Hard to say where it all started, but if it was a movie script we could start with a book that Brian Longwell was given when he was 10 years old. He had been taking out Harry Zarchy's “Building with Electronics” from the library repeatedly in the hope of building the metal detector circuit so he could dig up old nails and hinges probably buried around the old farm in Horseheads, NY where he and his 7 siblings grew up.
This went largely unnoticed by the family as young Brian had a history of trying to make things that were beyond his abilities and almost never worked. However, his German born grandmother did notice. (Josephine Raufenbarth, born in 1880, didn't marry until 1920 to Brian's grandfather who was a scandalously younger 26 at the time and they went on to sensibly have 2 children – one being Brian's father. She died at age 99 and remained sharp to the end.) So at age 87, she took Brian to a bookstore and ordered the book. She apparently was like Lou Gerricks' mom and wanted an engineer in the family.)Brian still has it. Thanks grandma! (Yes, Brian is writing this so from here on “I” is Brian Longwell.)
Below is the metal detector circuit and parts list. Also, my notes on where to get parts. I did a lot of best guess substituting. (10 years old!) After several months, it was completed. It didn't work. There was no one in the family or neighborhood that had any of the skills needed to get it working. The book had some “blah-blah-blah try moving the wires around good luck shoulda just bought one.”
8 years later, Corning Community College's engineering program. Then transfer to Clarkson Univeristy to complete an MSEE. Job at Bell Labs in North Andover, MA!
11 years of telecom development including system design, ASICs, FPGAs, pranks, and great annual reviews except for being “disruptive at meetings”. I worked at 3 different departments during my time at Bell Labs. The last one was named “Special Projects Group” as the supervisor (Tom Osborne) when I joined it had named it. The group – about 12 engineers and technicians – did design projects that were considered quite small by comparison to other systems which could involve as many as 100+ staff to complete. It was the only group at Bell had everything in one group – system, hardware, software, physcial design and printed wiring board layout. Here, I learned how a small engineering company could operate.
But Bell Labs and all of AT&T post divestiture was changing. Then it was announced that Bell Labs was going to dissolve the Special Projects Group and move everyone into some of the various large projects. Horror! Opportunity!!
But let's back up for a very important parallel plot line. In 1985, Brian Longwell tries stand up comedy for the first time. (IK, WTF??) I got a spot on a comedy show by submitting a video to a NH radio station. I “won” a 5 minute spot at the beginning of a professional show. I had never been to a live comedy show before in my life. They had me go first. So the first time I see a live comedy show is to be on stage looking at the audience. What could go wrong?
Unlike the metal detector, it actually went well. But the club offered me $50 to come back in a month and do 20 minutes. This time, everyone at Bell Labs knew about it and many attended. Twenty minutes of new and untested “jokes”! This went more like the metal detector attempt. But this is a story for another time.
Over the next 3 years after attending countless open mike shows, I was working regularly and getting decent pay. To the point that debts were paid off and cash was building up in the bank.
Back to Bell Labs. Many of us in the group were discussing how this was the time to start a stand alone engineering service company to fill the void that was going to open up. We had a dinner to discuss. Everyone had a limitation – could not go without income. Except for me – who had a comedy nest egg and a side income that would limit the financial hemorrhaging.
Not at the dinner was Gregg Wilson, a contractor that did circuit board layout. He was interested in starting a CAD biz. Very briefly: we formed a corporation “Longwell/Wilson, Inc” and made the leap into the stormy waters of entrepreneurship.
Again - quite briefly – a couple of years go by and scrapping by with small projects, on-sight contract work and whatever we could find – a big opportunity presents itself. AT&T's long distance division (that used to be a thing) wanted custom protection switching system for T3s (45MBS digital signal carried on coaxial cable) They approached the former supervisor of the Bell Lab's Special Projects Group and fortunately he referred them to me.
Phone meetings happened (they were in NJ) and things were looking good for a nice size design job with $ to be made from production. But the manager wanted to visit us. We were in a 700 square foot office and there were 2 of us at this time. If he saw that, it would kill the deal.
I went to the building manager to see if they had more space available. They did. Significantly bigger. We took it. We bought a load of office furniture. Then I contacted everyone that I knew that had a PC or laptop and asked if I could get them to come in and act like employees for one day. I considered asking comedians I knew as many are free during the day but that could REALLY blow up on us.
So the AT&T guy arrives and the place is a hive of activity. We have a pleasant and short meeting in my office – which now has a meeting table – and he leaves. Relief. He didn't ask anyone what they were doing.
The project has bumps and scary moments but after about a year, we are shipping product and finally making some good income.
After this, it's decided to split the company – CAD work has been growing steadily so Gregg spins off to form CadVantage Inc. and I form the new “Special Projects Group, Inc” since Bell Labs no longer uses it and didn't seek protection of the name. SPG employs CadVantage to to circuit board layout and CadVantage would call on SPG for consulting.
Brian Longwell decides to take some of his profits from the AT&T job and buys a building in Haverhill MA which becomes SPG's home for over 20 years.
In the last several years, SPG has wound down to a company of 1 but has access to other contractors and services to complete the projects.
More of SPG's focus has become the faux training/comedy “service”. That SPG can include this as part of its business is specified in the Articles of Organization filled with the State of MA. Here it states in Article II:
“Engineering services related to electronic hardware, software, systems, training, and research and development. Testing services and manufacturing of electronic equipment. Training/entertainment services to include humorous presentations, films/videos and humorous writing and to carry on any other business or activity which may be lawfully carried on by a corporation organized under the business corporation law of the commonwealth of Massachusetts whether or not related to those referred to in the preceding paragraph”
How did I get away with that? I think they stopped reading after the first sentence and went ahead and approved it.
So, besides offering design services, “Corporate Comedian Brian Longwell” is availble for unique, original, clean, and very funny comedy with my “How to be Successful”. Again, www.brianlongwell.com.
