HERSCOVICI, Saul 1934-2007
HERSCOVICI, FORNEY
Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 2/12/2015 at 23:57:50
[Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Thursday, April 19, 2007]
CEDAR FALLS - Saul Herscovici, 72, of Cedar Falls, passed away Friday, April 14, 2007, in Rochester, Minn., of natural causes.
Saul was born on June 11, 1934, in Bereshti, Romania. He immigrated to the United States to study mechanical engineering at Arizona State University. While at school he met his wife, Miriam. After graduation, Saul moved to Waterloo to work as a mechanical engineer at John Deere. While at John Deere, Saul followed his dreams and started his own company, Power Engineering and Manufacturing, Ltd. Saul grew Power Engineering and Manufacturing from a few machines in a gas station garage to a manufacturing facility that designs and creates gear boxes for applications around the world.
Saul is survived by his wife, Miriam of Cedar Falls; his daughter and her husband, Gail and Harry Forney of Waterloo; his son and his wife, Charles and Michele Herscovici of Olathe, Kan.; four grandchildren, Christopher Byerly and Alex Forney, both of Waterloo, and Nathan and Elyse Herscovici, both of Olathe.
Services will be held at Power Engineering & Manufacturing, Ltd. located at 2635 WCF & N Drive, Waterloo, on Saturday, April 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. The family asks that you do not send flowers but a memorial will be taken and donated to charity. If you wish to send a memorial, please send to: PEM, P.O. Box 4055, Waterloo, IA 50704.
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[Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Thursday, April 19, 2007]WATERLOO - A Romanian-born immigrant who escaped Nazi and Soviet tyranny to found a worldwide gear box manufacturing business in Waterloo has died.
Saul Herscovici, founder and president of Power Engineering and Manufacturing, 2635 WCF & N Drive, died Friday of natural causes at Rochester, Minn., during a medical appointment trip. He was 72.
Herscovici founded Power Engineering, also known as PEM, in 1975 after working 12 years as an engineer at Deere & Co. His company manufactures custom-designed gear boxes for U.S. firms used in 40 countries worldwide in machinery ranging from copper mines in Peru to U.S. Navy icebreakers.
He never expected more out of his employees than what he was willing to put out himself. He was one hard worker. It was also fun to work for him, said Jeanne Lantz, vice president of administration at PEM.
Herscovici, a naturalized American citizen, came to the U.S. from Romania in the early 1960s to escape communism, and also grew up under Nazi repression in his home country during World War II.
He must have been in his pre-teens, and German troops came into his uncle’s plant and they carried weapons. It made a lasting impression on him, said Jim Meehan of Cedar Falls, a consulting engineer who worked with Herscovici for years.
He was very much a mentor to me when I was growing up, said his son, Chuck, an engineer now living in Olathe, Kan. He worked with his father and accompanied him on business trips, which included trips to amusement parks. He loved roller coasters.
Herscovici was known around the state for standing up to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In 1993, Herscovici's business was cited and initially fined $2,500 because an extension cord to a metal cutter was spooled up and hung on a hook. Iowa OSHA officials termed it a serious violation. Herscovici spent more than $10,000 in legal fees to fight the matter.
He won. The state dropped the matter after a further review of the facts. Herscovici refused settlement even after the state offered to reduce the fine to $1,000 and then $500.
He was strong-willed, determined, honest, said Waterloo attorney Beth Hansen, who along with the late E.R. Mac McCann represented Herscovici on his OSHA case. He and I didn't always agree, and that wasn't always pleasant, but he would always listen and he would gather additional information, and he would make a decision.
George Warren, a shareholder and board member of PEM, said Herscovici started the company with the financial support of Warren's father, Irv Warren, and uncle, Jack Warren, both of Warren Transport Inc.
They were impressed with his intelligence and ideas, Warren said. He started from nothing, and it’s a very good company.
Brilliant man, and self-made man, Warren said of Herscovici. He's got gear boxes all over the world. It’s really an immigrant coming to the U.S. and living the American dream.
As much as he was devoted to his business, friends said Herscovici was even more devoted to his family. Many members of his extended family died in World War II. His love of family was intertwined with his love of country.
Last September, Herscovici, in a patriotic gesture, enlisted the help of two employees to put up a steel-plate reproduction of U.S. Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima, alongside a replica of the Statue of Liberty.
His daughter, Gail Forney, who works at PEM. Beyond his other accomplishments, she wanted folks to remember he was a wonderful dad.
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