Frank Aguilar has been an integral part of the metal finishing industry for more than 50 years.

Aguilar and his family-owned Industrial Plating Company in San Carlos, California, for decades, and he was an active member of the Metal Finishing Association of Northern California for many years.

“My dad started with the Alan Baker Co. in San Francisco polishing bumpers,” Aguilar says. “He was getting paid $90 a week, but he had seven kids to feed, so he was working night and day.”

His father eventually went to work for Industrial Plating and became an owner of the company. In 1990 Aguilar’s family became owners of the entire operation.

“My brothers and I had been working there since 1967,” Aguilar says. “I went into the military service and came back when I got out. I had to interview for the job because it was a union shop.”

Aguilar joined the MFANC and was a five-time past president of the organization. He also sat on the board of MFANC for 21 years and, in 2014, was named an honorary lifetime member of the Metal Finishing Association of California.

Although he is retired as an owner, Aguilar remains active in the finishing industry. He works part-time at Global Plating in Fremont, CA, and represents CHEMEON Surface Technology as the California Technical Sales Specialist.

Aguilar is a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. He and his wife Cynthia have three daughters and several grandchildren.