Established in 2017, Recon-RF is a radio frequency (RF) product development center. That means they are in the business of building state of the art products, such as amplifiers, transmitters and receivers, and RF integrated circuits with end applications like 5G base stations, cellphones, satellites, air force jets and more— facilitating the communications and infrastructure that better our lives.
Recon-RF connected with the San Diego Workforce Partnership after having a hard time finding good candidates to fill various open positions. By tapping into multiple service offerings, including TechHire, they were able to hire new employees and retain current employees when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We were able to upskill a new employee to a very high level,” says Jeff Ritter, Operations Manager at Recon-RF. “The Workforce Partnership provided highly skilled candidates, and through the On-the-Job Training program, provided the proper training and upskilling needed in our industry.”
A year into the pandemic, Recon-RF is on a rapid growth trajectory. Being able to quickly onboard new team members has allowed them to spread work more evenly and take on much more lucrative partnerships with commercial wireless and satellite communications companies, NASA and the Department of Defense.
“We wouldn’t have been able to expand at the rate we have if we didn’t have the influx of highly talented candidates from the San Diego Workforce Partnership” says Nick Chopra, CTO of Recon-RF. “Due to our rapid increase in growth, we’ve over doubled the size of our labs and manufacturing facilities, which will give us the opportunity to hire even more employees and expand our clientele.”
Recon-RF’s next move is a literal one as they wrap up a lease and move to a much larger facility this spring. They will continue to make capital investments in their labs and manufacturing capabilities to take on additional RF product development contracts, which will in turn provide the room to hire more people.
Chopra knows firsthand how hard it is to run a business, especially in times like these. His advice? “Reach out to local programs and expand your network. Whether that’s with the Workforce Partnership or other agencies, they will provide you with the mentoring to help grow your business. There are so many resources available, if you’re persistent and do your homework they will help you to grow your business and promote the local economy.”
Connect with our business services team at business@workforce.org.