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When you start with a well-proven management team and a chance to start from scratch, it doesn’t take long to get well established. Omega EMS CEO Chris Alessio discusses the company's rapid 10-year growth from startup to an international electronics manufacturing organization. We find out what makes things click so well.
Nolan Johnson: Chris, it’s great to talk with you. Tell me about Omega’s line of services. It seems there's very little you don't do.
Chris Alessio: Today, Omega EMS operates as a full-service electronics manufacturing partner supporting high-reliability industries, including mil/aero, networking, and energy systems. Over the years, we've expanded our service offerings in a largely opportunistic way. We look to understand a customer's needs, then determine whether we can bring those capabilities in-house to enhance flexibility and responsiveness rather than relying on external vendors, which can often introduce delays through shipping, queue times, and reprocessing. We’ve expanded into test infrastructure, cable harnessing, system integration, and potting solutions, among other capabilities. Given the strong growth in mil/aero programs, we’ve also increased our investment in conformal coating and related processes. It's an opportunistic approach to growing the business through services and capabilities.
Johnson: That seems to be in keeping with what's going on in the market. How do you grow and find the right opportunity in the right place?
Alessio: We've been very fortunate with the pedigree of our management team. In the early 2000s, we accumulated a stable of relationships with the engineering community in Silicon Valley. Those people now say, “I remember these Omega guys. Let’s give them a call.” Just like that, we have a new customer who already knows what kind of business we are, and then we do our thing: “make it happen (MIH).” We really lived and breathed that early on: whatever it took—answering calls and emails after hours, working weekends—to perform a service or complete a job for a customer.
That DNA is still there. With 200 people, we're much bigger now, and company culture sometimes morphs over time. We’re approaching $100 million in sales, and we've added a Vietnam location. That makes it harder to maintain the grassroots culture, but it's still there, and we still do our best to MIH wherever we possibly can.
To continue reading this article, which appeared in the May 2026 SMT007 Magazine, click here.
