When one thinks about the businesses and companies that make up the backbone of La Porte's economy, one tends to think of the industrial and blue-collar jobs that made La Porte a "hub of awesome" for so many years.
While the average person may not immediately know the name of Melrose Pyrotechnics, they most likely have heard of their work before.
Their work is difficult not to hear as their 50-year-old company has provided hours of entertainment across the world through their imaginative and crowd-pleasing fireworks shows.
"We've been in the fireworks business for about 50 years," says Melrose Pyrotechnics Soundtrack Producer Jonathan Gesse. "What many people may not know is how far reaching we are. Not only do we put on shows for the La Porte and Northwest Indiana area, but we also put on shows for the Midwest and several other countries around the world."
Melrose Pyrotechnics began through the great grandfather of current president Mike Cartolano, taking his pyrotechnic and artistic skills from Italy to America during the turn of the 20th century. It was here that he settled down in Melrose Park, Illinois where the business remained, putting on various shows for the Chicagoland area including the exploding scoreboard for the Chicago White Sox in 1960, a tradition that still continues to please fans to this day.
Once Mike took control of the company in the early 1980's, new technology was developed to offer greater control and safer conditions for the fireworks engineers. To this day, the technology for electronic firing shells and various safety regulations have become industry standards.
"While we were originally in Illinois, the company moved to La Porte in the 70's due to having an availability of older military munitions bunkers which provided the perfect place to safely store fireworks," says Geese. "It completely made sense and the facilities are perfect, at the time of the move we were a smaller company but once we grew, we realized it was the ideal move."
Gesse credits the hands-on approach and personal care that Melrose Pyrotechnics gives to each show as the defining factor that sets them apart from their competition.
"We do what other companies will not do," says Gesse. "We take each individual's show and tailor it specifically for each event in regards to both the fireworks and music. Each show is designed from the ground up along with all of our products being extensively tested."
Melrose Pyrotechnics spends their entire year attending and performing fireworks shows around the world. The 4th of July holiday has Gesse and the rest of the team performing for hundreds of shows.
While this keeps the team on their toes, the Midwest is not their only area of operation as the company also performs internationally putting on shows across the world in places like South Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam.
"Ever since we were invited to the L’International des Feux Loto-Quebec and won 1st place in 2006, it really opened the door for other festivals around the world to notice us and invite us to perform," says Gesse.
For Gesse, this a job that is a dream come true. Using his craft to create crow-pleasing spectacles in the sky is a feat that not many can claim they do and for Gesse, it's the reactions that truly make it a memorable job.
"I love seeing the finished product. Being able to edit, and choreograph songs for shows and to see them sync with the audience is incredible," says Gesse. "One of my favorite moments came from 2010 in Nagasaki, Japan. We did a finale set to music from "Phantom of the Opera" and after the show we had people come up to us with tears in their eyes, saying how much they enjoyed the show. In the end, we are artists and the sky is our canvas."
To learn more about Melrose Pyrotechnics, please visit their website