company in a market that had growth potential," he said. "Coming out of the printed circuit board chemical business was easy; it was a mature market and everything was getting consolidated. I was going into a business that was still finding its legs and I'm having fun going out in the marketplace and affecting change."

Loerch admitted that 3M's acquisition of Micro Touch -- a move that for a time left the industry with two major players, 3M and Elo TouchSystems, left him feeling like he had left one consolidating industry for another. But he was quick to pick up on the advantages working for 3M would bring.

"I was thinking, `Geez, déjà vu,' " he said. "But it was a good thing. Micro Touch was a good company, but it was growing quickly, maybe too quickly. It needed a strong manufacturing arm and an infrastructure and strong R&D. What 3M brought to the picture was a commitment to innovation and a financial commitment and name recognition from a marketing standpoint. It lets us do our own thing."

Work ethics start early

A native of Newton, N.J., Loerch has the discipline and commitment to excellence one would expect from a U.S. Naval Academy and Top Gun graduate, Baril said.

"He came in from another industry, but he came up to speed very quickly because he worked hard to ramp up on the dynamics of the industry," he said. "He's very driven, very proactive. He has a good understanding of the business and the business dynamics, plus he's very externally focused."

Baril added that Loerch has also developed a sense of perspective that allows him to be one of the guys.

"He's very much an All-American kid who grew up in his hometown in New Jersey with a close family and was an altar boy," Baril said. "Sometimes I give him a hard way to go about that."