Martin Kolt “President” (left), Billy Siva “Engineer” (center), Ethan Kolt “Vice President” (right).
The year was 1978, I (Ethan on the far right) was 5 years old and Martin (on the far left) was 17. That’s when our family met Billy Silva (in the middle). Billy was someone our father, Stanley Kolt, had hired to be his factory engineer. Shortly after hiring Billy, it became obvious that he was a rare and unique talent.
Over the past 42 years, Billy’s countless design and engineering contributions have helped Active Ventilation Products to be the company it is today. When Billy announced that he was retiring I had mixed emotions.
I felt a tremendous loss with the thought of Billy leaving but also knew in my heart that he should enjoy his golden years with his family back in Columbia.
I want to personally thank Billy for a lifetime of work and dedication. When I think about Billy the saying comes to mind, “A company is nothing without its people” and in regards to Billy, nothing could be more true.
- Ethan
