ABOUT ME
Karla Trotman
President and CEO
Karla Trotman is the President and CEO of Electro Soft, Incorporated (ESI). With a B.S. in Business Logistics from Penn State and an MBA from Drexel University, she has held pivotal roles at Honeywell, Gap, and IKEA, mastering supply chain logistics and e-commerce. During her time at IKEA, Karla founded an e-commerce business while on maternity leave, turning her logistics expertise into a successful online venture for prenatal and postnatal products, catering to celebrity and international clientele.
Transitioning from corporate America to ESI, her family’s electronics manufacturing company, Karla has held various leadership roles over 15 years, ultimately becoming CEO. Her strategic implementation of online marketing and acquisition revitalized ESI’s revenue.
An award-winning entrepreneur, Karla is a trailblazer in manufacturing and a passionate advocate for Minority Business Enterprises, leveraging her influence to bridge success gaps for minority business owners. Her story is one of defying expectations, harnessing inner strength, and creating a lasting legacy.
MY BOOK
Dark, Dirty, Dangerous
“According to Family Enterprise, there are thirty-two million family-owned businesses in the United States. Author Karla Trotman’s family business, Electro Soft, is one of those businesses. However, unlike the majority of those businesses, Electro Soft is a Black-owned business in the manufacturing industry where not many owners look like them.”
Chapter 1: How Do We Build a Modern Manufacturing Company?
Chapter 2: Preserving & Reinvigorating a Family Business?
Chapter 3: What Does it Mean to Be a Woman in Manufacturing?
Chapter 4: How Do We Access Capital and Financing?
Chapter 5: Which Strategies Ensure Effective Supply Chain Logistics?
Chapter 6: How Do We Attract a Younger, Diverse Workforce?
Chapter 7: How Do We Deliver Value to Our Customers?
Chapter 8: How Do We Build Non-Competitive Industry Partnerships?
Chapter 9: Which Actions Will Help Us Create Generational Wealth?
Chapter 10: How Can We Prepare for the Future of Electronics Manufacturing?
WHERE TO PURCHASE
Testimonials and Clients
Loren Feldman
Founder, 21 Hats Media
In more than 20 years covering the stories of business owners for Inc, Forbes, The New York Times, and now 21 Hats, I’ve come across few stories as moving and instructive as the story of what Karla Trotman has accomplished with Electro Soft. From figuring out that she actually did want to join the family business to taking part in today’s manufacturing revolution, Karla’s journey is relevant especially to manufacturers and especially to underrepresented entrepreneurs but really to everyone building a business.
Cheryl Beth Kuchler
Founder and President, CEO Think Tank®
Karla Trotman is a force to be reckoned with! Her provocative and practical insights about how to create more opportunity for a diverse workforce and revitalize manufacturing have been a long time coming. From how to attract a younger, more diverse, talent pool, to building strategic partnerships to being a woman of color in a male dominated industry, she covers a lot of ground. Sharing her experiences and her revelations in a direct, no-nonsense style “Dark, Dirty, Dangerous” is an eye-opening and engaging must-read for every leader who wants to make a difference in the world.
MEDIA
CBS MORNING
25 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing
What Happens When Family Businesses Share Their Remarkable Stories
EVENTS
September 12th – Congressional Black Caucus Foundation – Washington D.C.
Sunday, September 29th – Private Friends and Family Launch Event
Wednesday, October 2nd – Philadelphia – EMSDC ROAR Conference
Friday, October 18th – University of Delaware “Free Lunch Friday”
Sunday, October 20th – Atlanta – National Minority Supplier Development Conference ASCEND Cities Private Event
Sunday, November 3rd – Columbia, Maryland – Busboys & Poets 5 PM
Tuesday, December 10th – JPMC Philadelphia CEO Series Private Event
March 10th– 14th– USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy
Thursday, March 27th– Main Line Chamber of Commerce – Society of Professional Women
Stay Tuned for the Following Cities: Detroit & Atlanta
CONTACT
For media inquiries, please contact:
Nicole Baker, Senior Publicist, Smith Publicity, Inc.
Nicole.Baker@SmithPublicity.
or
Jessica Sager, Publicist, Smith Publicity, Inc.
Jessica.Sager@SmithPublicity.