James Calvin Klouda, CEO and founder of Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc. Jim, 84, died July 10, 2012 with his family at his side.
“Jim Klouda was an EMC testing pioneer, a brilliant engineer, a visionary, and a life-long entrepreneur, but most of all he loved people. He was a great man who always found the good in family, friends, employees and professional associates around him,” Raymond Klouda, Jim’s son and current president of Elite, said.
Klouda recognized at a very early stage the need for testing electronics and receivers for radio frequency interference. With the support of his wife Marilyn, he founded Elite Electronic Engineering in 1954. Working in a copper-lined shielded enclosure that he and his father built, Klouda used a Stoddard RF analyzer to begin making radio frequency measurements. He designed filters and other treatments that would help manufacturers develop products that were compatible with their electromagnetic environment.
From one of the first independent electromagnetic compatibility testing laboratories in the world, Klouda grew the company to become a world-recognized leader in the electronics testing industry. In 1954, Elite had two employees and operated out of a 2,500-square-foot storefront in south Chicago. By 1973, the company had 20 employees and occupied 22,000-square-feet. Today, with 60 employees, and more than 45,000-square-feet, Elite offers expertise and equipment.
Klouda was a charitable man who contributed to his alma mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where a science laboratory bears his name. His philanthropy also extended to his church and many other causes close to him and his family.
Klouda was a life member of the IEEE EMC Society, and active throughout his career with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (IEST). In 2007 Klouda was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.
“Through his children, grandchildren and his company, Elite Electronic Engineering, we are reassured that he has left behind an enduring legacy. The EMC and environmental stress testing services sector will miss him dearly,” his family said.
Klouda is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marilyn; daughter Janet (Gerry); sons James (Julianne), Raymond, Joseph and Thomas (Margaret); and nine grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are with Modell Funeral Home in Darien, Ill.
To learn more about James Klouda and the history of Elite, click here
