Co-founder and chief executive officer, electromechanical manufacturer · TLX Technologies, LLC · Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Neil Karolek
Neil Karolek, co-founder, first president and current CEO of Pewaukee-based TLX Technologies. Distinct from Katrina Goetz, current TLX president (already covered on site in PEWAUKEE-PROS-10). Do not conflate founder/CEO Karolek with president Goetz.
Net worth
$5 million+
September 17, 2026
About
Neil Karolek co-founded TLX Technologies in 1996 to develop a high-speed digital valve that could control the force of vehicle-airbag inflation.
When federal requirements changed and erased that first market, he redirected the patented technology into fire protection, automotive, industrial and consumer applications—an early pivot that shaped the Pewaukee manufacturer's diversification strategy.
Under Karolek, TLX won General Motors work, became a Tier 1 Harley-Davidson supplier, collected multiple patents and expanded internationally. State export programs helped it develop European representation and early China business; the company moved into its larger Pewaukee production, engineering and testing campus in 2012 and opened a wholly owned Changshu, China subsidiary in 2015.
Karolek served as TLX's first president until January 2025, when longtime finance and operations executive Katrina Goetz took that role and he became CEO. The current product base spans custom solenoids, actuators, valves, sensing and IoT-enabled components. Karolek's founder-equity path remains distinct from Goetz's operating-president story already on the Pewaukee slate.
Companies and affiliations
- TLX Technologies, LLC
Notable facts
IndustryWeek reported that Karolek formed TLX in 1996, patented its original airbag-valve technology, pivoted into fire protection, won GM and Harley-Davidson work, and moved to Pewaukee in 2012.
TLX's company history traces the original airbag program, multiple patents, diversification, Inc. growth recognition, a 2015 China subsidiary and newer sensing and thermal-management products.
BizTimes reported that Karolek, TLX's first president, became CEO when Katrina Goetz succeeded him as president in January 2025.
What questions can this profile answer
- What makes Neil Karolek notable?
- Neil Karolek co-founded TLX Technologies in 1996 to develop a high-speed digital valve that could control the force of vehicle-airbag inflation. When federal requirements changed and erased that first market, he redirected the patented technology into fire protection, automotive, industrial and consumer…
- What is Neil Karolek's estimated net worth?
- Neil Karolek's estimated net worth is $5 million+ as of 2026-09-17.