AUGUST 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 27
WHOLLY MOLI
EAST/WEST INDUSTRIES:TOP-FLIGHT MANUFACTURING
By RUTH BASHINSKY
Countless Long Islanders have seen
the U.S. Navy’s elite flying squadron,
the Blue Angels, perform aerobatic
stunts at the annual Bethpage Air
Show at Jones Beach State Park.
But most spectators are likely
unaware that those F/A-18 Hornets
are equipped with emergency
oxygen systems made on Long
Island. Ronkonkoma-based East/
West Industries is an award-winning
designer and manufacturer
of aircraft seats, ground support
equipment, and other lifesaving
products.
“I love what I do,” says Teresa Ferraro,
president of East/West Industries.
“Saving aircrew lives is our first
concern.”
Ferraro runs the company with her
brother, Joe Spinosa, vice president
of business development. The family
business, which started as a small
store in Bellmore in 1968, has grown
to become one of the leading providers
of high-performance products for
the military and commercial customers
in the aerospace industry today,
serving Sikorsky Aircraft, Boeing,
Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, Bell
Helicopter and all branches of the U,S,
Department of Defense.
The woman-owned company is
celebrating its 50th year in business.
Ferraro says its founders, her father
Dom Spinosa, a mechanical engineer
in the aerospace industry, and mother,
Mary Spinosa, whose background
was in finance, were “true visionaries
and entrepreneurs.”
The company has more than 28 patents
and has manufactured more than
3,500 types of seats for helicopter and
fixed-wing aircraft since its inception.
Over the last 16 months, East/West
Industries has gone through a growth
spurt, moving its operations to a
50,000-square-foot building, nearly
twice the size of their prior facility.
“We have long-term employees and
very low turnover because we have
created those values of being a family
business,” says Ferraro.
Mentoring young people and supporting
veterans is also important to
the company. Fifteen percent of its
workforce are veterans. The company
has 82 employees, up from 55
three years ago.
The Industrial Development Agency
featured it as a model manufacturing
company. Earlier this year, The
Boeing Company recognized East/
West Industries as Supplier of the
Year in the Global Supplier Diversity
category.
“Our quick response to our clients’
needs, our performance, quality of
products, on-time delivery, affordable
price and product diversity keep
our customers coming back,” says
Ferraro.
Joe Spinosa, VP of Business Development at East/West Industries
inspects a CH-47 helicopter Crashworthy Crew Chief seat.
ALL THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE DEDICATION
AND HARD WORK OF OUR EMPLOYEES, THANK YOU!
2002 Orville Drive N., Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 • 631-981-5900
www.eastwestindustries.com
/www.eastwestindustries.com
