Leonard W. Moore, founder of Moore Industries-International passes away at 85

Leonard (Len) W. Moore, P.E., founder and owner of Moore Industries-International Inc., an industrial and automation control company, passed at the age of 85.

By Mark T. Hoske September 13, 2019

Leonard (Len) W. Moore, P.E., founder and owner of Moore Industries-International Inc. passed at the age of 85, according to information provided by the company that bears his name.

Starting with one signal isolating/converting instrument, the SCT Signal Converter and Isolator, Moore and his employees designed, built and supported more than 225 products that isolate, protect, convert, alarm, monitor, control and interface with industrial or automation control and monitoring systems.

Moore was born Nov. 26, 1933, in Hazelton, Iowa where he attended elementary through high school. At the age of 16 he graduated high school and then attended Iowa State University where he obtained a BS in Electrical Engineering.

After graduating college Moore entered the Army in 1953 as a weapons guidance specialist and spent time at Fort Sill, Ok. and Fort Bliss, Texas. He then served time in Japan training and teaching soldiers how to operate, calibrate and repair various guidance and artillery weapon systems. It was here where Moore realized he had a passion for instruments and control circuits. After his tour in Japan he left the Army and returned home to Iowa.

In 1958, newly married to wife Martha Moore and eager to start his career, he took a job with Hughes Aircraft in El Segundo, Calif. With one car and only a few suitcases to their name, Moore and his wife packed up and headed west to start their new life. After a few years with Hughes and a few more engineering and automation jobs, Moore made a bold decision to do things his own way – in 1968 he founded Moore Industries-International Inc. in North Hills, Calif. Starting out in a small office with one employee and a very small budget, Moore set out to design the most rugged industrial instrument solutions that he knew the industry needed. He used to say that at Moore Industries “we are an engineering company that solves customer’s problems by manufacturing bulletproof solutions.”

Moore often said, “the best compliment we can get from our customers is that they forgot about our products or solutions because they performed so well that they just plain forgot they were ever installed.” This rugged design mentality, which he mandated, can be seen in most of the company’s products that are enveloped in solid aluminum cases instead of fragile plastic or polycarbonate housings.

More than 50 years after its inception, Moore Industries’ world headquarters remains in North Hills, Calif. The company continues to manufacture all its products at this U.S. location, something Moore insisted upon. With two acquisitions, more than 19 industry associated patents, 200 employees and remote offices located in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and China, the company continues to engineer, design, manufacture and support existing and new products for worldwide process control and automation customers.

Moore Industries serves a variety of industries such as chemical and petrochemical; power generation and transmission; petroleum extraction, refining and transport; pulp and paper; food and beverage; mining and metal refining; pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; industrial machinery and equipment; water and wastewater; and environmental and pollution monitoring.

While Moore had a passion for his company and its employees, he lived a full life outside of the company too. Moore was an accomplished race car driver spending time in racing schools, competing on the Trans Am Race Circuit, and even sponsoring an Indy Series car during the 1980s. Flying was also a hobby and interest of Moore’s. Although he had hundreds of hours under his belt flying right seat during work trips in the company’s commander airplane, it wasn’t until 2005 that Moore finally got his pilot’s license. During this time, he had another side project going on: restoring, and later flying, a 1946 single engine Ercoupe in his hangar to museum-like condition with World War II Army Air Corps colors. Moore used to say, “this is the world’s most expensive Ercoupe,” which is no surprise because he was an absolute perfectionist. He later donated this plane to the Palm Springs Air Museum.

In 2009 Moore was inducted as an ISA Honorary Member – among those whose support, and/or contribute to, the advancement of the arts and sciences of instrumentation, systems, and automation. Moore was a Professional Engineer, had a private contractor’s license and a controls industry pioneer.

Moore is survived by his three sons: Tony and his companion Sonnie, Nick, and Chris and his wife Deanna; his grandsons Nick, Matthew, Justin and Christopher; and Moore’s longtime companion Christine Hulfish.

The company statement said, “To a smart, devoted and compassionate man with a quick wit and great sense of humor who left a long and impressive legacy – Godspeed Len, we will miss you greatly.”

– Edited from a Moore Industries-International press release by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

Original content can be found at Control Engineering.


Author Bio: Mark Hoske has been Control Engineering editor/content manager since 1994 and in a leadership role since 1999, covering all major areas: control systems, networking and information systems, control equipment and energy, and system integration, everything that comprises or facilitates the control loop. He has been writing about technology since 1987, writing professionally since 1982, and has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree from UW-Madison.