Crowley Celebrates 35 Years

Crowley 35th AnniversaryIn 1980, the Dow Jones Industrial average was 963, the average U.S. income was $19,500 and a gallon of gas cost an average of $1.19. Quite a lot happened in the world that year, but in one little corner of Montgomery County, Maryland, Jerome F. (Jerry) Crowley took a risk, left his comfortable position as a micrographics equipment manufacturer’s rep and went out on his own. This month, J.F. Crowley Inc. is celebrating its 35th year since incorporation and is now known worldwide as The Crowley Company (Crowley).

This anniversary is no small feat in an industry where technology has changed the focus from analog (saving and retrieving images to and from microfilm) to digital (saving and retrieving images from microfilm and other hard formats to digital images). Not every firm was able to change with the times and many of those that did were caught up in the consolidations of the late 1990s and early 2000s. After Jerry’s passing in 1996, two of his four children, Christopher (Chris) and Patrick (Pat), made the decision to continue with the business and to grow it strategically by taking advantage of opportunities that would let the company move into the future while retaining its analog core.

In 2003, the firm went from selling others brands to becoming a manufacturer in its own right with the purchase of Mekel Technology. Earlier in the company’s history, the firm had added conversion services to its offerings, giving those who couldn’t afford to or didn’t need to purchase equipment, an option for saving their archives and records to either an analog or digital format.

Today, The Crowley Company is a unique blend of manufacturer, manufacturer’s representative and service bureau. To our knowledge, Crowley is the only firm in the industry that makes the equipment, sells the equipment and uses the equipment. This three-pronged approach – four when adding in Crowley’s technical support division which installs and services the equipment we represent – gives the company an advantage not easily found elsewhere. Crowley’s R&D division is able to react quickly to suggestions made by the Crowley Imaging service bureau operators and to client requests that come in via a worldwide reseller network. With over 80% microfilm scanner universal market share, billions of images processed, duplicated or digitized, and locations in Maryland, California and the UK, The Crowley Company has not only survived but thrived.

35 is looking pretty good; can’t wait to see what the future brings.

*Scroll down to view a timeline of The Crowley Company’s evolution over the last 35 years.

The Evolution of The Crowley Company with 35 years of Imaging and Records Scanning Experience

Help Us Celebrate; Win a gift card

For every 35th person that joins us on social media this year, Crowley will give away a $35 amazon.com gift card. To join in, connect with us via the social media icons to the right of the screen.

Learn More About Crowley

Take a minute to learn more about The Crowley Company and the products and services that we offer to those needing to archive, preserve, share and access historic and important information with today’s – or yesterday’s – technology. Visit our website at www.thecrowleycompany.com.

Author

Cheri BakerCheri Baker, Crowley’s former Director of Communications, has retired but retains her love for writing and all things Crowley. With a career that spans newspaper, agency and corporate communications, her goal remains to dig behind the scenes and tell the story - whatever it may be. Find Cheri Baker on LinkedIn+


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