Nissen Isakov is the Founder and CEO of LCR Embedded Systems, a provider of chassis, backplanes and integrated systems for the aerospace and defense industries. Originally from South Africa, Nissen has earned a reputation as a creative visionary with a passion for integrity, quality, complete customer satisfaction, and dedication to long-term, sustainable business relationships.
A Little Bit about Nissen: He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 1973. After graduation, he co-founded Johannesburg-based Supprescraft (PTY) Ltd, a leading provider of high-quality electronic filters and other components, and served as the company’s Managing Director.
Prior to emigrating to the United States from South Africa in 1986, Nissen founded LCR Electronics, Inc., a provider of electronic filters for the consumer, medical, commercial, telecom, and defense industries. Over the next 28 years prior to its acquisition in 2013 by Astrodyne TDI, LCR Electronics grew from a small 100 sq. ft. room in Conshohocken, PA, into an international company with design and manufacturing facilities in China and the USA, servicing a diverse group of customers in multiple demanding markets. In 2013, Nissen spun off the enclosure-related business units from LCR Electronics as LCR Embedded Systems serving the aerospace, defense, and rugged industrial markets through the design and manufacture of chassis, backplanes, and fully integrated systems currently in operation all over the world.
Nissen sits on the board of the MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA), Ultraflex Systems Inc., as well as Verus, and was a long-time board member of the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia. He also volunteers his services as a science presenter at the Franklin Institute Science Museum.
How long have you served on Verus’ Board of Managers? I have served on Verus’ Board since its founding in 2017.
Why did you want to serve on Verus’ Board? I was interviewed by Verus’ founders and was immediately impressed with their value system. Not only do I believe in the company’s mission, but I also believe in their value system in terms of how they treat their employees, integrity and diversity. They have built a company with a strong culture founded on these all-important values, and I firmly believe that one’s business depends largely on its value system and the culture of the organization.
What is your outlook of the mass tort/class action area of law? I think the mass tort arena is growing. If you consider the kinds of cases that have come to light, it is clear that mass torts aren’t going away any time soon. Verus plays an important role in advocating for those people that have been injured or affected that comprise these cases.
Are you passionate about any causes or charities at the moment? I have long believed that protecting our environment is very important because that is what we leave to our children and grandchildren. Frankly, we haven’t done enough to protect it. I am also really concerned about poverty, homelessness, and mental health – all of which are essentially one issue — especially during COVID. We see a lot of homelessness here in Philly, and sadly, it is not really being addressed despite the long-term consequences.
While I came to the U.S. from South Africa 34 years ago, I still have vivid memories of my first month here when I was starting my business; there were a few things that immediately struck me back then that are still very present for me now. First, I remember how struck I was by the separation of Church and State here in the U.S., how the Constitution was written and how incredible the idea of “freedom of religion” is. It is quite amazing — there just aren’t that many countries in the world that have this same separation of Church and State.
The second thing I noticed is that all Americans are truly blessed with freedom. Sadly, many really don’t have a sense of just how wonderful that freedom is because they already have it and take it for granted. Perhaps, only when you have not felt free can you truly appreciate and value it. But I noticed a change right after 9/11 and again, these last few years, when many Americans may have felt a rude awakening. Today, I see more Americans that really have come to appreciate their freedom.
During my first month here in the U.S. I also recognized that every individual in the U.S. has the equal opportunity to become unequal. To state that in a different way, every American can be anything or do anything that they want to do. There are hurdles, certainly, but no barriers. In South Africa there were major barriers. I think immigrants to the U.S. see the potential to succeed here that sometimes Americans don’t see. I think recognizing and seizing that opportunity is critical to the future of our United States.
Every day, from my apartment window, I get to look out onto Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and I think of all the brilliant minds that walked these streets and had the foresight about these issues when they wrote the Constitution. My window view is a daily reminder of how amazing it all is and that we should never forget it.
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