50. From Tragedy to Rebirth with Ashley Parent of Mills Machine Works When Greg Mills was diagnosed with cancer, he had only a few months to live. His children, Ashley, John and Megan decided they wanted to carry on the family legacy that their dad and mom had started. So they jumped into learning as much about the business as they could, with the precious few weeks that their father had left. From that challenging transition comes a story of rebirth of what Mills Machine Works would look like in the future. Ashley shares the inspring and personal family story and her journey to become the president of their family machine shop. About Mills Machine Works: Mills Machine Works, inc. is a second generation family owned Machine Shop based in Lawrence, MA specializing and prototype and short run production CNC milled and lathe parts for the Defense, Space, Aerospace, Medical Device and Semiconductor industries. Follow Ashley and Mills Machine works on social media: LI: /millsmachineworks IG: @millsmachineworks Website: www.MillsMachineWorks.com

 49. Origins, Growth, and Lessons from a $60M Machining Company Matt Wardle is the president and owner of JD Machine, a three generation family-run precision machining business in Ogden Utah with over 200 employees and doing $60M in revenue. Originally founded by his father, and now with Matt’s kids coming up in the business, JD Machine has realized huge success by focusing on their 4 key systems, core values and culture, and a continuous improvement mindset, among others. They’ve also endured some very challenging times - such as after 9/11. But with hard work and belief in the future, Matt and his team are now leading a very aspirational business that you’ll want to learn more about. Enjoy the episode!! About JD Machine: Founded in 1979, JD Machine Corp. is a world-class precision machining & fabrication shop that manufactures high value machined parts, sheet metal components and complex assemblies. JD Machine’s core services include: CNC Machining, CNC Turning, CNC Milling, Sheet Metal Fabrication and Assembly and Testing. JD Machine’s expertise spans a wide range of applications and industries with the ultimate focus on providing world-class precision machining services that meet and often exceed customer expectations. Follow Matt and JD Machine on social media: Personal LI: matt-wardle-a7a73014/ Company LI: /j-d-machine-corp. Website: www.jdmachine.com FB: /JDMachine X: @JD_Machine

48. From Office Admin to Shop Owner with Allison Giddens of Win-Tech Allison is the co-owner of Win-Tech in Kennesaw, Georgia. As an early 20-something, Allison took a leap of faith, and a 30% pay cut to work at her neighbor's machine shop, with the hope that someday it would lead to something great.  Fast forward 17 years later, and she owns and runs the shop with her co-owner! It’s an inspiring and fantastic story.  With nearly 2 decades of experience under her belt, Allison has a lot of wisdom to share about running a thriving machine shop, and also extra insight into what any shop in the defense sector needs to be paying attention to in 2024. About Win-Tech: Win-Tech is an AS9100-certified aerospace machine shop, making custom parts per customer specification. They provide in-house manufacturing services and many processes to suite customer needs. Win-Tech has been a member of the community for over 25 years, and is proud to be a part of the small business community. Follow Allison and Win-Tech on social media: Personal LI: /allisongiddens Company LI: /win-tech-inc. Website: win-tech.net

47. Big Vision = Big Success in the Space Industry with Nathan Bourgeois from Oroborous Space & Defense Nathan Bourgeois is the founder and owner of Oroborous Space & Defense. Nate has an incredible story of success, founded from an audacious goal of building the best hardware that goes into space. That goal has driven him and propelled his company into a high-growth and profitable position, serving the who’s-who of the commercial space industry. You can’t miss this very inspiring and compelling story about why vision and mission is so critical to the success of a company. About Oroborous Space & Defense: Ouroboros Space and Defense specializes in multi-axis and mill-turn manufacturing solutions for complex, tight tolerance, and flight critical hardware. Follow Nathan and Ouroboros on social media: Company LI: /ouroboros-space-and-defense Personal LI: /nathan-bourgeois-058219133

46. Defense Industry Success with Derek Kowalski from LOC Industries Derek Kowalski was the second employee of LOC Industries when he was hired at the age of 19. He’s now the VP and co-owner of the shop that specializes in complex manufactured assemblies for the defense industry. Derek shares his story, which parallels the growth of LOC which focused on doing work directly for the DLA and the government as their main strategy when they started.  They now serve the who’s-who of defense prime contractors with a wide variety of manufacturing processes from machining, sheet metal, composites, plastics forming, injection molding, and more. It’s a great and inspiring story of success, so enjoy the conversation with Derek! About LOC Industries: LOC Industries was founded in 2009 to become a top provider of aerospace structures to various OEM's and the US Military.  They are a small business that focuses on providing our customers with the highest quality parts as quickly as possible.  These products can be seen on various aircraft, from the C-5 Galaxy and the B-52 Bomber; to the UH-60 Blackhawk and the AH-64 Apache. Follow Derek and LOC Industries on social media: Personal LI: /derek-kowalski-3b384b13b Company LI: /loc-industries-inc Website: www.locindustries.com

45. Process & Team for the Win with Mike Brown from Computer Integrated Machining Mike Brown is the CEO of Computer Integrated Machining in San Diego and Tempe. They specialize in complex, multi-axis part and assemblies for the aerospace and defense industry - especially from hard metals. Mike shares his journey, lessons learned, and his approach to growing a thriving, profitable business that supports his Porsche racecar habits.  From the importance of building written processes, and empowering your team, to building relationships with key vendors and customers, Mike candidly shares the recipe for his success at CIM. About Computer Integrated Machining: CIM encompasses the expertise to facilitate and deliver to our customers some of the most difficult and technical challenges in CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Additive Manufacturing, EDM Processing, Welding, Water Cutting and Component Sub-Assembly, while also providing experienced Engineering & Design support on your Products.  Follow Michael and Computer Integrated Machining on social media: Personal LI: /michaelbrowncimsd Company LI: /computer-integrated-machining Website: www.cimsd.com

44. Standardizing a Shop to Huge Success with Robert Smith from Smith & Company Robert Smith is the Founder and CEO of Smith and Company,  a new machine shop founded out of the principles and best practices that Robert learned over 30+ years growing the family-run machine shop, Smith's Machine, his father started in the 70s. They found huge success by building robust standardization and processes for consistently reliable performance as they grew the company from doing repair work to being a world-class supplier to the Defense and Space industry. Those principles led to great success at Smith's Machine and are now serving him very well at Smith and Company.  Robert's talent as a storyteller and company operator comes through loud and clear in this very engaging conversation about building world-class precision machining companies. About Smith & Company: Smith and Company, LLC is a precision machining and manufacturing company in Birmingham, Alabama. Our goal is to provide our customers with deliverables that exceed their typical quality, delivery, and cost expectations. Innovative thinking, a can-do attitude, and eighty-plus years of experience enable us to create a partnership that customers appreciate. Their team is equipped with the latest precision 5-axis milling centers from Hermle. Additive manufacturing platforms from Markforged enable 3D printing with metal and composite materials. They produce precision components, assemblies, and value-added services that are used in a variety of industries. Follow Robert and Smith & Company on social media: Personal LI: /robert-smithandcompanybhmal Company LI: /company/smith-and-company-llc Website: www.smith-al.com IG: @smithandco.bham

43. Growing and Improving a CNC Shop with Humility with Nate Ankrom from Genuine Machine Products Nate has been the President of Genuine Machine Products for the past 4 years.  Genuine is a defense and aerospace shop working for high-end discerning primes.  Nate shares his story of rolling up his sleeves and working alongside the team to improve processes, culture, continuous improvement, CMMC readiness, and much more. Nate’s passion for machining and the industry comes through so genuinely (pun intended)! About Genuine Machine Products: Genuine Machine Products, Inc. is a leading provider of high-complexity machined components and sub-assemblies for the Commercial Aerospace and Defense industries.  They are proud to be recognized as being in the top 20 percent of ultra-precision machining facilities in the United States. As an ultra-precision facility, they have the ability to push beyond typical expectations to maximize product outcome with extreme quality and precision. Follow Nate and Genuine Machine Products on social media: Personal LI: /nate-ankrom-8161b068 Company LI: /genuine-machine-products Website: www.genuinemachine.com/

42. Making Precision Moves in Building a Highly Successful Machine Shop with Michael Tamasi from AccuRounds Michael Tamasi is the President and CEO of AccuRounds, a thriving 2nd generation machine shop in Avon MA.  Michael is a trained engineer and MBA and is a passionate advocate for the machining industry, the power of continuous improvement, industry associations (his first NTMA meeting was at the age of 12), corporate social responsibility, and the importance of company culture and growing and supporting their team.  Michael exemplifies all the qualities that I’ve seen in successful shop leaders.  And make sure you listen long enough to hear about the AccuFarm!! This was an inspiring interview for me and I know you’ll learn a huge amount from Michael on how to build a successful, enduring manufacturing business. About AccuRounds: AccuRounds is a contract manufacturer that machines and assembles precision turned components with critical tolerances and finishes for applications that demand accuracy. By focusing on operational excellence, we help get your product to market faster. Follow Michael and AccuRounds on social media: Personal LI: /michaeltamasi Company LI: /company/accurounds Website: www.accurounds.com IG: @accurounds X: @accurounds

41. Inspiring Business Growth and Building Success: A Conversation with Eric Hagopian from Pilot Precision Products Paul sits down with Eric Hagopian. His fascinating story starts with his grandfather's company Hoppe Technologies, which Eric eventually took over. Overtime, he sold that business and is now the CEO of Pilot Precision Products - the world's largest supplier of industrial cutting tools. He shares his business experiences, particularly in transitioning from being a parts supplier to becoming an assembly company. Eric also highlights the significance of investing in the company's facility to make it as well-equipped as possible to impress customers and create a positive impact. It's evident that his enthusiasm for ongoing learning and adaptability in meeting customer demands is a prominent theme in the episode, and we look forward to you gaining insights from the inspirational advice he shares. Thank you for being on the show, Eric! About Pilot Precision Products: Pilot Precision Products is the world’s largest supplier of industrial broaches and small, round cutting tools from duMONT Minute Man® Industrial Broaches and Hassay Savage broaching tools, and is the exclusive American distributor of Magafor® and GMauvaisUSATM products. Follow Eric and Pilot Precision Products on social media: Personal LI: /americamanufactures Company LI: /pilot-precision-products Website: www.pilotprecision.com FB: /pilotprecisionproducts X: @Pilot_Precision