Trafalgar Ltd. was but an operation of 4 or 5 people at the time Ms. Unum was hired in early 1972, consisting of a tiny front sales office space in NYC, and a manufacturing facility above a glass shop in a run down area of Stamford, CT that was scheduled to be demolished to make way for the huge GTE headquarters being built a block away.  

The owner of the company, Marley Hodgson, a belt salesman, had a vision of creating a top quality belt company to fill the luxury leather goods market for belts.  Marley had just received his first orders when Ms. Unum began working for him, and within a few day’s time she was learning and filling other production positions, plus performing some office functions; until within a very short time she was supervising production and assuring that the orders were filled, top quality, and on time.   Whatever tasks she was asked to perform were done in an exemplary manner… from compiling and filing sales reports, supervising and running superior quality belt manufacturing, to packing and shipping.      

Ana Unum earned the respect of the @ 18 workers she supervised through her friendliness and capabilities.

Ana Unum would work very closely with and assist Marley Hodgson design each seasons’ new belt lines, as she created and implemented Marley’s different design ideas into samples and production; and was given the honor to design a couple belt styles herself.  The belt samples that Marley Hodgson and Ana Unum made sold very well, orders grew, orders were filled on time and were of exceptional quality that the company grew very quickly… to a manufacturing force of over 25 people within one year.  

Belt sales grossed over $1,300,000 that first year

Marley Hodgson            

Marley was a great boss and amazing man for Ana Unum to work and help design with.  They would drink wine and design and create belts late into the early morning hours, long after all the other workers had left the factory for the day.  It was an exciting time for Ana Unum to have been such an extremely instrumental part of making Marley Hodgson’s vision of a successful belt company become reality.  Marley Hodgson and Ana Unum developed a personal relationship outside of work, as well.

Working so closely with Marley Hodgson was an incredible experience for Ana Unum to learn first hand how a large successful business is set up and run.  It inspired Ana Unum to learn more about business, and obtaining a business degree in business administration and accounting, with honors.   Ana Unum’s experience working at Trafalgar Ltd. was instrumental to her involvement starting up, consulting to, or running community projects, non-profit organizations, and businesses that have shaped the Whidbey Island community that she lives in, and that have benefited thousands of children and adults in the State of Washington.      

Letter of Recommendation    

Ana Unum left Trafalgar Ltd. in February of 1973.  The Director of Operations wrote the following Letter of Recommendation.  Some of the reasons Ana Unum left were because she was grossly underpaid for supervising production, was unable to afford a suitable place to live, and was not being credited or compensated for the belts she was designing. 

Marley Hodgson is retired now.  His vintage bags go for a fortune on EBay.  The companies he started, Trafalgar Ltd. and Ghurka are still going and making millions.  Marley Hodgson now owns and operates the beautiful Smith Fork Ranch, in Crawford, Colorado.        

Ana Pedersen Unum 1973