30. A True American Dream Machine Shop Success Story with Heidi & Bob Devroy from Prosper-Tech Prosper-Tech was founded by Bob and Heidi Devroy after Bob lost his job at a large tool and die shop.  With 4 small kids, they dug into savings and started Prosper-Tech out of their garage. Many years later they have a thriving contract machine shop business serving commercial space, aerospace, defense, medical and other industries. The next generation is now getting involved with the shop with the goal of having Bob and Heidi’s legacy live far beyond them.  This is a great episode showing what is possible when you have a great pair of leaders working diligently together and pooling their respective strengths to grow a machine shop. About Prosper-Tech: Founded in 2007, Prosper-Tech remains rooted in its core values and mission to provide expert customized service to those with precision machining needs. We invest in our technology and workforce to ensure we provide the most efficient and reliable precision machining services for our customers. Prosper-Tech’s boutique experience attracts customers looking for a precision machining company to create a long-term partnership for their production CNC machining needs. Follow Heidi, Bob and Prosper-Tech on social media: Heidi's LI: /heidi-devroy-aa0a2372 Bob's LI: /bob-devroy-86438938 Company LI: /prosper-tech-machine-&-tool-llc Website: www.prosper-tech.net FB: @hightoleranceexperts

29. Launching a Machine Shop with Zero Experience with Nick Preece from Preece Machining and Assembly Nick Preece launched his machine shop, Preece Machining & Assembly (PMA) with no industry experience at all. He had gotten bitten by the machine shop bug by watching YouTube videos about machining and knew that was his path.  At the age of 22, he bought a small machine, rented a tiny space, and started taking on projects - and learning a huge amount along the way. As a self-taught machinist and business owner, he admits he made a lot of mistakes, but learned from every single one. Today, PMA is a fast-growing and thriving shop. Nick’s approach to his business was inspiring for me to hear and I know you’ll be similarly inspired by his story.  About Preece Machining and Assembly: Established in 2018, Preece Machining & Assembly is a precision milling shop that consistently pushes the limits of our machines. We enjoy working closely with our customers to provide the parts they need. In a fast-growing economy and industry, we work personally with our customers to give them superior products at a superior price. Follow Nick and Preece Machining & Assembly on social media: Personal LI: /nick-preece-760b21174 Company LI: /preece Website: www.machineandassembly.com IG: @pma_llc FB: @machineandassembly

28. How to Delegate Yourself Out of a Job with David Hannah from G-Zero David bought a 2-person shop in 2007, and has grown it for the past 16 years. As he made the difficult moves to grow his shop over the years, he always kept an eye on growth and the systems and roles it would take to achieve that growth. When Dave decided not to sell his shop to a 3rd party, he created a 5 year plan to have an employee take over the business and buy it over time from him. 18 months later, he’s working 10 hours a week, doing plenty of hunting, golfing, skiing, and taking 1 month vacations, while his former floor sweeper is being groomed to be the new owner of the shop. Dave is a humble, quiet-spoken guy, but don’t be fooled, he’s a strategic executor of his plan and has a lot to share about how to do that well. About G-Zero: Clients include Aerospace, Medical, Firearms, Semiconductor and more. G-Zero machining centers include horizontal multi-pallet systems, 5-Axis milling, vertical milling and lathe turning with live tooling. They are proud to run ProShop’s ERP system for maintaining excellent control of scheduling, in process inspection, outside processes, certifications and so much more. G-Zero work's with a variety of materials including but not limited to: plastic, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium and magnesium. Contact us today to see what G-Zero can do for you. Follow David and G-Zero on social media: Personal LI: /david-hannah-ba75a2a6 Company LI: /g-zero Website: www.gzerocnc.com FB: /gzeroonline

27. Growing 4 Manufacturing Brands at Once with Sue Nordman from Obsidian Manufacturing Sue is the CEO of Obsidian Manufacturing and presides over 4 brands, the oldest of which has over 100 years of history!  Sue shares how this 3rd generation family business has been able to grow these diverse brands for many years by focusing on marketing, people, culture, values, and much more. It was a great conversation that I know you’ll find great takeaways from that can apply to your own business. About Obsidian Manufacturing: Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc. is a SBA certified woman-led small business that offers a diversified selection of manufacturing products and services with its brands. Their price competitive solutions are appealing to our customer's industrial needs, whether it is workholding, material handling, precision rotary surface grinder applications or OEM equipment repairs and spare parts.  Follow Sue and Obsidian Manufacturing on social media: Personal LI: /suenordman Company LI: /obsidianmfg Website: www.obsidianmfg.com

26. Lessons from Growing and Selling a Large Machine Shop with Mike Heath from RemainSafe Mike Heath got bit by the machining bug as a teenager. After learning some hard-learned lessons in shop ownership as a young man, Mike started a shop called Micor and grew it from nothing to over $14M in revenue before eventually selling it. Mike has a very thoughtful and introspective way of looking at being an entrepreneur and leader that anyone will appreciate and take some valuable lessons from. And to demonstrate how passionate Mike is about the industry, after his non-compete is over, he plans on starting another machine shop in his 60s because he can’t get enough of it! About RemainSafe: Since 2010, RemainSafe has designed and manufactured storm shelters for the residential market. Our residential units have withstood storms and saved lives throughout the Southeast. As a company, they are driven to offer the most advanced and multifunctional shelters on the market. From traditional storm shelters to safe rooms, they offer families peace of mind. Follow Mike on social media: Company LI: /steelsafe-shelters Personal LI: /mike-heath-631bb13b Website: www.remainsafe.com

25. Building a Model for Lifelong Upskilling of Manufacturing Workers with Bill Berrien from Pindel Global Precision Bill Berrien is a former Navy Seal, Six Sigma Black Belt, and CEO of 3 companies including Pindel Global Precision. He bought the company in 2012 when it was already 65 years old and has shaped it into a highly successful, and widely diversified machine shop today. They focus very heavily on investing in technology and people so that small, potent teams of advanced manufacturing professionals can have the same type of outsized impact that the Special Forces can have on the battlefield. I loved this conversation and I’m sure you find his thoughts on all the topics we covered to be thought-provoking ideas you can use to build your own business. About Pindel Global Precision: Pindel Global Precision, Inc. (veteran-owned, ISO 9001:2015-certified, ITAR-certified) is a dynamic and growing manufacturing company committed to providing custom, precision-machined components and assemblies to global customers. At Pindel Global Precision, they are driven to redefine the standards of excellence. Aligning with the goals of our customers, they leverage our advanced manufacturing capabilities to meet demanding standards for precision, capability, quality, and on-time delivery. Follow Bill and Pindel Global Precision on social media: Personal LI: /billberrien Company LI: /pindel-global-precision Website: www.pindel.com FB: @pindelglobalprecision

24. Demystifying the Buying and Selling of Machine Shops with Mike Payne from Hill Manufacturing Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing has been involved with buying, selling, or managing over 130 companies. He has bought 5 machine shops in the past 5 years. So he has a wealth of knowledge to share about what makes a business more valuable, what sellers are looking for, and how to make sure a deal gets done! We dig deep into that topic and many others on this great episode. About Hill Manufacturing: At Hill, you can expect precision. They will deliver parts to the tightest of tolerances utilizing the latest in multi-axis technology. Just as importantly you can expect absolute precision regarding our material, delivery and customer service. They will learn your needs and deliver those needs with the precision you expect. Follow Mike and Hill Manufacturing on social media: Personal LI: /growingvalue Company LI: /hillmfg Website: www.hill-manufacturing.com

23. The Birth, Growth, and Exit story of an 8-Figure Revenue Machine Shop with Kelsey Heikoop from Pro CNC This is a special episode for me, as I got to sit down and interview my best friend and Co-Founder of Pro CNC, Kelsey Heikoop. I’ve worked with Kelsey for 30 years, 17 years of which were starting and growing Pro CNC. Kelsey and I talk about tons of different topics of how we started, grew, and eventually sold our machine shop. It’s a wide-ranging discussion that I hope brings insight and value to your journey. Follow Kelsey on social media: Personal LI: /kelsey-heikoop-758a2410

22. Vision and Values-Based Leadership with Eric and John from KMM Group KMM Group is a truly world-class machine shop near Philadelphia that specializes in doing high-precision and complex work for discerning customers. KMM is a merger of 3 companies that were owned by John and Eric. With over 100 employees, they serve the who’s who of OEM manufacturers across many industries.  Eric and John share their respective company histories, and how they set the vision and values of their new combined company to build a lasting organization providing value to their employees, clients, and the world.  We dig deep into the importance of coaching, and mentors, and how culture is the most important thing they have as they grow their company. They are clearly exceptional leaders, are should be an inspiration to manufacturing companies hoping to achieve even a fraction of the success that they have had. About KMM Group: The KMM Group was created from three world-class companies: The KVI Group, M&S Centerless Grinding, Inc. and Meron Medical. In combined experience we have solved extreme manufacturing challenges for over 100 years. They make components for the aerospace, medical device and advanced manufacturing industries utilizing our capabilities in milling, turning, grinding, EDM, engineering and assembly. They leverage a history of hard-earned expertise and combine it with a fresh view of manufacturing’s future to achieve extraordinary things. KMM is able to do this organically with no third party funding, keeping our interests focused entirely on our customer solutions. Follow Eric, John and KMM Group on social media: Eric's LI: /eric-wilhelm-8bb1a410 John's LI: /john-shegda-a3846515 Company LI: /kmm-group Website: www.kmmgrp.com

21. The Winning Formula of Strategic Planning and Generosity with Anne Duyck from Duyck Machine Duyck Machine was started by Andy Duyck in 1981 when he was just 22 years old. It’s grown over the years to be a modern, technology and culture-driven company of 35 people. Anne is one of the next generation of leaders in the business and shares the remarkable story of their growth. She shares about their focus on strategic planning, being client-driven, and some pretty amazing generosity, the likes of, I’ve never heard of coming from a machine shop. Definitely listen to the end to hear what Duyck Machine is doing with their profits. About Duyck Machine: Whether you’re a small company or an Internationally-based organization – Duyck Machine, Inc., can produce simple or complex parts for you in a wide variety of materials. A family-owned business that has been hands-on in the day-to-day operations since 1983, and continue to invest in state-of-the-art equipment and employee expertise. From short, customized runs to large-scale productions, their commitment is to get it right the first time using our cost-competitive processes – to meet or exceed your delivery requirements. Follow Anne and Duyck Machine on social media: Personal LI: /anneduyck Website: www.duyckmachine.com