LayerZero Power Systems Celebrates 24 Years of Operation!

For co-founders Milind Bhanoo and James M. Galm, it all began with a simple but ambitious idea: to build safer, more reliable power distribution products designed specifically for mission-critical environments, supported by advanced power-quality monitoring. That idea became LayerZero Power Systems—now celebrating 24 years of operation.

“The owners of where we previously worked didn’t get the products or the customers, so they weren’t investing in anything new or making customers as happy as they could be,” said Galm. “Milind and I thought we could do better. We wanted to create more reliable products and better customer experiences. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

Turning that idea into reality required risk. Bhanoo and Galm left secure positions and invested their personal savings to launch the company. Working out of a garage attic—with Bhanoo serving as President and Galm as Vice President—they designed and built the very first LayerZero demo unit.

“It was terrifying when we first started,” Galm recalled. “We didn’t get loans, venture capital, or private equity. We built the business with our own money, which made us highly motivated to succeed.”

Early on, the founders assembled a small but highly skilled team, including mechanical, electrical, and software engineers. Together, they designed the Optical Power Transfer Switch (OPTS)—a Triple Modular Redundant Static Transfer Switch that was well ahead of its time.

These early systems stood apart through mechanical innovation and a forward-thinking user interface. Fiber-optic controls, redundant architectures, fault-tolerant design, touchscreen interfaces, TCP/IP connectivity, and waveform capture all set LayerZero apart in a market hungry for reliability and transparency.

LayerZero’s breakthrough came when a major U.S. bank selected its OPTS Static Transfer Switches to improve data center reliability. At the same time, the company expanded its offerings to include three-source and Single Modular Redundant OPTS designs.

“We started by wanting to make the most reliable products possible,” Galm said. “Static switches had fallen out of favor because many products weren’t meeting customer expectations. We knew we could build better relationships and deliver a better experience. The business has grown, but those core ideas haven’t changed.”

Growth continued steadily. In 2021, demand surged, requiring expanded testing and manufacturing capabilities. In 2022, LayerZero opened a state-of-the-art assembly and testing facility at 350 Harris Drive in Aurora, Ohio.

Expansion accelerated again in 2024, with a major headquarters expansion at Danner Drive and the acquisition of a new manufacturing facility at 10030 Philipp Parkway in Streetsboro, Ohio. Together, these investments significantly increased production capacity and created new jobs in the local community.

“We’re going to keep growing and expanding our production capacity,” said Galm. “Demand is very high. I see us expanding internationally, especially in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Four-pole systems are essential outside the U.S., and we already have the core technology. Looking back, it’s been a marvelous journey.”