MFJ Enterprises in Mississippi closes, leaves hole in ham radio world

In 1972, Martin Jue was a young entrepreneur who decided to use his electrical engineering expertise to start a new business, MFJ Enterprises, in Starkville, his adopted hometown.

The cottage industry he cultivated grew into a global enterprise that catered to ham radio enthusiasts, which will be missed now that he has shut down manufacturing operations and is gradually unloading the remaining merchandise.

Mark Castracane, who grew up in Connecticut but now lives in Hattiesburg, said the first equipment he bought from MFJ was an antenna tuner.

"They sold ham radio station essentials like radios, antennas, amplifiers and test equipment, but they also sold a huge variety of accessories and small parts: the glue that helps you put a station together," Castracane said. "I purchase my first MFJ product in the late '70s, while I was in high school. I've bought dozens of MFJ products ever since. There are currently five MFJ products being used as my part of my current station."

Jue started making parts and products for amateur radio enthusiasts. Over the years, the number of products grew to accommodate the needs of ham radio operators. Sometimes he would adapt a part already in production. Other times he would buy the companies that made the products and fine-tune them to be a little better than they originally were.

"The part that I liked the most was the techno side of it," Jue said. "I liked designing the products and also being able to provide a livelihood for so many people for so long and providing unique products that never existed to the ham radio world."

Before COVID, MFJ employed around 130 people. At one time, the company was able to employ around 200, but that was before automation made some of the jobs obsolete.

Now, only a handful remain to help Jue close out the business side once and for all.

Jue turned 80 this year. It was a milestone that made him decide it was time to call it a day in the manufacturing business.

"That was the tipping point," he said. "I said, 'It's about time to hang it up and spend some time with the family,'" he said. "Just about all I've ever done is work."

Jue said his daughter and grandchildren who live in Atlanta were happy to hear they'd see him more often. Still, making the decision to retire wasn't easy.

"COVID hit us pretty hard, and we never really recovered," Jue said. "And I just got too old to have as much 'want to' as I used to. Those two things were a big part of it."

It was hard to say goodbye to the many employees who worked for the company. Most had worked at MFJ for over 10 years, with some putting in more than 40 years with the company.

"It was fulfilling to watch our employees here," he said. "We were like one big family. Everyone knew everyone."

Jue didn't layoff his workers. He kept manufacturing until most of his employees found other jobs.

"It was rough trying to say goodbye to everybody," he said.

Jue grew up working in the family grocery store in Hollandale before moving to Starkville to attend college.

"I thought everybody owned their own business," he said of his childhood years in the Delta town.

It was there Jue's love of ham radio began. It stayed with him into adulthood, but never did he imagine it would become not only a hobby, but a lifelong career.

"When you're young, you don't see that far ahead," Jue said.

He went on to earn degrees at Mississippi State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. A year after graduating from Georgia Tech, Jue returned to Starkville and MFJ Enterprises was born.

MFJ's first location was in his garage, working on his own, but quickly realized he would need more space. He rented an old hotel in downtown Starkville, which he also outgrew — still working on his own.

"The manager ran me off," Jue said.

He moved his business to a few more locations, including an old skating rink, before settling into the company's current location on Industrial Park Road.

"Most ham radio stations had something of mine," Jue said. "We were in like 35 countries. There's a really big hole in the market."

Longtime ham radio operator Hugh Garraway of Petal said Jue is not exaggerating.

"There are probably fewer ham shacks that don't have a piece of his equipment in it than ham shacks that do," Garraway said, himself included.

Jue is confident his departure won't impact amateur radio operators for long, though. He said someone else will come along to fill the holes left by MFJ's closure, just as he did over the years.

"We had products that never existed that created separate industries," he said. "They are making products based on our concepts."

Some manufacturers copied a lot of Jue's designs to make their own products, "which makes me kind of mad and makes me feel kind of proud," he said.

Jue said over the course of his career, his company products between 1,000 and 2,000 products, most designed by Jue or he had some involvement in the development.

"The whole key is to come up with new products all the time to stay ahead of everyone," Jue added.

It was the drive to continuously develop new products that has kept MFJ going over the years.

"A big part of ham radio is building, fixing and modifying your own equipment," Castracane said. "MFJ products lent themselves perfectly to that task, as they were easy to work on and relatively inexpensive. They offered a very extensive product line all in one catalog, and there is really no one company that has similar line up. They will be missed."

Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X  @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.