ESL

Esterline Technologies Corp

A maker of highly engineered parts for the aerospace and defense industries, supplying cockpit displays, precision sensors, and the countermeasure flares that shield aircraft from heat-seeking missiles to builders like Boeing and Airbus. It began in 1906 in Indianapolis, when electrical engineer John Esterline started out making magnets and recording devices—and the company still carried his name. A fun twist: after he partnered with Donald Angus, the firm was briefly known as Esterline-Angus before a 1967 merger reshaped it.