Machine Shop Mastery

Most of us in the machining world have thought about it at least once. What if I stopped quoting other people's parts and built something of my own? For a lot of shop owners that idea stays stuck in the someday pile, because the path from a good idea to a product people actually buy feels impossible to map. This episode is about someone who mapped it.

I sat down with Josiah Fallaise of FDF Race Shop, and I'll be honest, this one went a different direction than I expected, in the best way. Josiah has built a following of hundreds of thousands of people who watch him design and make racing suspension and other components, and that audience does something remarkable for his business. It creates organic demand for his products and an almost unlimited supply of people who want to come work for him.

We get into the whole arc. How he started with eight products on an $8 a month website, why his early outsourcing decisions taught him expensive lessons, and how he thinks about buying machines when you're making your own products instead of quoting jobs. If you've ever wondered whether to option out a machine or buy the base model, his answer is clear and it's worth hearing.

The part I keep coming back to is how openly he shares his work. He isn't chasing hooks or hacks. He posts what he's genuinely excited about, every single day, and the following takes care of itself. For any shop owner who's told themselves that content isn't for them, Josiah makes a strong case that you're sitting on some of the most watchable material there is.

We also get honest about the hard parts, the restructuring, the bottlenecks, and the mountain of documentation it takes to scale past a handful of skilled people. If you're building a brand around what you make, or you want to, this one's a bit of a master class.

• (0:00) Josiah's simplest way to start making content: answer questions on camera
• (1:24) Meet Josiah Fallaise of FDF Race Shop and hear his origin story
• (4:01) Inside FDF: race products, a racing school, and the industrial side
• (6:14) The "I Designed It" T-shirt giveaway and flying the winner to the shop
• (8:36) CAD seminars: 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and low-cost tech
• (10:12) How DN Solutions can take your shop high-end
• (11:22) The origin story: engineering tech by day, wing brackets on Big Cartel by night
• (13:50) Early bad calls with a water jet company (and why laser wins)
• (16:02) Why outsourced quality falls as volume climbs, so he brought it in-house
• (17:15) Product shop vs job shop: buying fully-optioned machines for output
• (20:14) Creating demand by posting the work, not the product
• (22:49) Verdant Commercial Capital makes the financing process smooth
• (23:28) 3D-printed suspension teaching models and Formula SAE memories
• (26:36) The full product line (and where product ideas come from)
• (30:35) Team and culture, interviews, and hiring at FDF
• (36:39) Sponsor: Hire MFG Leaders (Paul)
• (37:08) Building a personal brand alongside the business (and sponsorship leverage)
• (41:47) Getting started: a $15 tripod, slow-mo chips, no mic, minimal editing
• (48:18) The real challenge: restructuring, bottlenecks, and 170 orders behind
• (51:49) 25 to 30 pages of docs per product, version control, and three sign-offs
• (54:45) The E-Myth, robotics, laser welding, and the billet vs welded math

• DN Solutions
• Verdant Commercial Capital
• Hire MFG Leaders
• The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber

• FDF Race Shop
• Josiah Fallaise on LinkedIn
• Follow Instagram and YouTube

This one's a first for me. In over a hundred episodes I've never had someone from a public company on Machine Shop Mastery, and Randy Altschuler from Xometry turned out to be exactly the kind of guest I hoped he'd be. Down to earth, honest about what's hard, and genuinely fired up about the industry we all work in.

We spend a good chunk of the hour on something Randy says out loud that I've felt for years, that manufacturing is finally having its moment. He calls it the next Silicon Valley, and he lays out why the money, the students, and the policy attention are all starting to point in the same direction after decades of hardware getting ignored.

From there we get practical. Randy walks through why Xometry went public, what the most successful shops on the platform actually do differently, and how getting found has changed now that buyers search with AI instead of flipping through a catalog. If you've ever wondered how to make your shop more discoverable, there's a lot here.

We also dig into the stuff that keeps shop owners up at night. Cashflow and net 90 terms, the CapEx gamble on automation, and building a bench deep enough that one person leaving doesn't sink you. Randy even shares the mindset his mom gave him growing up, the one about never being the victim, that's carried him through every hard day as an entrepreneur.

Whether you run two machines or twenty, I think you'll take something from this one. Give it your full hour.

• (0:00) I open a milestone episode with Randy Altschuler of Xometry, my first public-company guest
• (3:51) Digital manufacturing, 3D printing, and the origins of Xometry
• (6:51) Navu: AI chat trained on your own content so buyers get answers before they call sales
• (8:03) Going beyond 3D printing into machining to be a customer's one-stop shop
• (9:36) The decision to go public and the hundreds-of-billions custom manufacturing market
• (11:22) Manufacturing as the next Silicon Valley and why hardware got ignored for so long
• (14:13) The staffing crisis, attracting talent locally, and redefining what success looks like
• (20:05) Finding suppliers in the age of AI search and keyword-rich content that wins RFQs
• (24:57) What AI-native manufacturing really means for a small or mid-sized shop
• (27:44) IMTS Job Shops Workshop and networking reception
• (28:36) Reshoring, multi-sourcing, and automation closing the labor gap
• (30:47) What the best shops on Xometry do differently to stand out
• (36:16) Xometry's payment system and how they manage cashflow
• (38:08) Transparency, KPIs, and why every employee being a shareholder drives real buy-in
• (42:20) SMW Autoblock and the seven habits of highly effective workholding (RASRAM)
• (43:04) Living your core values, meeting every new hire, and a flat, everybody-matters culture
• (48:21) Starting a shop today: a veteran machinist, automation, and owning your niche
• (51:02) Headwinds ahead, building a bench, and the young talent shaping American manufacturing
• (54:25) Randy's stand-out moment as an entrepreneur
• (56:15) Randy's mom's lesson on never being the victim, and what's next for Xometry

• ThomasNet
• National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA)
• Navu
• IMTS
• SMW Autoblock
• MakingChips podcast: Stop Complaining About the Skills Gap and Do This Instead

• Xometry
• Email Randy Altschuler
• Connect with Randy on LinkedIn

Most shops chase the big order. Andrew Henry built Henry Holsters by doing the opposite, and it's hard to argue with the results.

I sat down with Andrew for what turns into a masterclass on running lean without ever saying the word lean. He walks through how a holster company in Spencer, Indiana turned tight inventory, fast changeovers, and short cash cycles into a flywheel that keeps spinning, no long-term contracts required.

You'll hear why batches of 10 beat batches of 400, how a 90 second changeover changes everything about what you're willing to make, and why owning the inventory removes any incentive to stuff a customer's shelf. Andrew also gets honest about the parts of the business he's not great at, admits he loses IQ points the second he opens QuickBooks, and explains why brutal efficiency has covered for a lack of financial sophistication.

The back half is a clear-eyed look at buying a palletized five axis Matsuura with almost no work lined up for it, what that decision cost in time and stress, and why he'd tell most shops his size not to do it without the cashflow to survive the learning curve.

If you own a shop and you're weighing growth against risk, this one's worth your full hour.

• (0:00) I introduce the episode and my guest, Andrew Henry of Henry Holsters
• (3:23) Learn more about Henry Holsters and the team Andrew's built
• (6:00) How 3PL fulfillment, just-in-time inventory, and removing middlemen unlocked seven figures
• (8:35) SMW Autoblock: RASRAM and the seven habits of highly effective workholding
• (9:18) Fulfillment for holster brands versus retail-ready machined parts
• (10:41) Breaking into OEM work through freelance mold design
• (12:49) Why owning the inventory kills oversized minimums
• (15:55) How Andrew architected a streamlined system even new hires can master
• (20:17) Hire MFG Leaders: recruiting built by shop owners
• (20:47) Applying lean to contract machining: forecasting demand and sourcing Swiss turned components
• (22:23) Bundling blanket POs across clients and leveling demand, with transparency that saves customers money
• (25:16) A collapsed value stream versus offshore, and managing outside-processing lead times
• (27:25) Your vendors are part of your value stream (visiting vendors changes everything)
• (32:28) Andrew's path from violin maker to shop owner
• (34:05) Shifting from programming to lean, training, and supply chain
• (35:13) Getting honest about the numbers and the money left on the table
• (37:10) Why they've embraced low spindle utilization on purpose
• (38:58) The 2027 plan to fill metal OEM capacity and joining the AeroGrowth network
• (40:02) Winning a space client's non-certified parts by offering a faster, cheaper lane
• (46:27) An adolescent business that could split into two entities, and how you'd decide when to divide
• (48:08) Hennig Workflow Automation: more spindle uptime without more headcount
• (49:00) How Andrew landed on the palletized Matsuura and the real value of five axis
• (58:44) Counting the cost: why consistent cashflow made survival possible, plus advice before you buy

• SMW Autoblock
• Hire MFG Leaders
• Hennig Workflow
• IMTS
• Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom podcast
• Brother Machine Tools
• Matsuura
• DN Solutions
• AeroGrowth network

• Henry Holsters
• Henry OEM
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Most machine shop owners will talk your ear off about spindles and tolerances. Ask Mike Marzetta what makes Altek work and he says the word love. Not as a slogan. As the actual thing holding a 200-person advanced manufacturing company together.

Mike runs Altek in Spokane, a shop his dad started 50 years ago that's grown into full contract manufacturing: machining, injection molding, assembly, testing, finishing, even its own R and D. But the throughline of our whole conversation isn't the capability list. It's culture. Mike wrestled at the Division I level and was an All-American, and he runs the company like a team, camaraderie first, because he's seen what happens when you have all the talent and none of the trust.

We get into the hard business calls too. How he watched commodity work migrate offshore in the early 2000s and dragged a reluctant shop, and his own father, toward AS9100 and FDA certification. How he co-founded a consortium to brand all of Spokane as an advanced manufacturing hub instead of marketing Altek alone. And how betting heavily on the 737 has meant riding out five white-knuckle years of ramp up, ramp down, ramp up.

Then there's the people playbook, which is the part I'd steal. Annual all-hands summits modeled on an end-of-season sports banquet. Lean initiatives where the team fixes its own sandbox instead of getting told what to do. And a recruiting edge in a labor shortage that comes down to something almost embarrassingly simple: people tell their friends it's a good place to work.

Oh, and he built a whole STEM robotics company, Minds-i, on the side, just to make a difference and have fun. This one's a gem.

• (0:00) Mike on the students his Minds-i kits pushed toward engineering careers
• (1:10) Meet Mike Marzetta and Altek: close to 200 people, 150,000 sq ft, too many machines to count
• (5:14) The origin: a tool and die maker who stopped in Spokane on the way to Boeing
• (7:36) The pivot to AS9100 and FDA certification that reshaped the business
• (8:57) Check out the Hennig Workflow Automation System
• (9:49) Taking over as president and replacing commodity work faster than it left
• (14:13) Betting on the 737 and riding out five rough years for the airframe
• (15:11) Branding Spokane: co-founding INWAC and marketing the region together
• (17:19) From a workforce round table to INWAC to NEMA
• (20:42) Minds-i: the passion project born from two core values
• (22:42) Inside the kits: drones, self-driving rovers, and real STEM curriculum
• (26:40) Take your shop to the next level with DN Solutions machines
• (28:45) Running the company like a sports team: camaraderie over pure talent
• (32:27) Why the word love belongs in a machine shop
• (33:17) Recruiting in a labor shortage by treating people like people
• (34:45) What the culture looks like on the floor, from fist bumps to plant tours
• (38:11) Lean and Six Sigma: give teams the tools to fix their own sandbox
• (40:16) Annual summits modeled on the end-of-season sports banquet
• (43:02) Homegrown leaders and how one bad apple can wreck a culture
• (44:30) Why we created Hire MFG Leaders and why you should use it
• (45:00) Two and a half generations of Marzettas and what succession looks like
• (46:38) The biggest hurdles: COVID and too many eggs in the 737 basket
• (48:01) Washington's taxes and the Work Share program that saved jobs
• (50:48) Today's challenge: holding quality and culture while ramping up fast
• (53:42) An excellence award and the R and D behind it: in-mold electronics, structural molding

• Hennig Workflow Automation System
• DN Solutions
• Hire MFG Leaders
• MINDS-i Education

• Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
• Altek

Most family shops don't get a clean handoff. Somebody gets sick, the calendar moves faster than the plan, and one person has to decide whether to step in or let the doors close. That's the story Christy Subia lived at Bedard Machine, and it's why I wanted her on the show.

Bedard is a 95% aerospace shop in Brea, California with 23 people and 17 machines. And four years ago it was almost none of what it is now. Christy came in from outside the industry while her dad's Alzheimer's was quietly pulling him away from the business he started in 1979. Her mom was ready to shut it down. Christy decided to find out if she could run it instead.

What she's done since is the part every owner should hear. She nearly doubled revenue, not by chasing new customers, but by chasing bottlenecks. She cut a 12-week office lead time down to four, moved people into the roles they were actually built for, and turned a careful guy in shipping into the shop's first full-time inspector. She says it plainly: solve one bottleneck and it just moves to the next department, so you keep chasing it.

We also get into the human side, which is harder than any tolerance. Working shoulder to shoulder with her mom. Earning her place as a woman on the floor. A notice of escape three weeks into the job that grounded planes, reminding her that she loves solving problems. And the advice she'd give anyone staring down a family transition: trust your gut, stay vulnerable, and lean on the experts who want to help you.

This is the kind of conversation that reminds me why this industry is full of the finest people you'll meet. Christy's only four years in, and she's already sharper than folks who've been at it for decades. Grab a notepad for this one.

• (0:00) Meet Christy Subia and the family transition that brought her to Bedard Machine
• (4:22) Bedard today: 23 people, 17 machines, 12,000 square feet, 95% aerospace
• (6:49) The 1979 origin: one manual lathe and a dad who wouldn't quit
• (11:08) Why the IMTS Job Shops Workshop belongs on your September calendar
• (11:58) What 15 years selling raw pet food taught her about family business
• (14:38) Dennis's mechanical decline and delegating his job before anyone noticed
• (17:28) A lean office, a mom ready to close, and a CMTC succession plan
• (22:15) Why we love SMW Autoblok and it's world-class workholding
• (23:29) From a pet food recall to aerospace traceability: same muscle, new industry
• (25:20) A notice of escape (NOE) and chasing the root cause: concentricity, the CMM, and gummy material
• (31:28) Growing machinists with Fullerton College instead of just hiring them
• (37:19) How CLA helps manufacturers find millions in revenue and savings
• (38:28) Doubling revenue by chasing bottlenecks and cutting lead time from 12 weeks to four
• (42:54) The silver tsunami hitting shops and their customers at once
• (44:59) Working with her mom and the ownership transition
• (52:21) Diversification: Boeing C-17 landing gear, ITAR, CMMC, and getting back into space
• (55:28) The real challenges: people who outgrow you and aging equipment
• (57:40) Christy's advice for navigating the hardest business in the world

• IMTS Job Shops Workshop
• SMW Autoblok
• Hennig WorkFlow Automation System
• CLA
• ProShop ERP
• Fullerton College Machining Program

• Bedard Machine
• [email protected]

Most shop owners who hit 50 employees, steady profit, and a fourth generation coming up behind them would be tempted to coast. Andrew Borg decided to double down instead. Not because he has to, he's quick to say the shop is profitable right where it is, but because he wants to build something that outlasts him.

A big part of that answer is automation. Borg Design runs a fleet of cobots that load parts and pallets around the clock, and Andrew's goal is to double sales while only growing headcount by about half. We get into how they keep machines running 80 to 95 percent of the time over a seven day week, why the hard part isn't building the system but figuring out what it does when a tool breaks at midnight, and how six full-time mechanical engineers fit inside a machine shop.

We also dig into CMMC. Borg Design earned its Level 2 certification this year, and Andrew is refreshingly honest about the cost, the false starts with vendors, and the one employee who basically read the entire standard and wrote their package. He shares why the inbound calls from primes only started showing up after they were certified, and the sub-tier problem that still keeps him up at night.

Then there's the people question—which might be the most useful part of the whole conversation. Andrew has stopped trying to hire high-end machinists, because in his words they don't exist on the open market. Instead he hires for work ethic and values and builds machinists over years. If you're wrestling with the same thing, you'll want to hear how he thinks about the path from operator to programmer.

This is the kind of conversation that's the whole reason I do this show. A smart, transparent owner sharing exactly how he built something real, and where he's still figuring it out. Grab a notepad. You'll fill a page.

• (0:00) Meet Borg Design: 50 people, 50 machines, fourth generation, CMMC Level 2
• (4:35) Why a machine shop keeps six full-time mechanical engineers on staff
• (6:25) The origin story: a 1945 garage shop passed down three generations
• (8:14) Outgrowing four buildings on the way to 58,000 square feet
• (10:45) Working with primes, and the danger of being loved to death
• (12:35) What CMMC Level 2 really cost: five years, false starts, bad vendors
• (15:18) The consultant and the one employee who wrote the whole package
• (20:08) Take your shop to the next level with DN Solutions high-end machining solutions
• (21:19) Why the inbound calls from primes only came after the cert
• (23:04) The 50-employee, 50-machine ratio, and the plan to double through automation
• (29:42) Building a workforce: who can program and who's still learning
• (31:11) 1,500 unique jobs a year and 70 percent new revisions
• (33:04) Why we're leveraging Navu to answer tough questions
• (34:16) Should you separate prototyping from production?
• (36:06) Why Andrew stopped hiring high-end machinists and builds his own
• (39:52) Standardizing and automating smaller volumes of parts
• (42:35) The tension between shipping today and building for tomorrow
• (44:50) 4X growth in six years and why revenue can be misleading
• (47:55) How relationships and word of mouth built the customer base
• (51:34) Where AI fits in the shop today, and where it doesn't yet
• (52:44) How procurement is a critical piece of the puzzle
• (56:54) Giving your team the right tools to make decisions
• (59:28) Andrew's best strategic moves: the building, automation, and people
• (1:01:40) The macro outlook for machining demand in North America
• (1:03:53) Why we created Hire MFG Leaders (and why you should use it)
• (1:04:24) The trades comeback and why training your own people wins

• Borg Design
• DN Solutions
• Navu
• Hire MFG Leaders
• Kieri Consulting

• Borg Design website
• Email Andrew

Almost every shop owner I talk to wants to grow. Far fewer build something that can survive a real downturn. That's the thread running through my whole conversation with Chris Welch of Swissomation, and it's why I wanted him on after we met at Machining on the Summit. Chris runs a high-mix Swiss machining operation, two locations and around 120 spindles, and just about everything he does comes back to one idea: build a business durable enough to ride out whatever the market does next.

We get into the moves that kept him standing when other shops folded. The 2001 telecom crash nearly took him out, and he came out of it refusing to let any single customer pass 20% of sales. He advertises hardest when he's slammed, which is why he was up 35% in 2009 while friends were calling him looking for work. He buys used machines with cash, adds his own live tooling and indexing, and stays out of debt so he never has to lay anyone off. In 29 years, he hasn't.

Chris is a systems guy too. We talk through his sales-based bonus program and why he steers clear of profit-sharing, the twice-daily blueprint checks that make quality everyone's job, the quarantine-and-lot-ticket process running on an ERP he wrote himself, and how a fleet that size lets him slip short-run tech jobs in between the longer ones. He doesn't dodge the hard parts either: the Google AdWords money pit, the rough jump from owner to CEO, the training program he admits he's behind on.

If one line sums up the episode, it's how Chris describes the shops that don't make it: everybody wants to milk the cow, nobody wants to feed it. Watch your debt, save your money, invest in your people, find your niche. Coming from someone who's lived all four, it's worth the hour.

What's Covered in this Episode

• (0:00) Meet Chris Welch and Swissomation, two shops with around 120 spindles
• (3:08) From a 1997 start to launching Swissomation Virginia with his parents
• (7:49) The product side: firearms, dive gear, Peak Fishing, and AIQ Manufacturing
• (10:07) SMW Autoblock and the seven habits of workholding (RASRAM)
• (10:54) Diversifying away from telecom and surviving the 2001 crash with no layoffs
• (12:09) The 20% rule after losing a customer worth half his sales
• (13:36) Why he advertises hardest when busy, and was up 35% in 2009
• (19:53) Staying debt-free: used machines bought with cash and live tooling added in-house
• (23:31) Riches in the niches and why handling tiny parts is the real challenge
• (26:04) The most effective types of trade shows for Swissomation
• (27:20) The Google AdWords trap and why carpet-bomb RFQ buyers stay disloyal
• (30:24) The $16,000 UPS theft and choosing the long game
• (32:38) Increase your spindle uptime with the Hennig WorkFlow Automation System
• (33:31) On the floor: short-run systems, twice-daily blueprint checks, in-house ERP
• (39:54) Cutting setup time with tooling strategy and job grouping
• (43:37) Get a free report of sales opportunities in your area from FacturMFG.com/chips
• (44:44) The bonus program: sales-based, not profit-sharing, with rejections counted twice
• (50:02) Boosting throughput through hiring, training, and tools he built himself
• (52:19) The best decision: staying debt-free and feeding the cow
• (54:48) The owner-to-CEO transition and knowing when to add leadership
• (59:04) Best advice for newer shops: watch debt, save, invest in people, find a niche
• (1:02:30) Where to connect with Chris and Swissomation

Resources Mentioned

• SMW Autoblock and the seven habits of workholding (RASRAM)
• Increase your spindle uptime with the Hennig WorkFlow Automation System
• Get a free report of sales opportunities in your area from FacturMFG.com/chips

Connect with Chris Welch

• Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
• Swissomation
• Instagram

In this episode of Machine Shop Mastery, I got to sit down with Kenny Williams of Native Aerospace and Defense. Kenny has a really interesting background because he did not come into manufacturing through the traditional path. He started in technology, worked with major ERP companies, served as a CIO for several manufacturing companies, and saw firsthand how deeply connected systems, process, people, and business really are.

What I really appreciated about this conversation is that Kenny has lived the lessons he shares. He started a shop, grew it from zero revenue into a seven-figure aerospace and defense business in less than two and a half years, and eventually sold it. Now, through Native Aerospace and Defense, he is looking at his next chapter: acquiring and growing shops with the right foundation, systems, and opportunity.

We talked about the realities that many new shop owners do not fully understand when they first get started. Kenny shares how he and his partner expected some large purchase orders to materialize early on, only to realize that relationships, trust, cash flow, capacity, and execution matter far more than simply having machines on the floor. His perspective on starting with the right size work, asking for money up front, managing cash, and growing at a sustainable pace is full of hard-earned wisdom.

We also dug into what it takes to build a real business instead of just creating a job for yourself. Kenny shares why he fired roughly a third of his early customers, how he thought about moving into more complex and higher-value work, and why systems are the backbone of a scalable shop. Toward the end, we also got into CMMC, IT infrastructure, cloud platforms, and why Kenny believes machine shops should stay focused on their core competency: making great parts, serving customers, and building strong teams.

• (0:00) Kenny Williams and his journey from IT, ERP, and manufacturing systems into machine shop ownership
• (2:51) Kenny shares how his background in technology and ERP shaped his understanding of people, process, systems, and change management
• (7:43) How Kenny and his partner launched Phoenix Products through Kickstarter before growing into aerospace and defense work
• (10:14) High end parts, high end capability, and high end thinking with DN Solutions
• (11:25) The importance of proper change management in an organization
• (16:03) The early startup lessons Kenny learned (relationships, cashflow, execution, etc.)
• (18:46) The hidden costs of outgrowing a facility and why moving a machine shop is far more disruptive than most owners expect
• (21:42) Your buyers have technical questions. Navu delivers reliable, accurate answers.
• (22:54) Why small purchase orders can create just as much work as larger ones, and how young shops should think about sustainable growth
• (25:18) How large purchase orders can become a cash flow problem if the shop is not prepared to fund materials, labor, and delivery
• (27:56) Why Kenny recommends asking for money up front, charging for NREs, and building deposits into quotes
• (30:50) How Kenny learned to identify the right customers, fire the wrong ones, and move toward better-fit work
• (34:32) Why strong systems are the backbone of a scalable shop and help turn a job into a real business
• (35:13) What Kenny is looking for as he searches for shops to acquire through Native Aerospace and Defense
• (39:10) Why you need to join us at IMTS 2026!
• (40:02) The challenge of buying shops that are still completely dependent on the owner
• (44:55) Why Kenny believes manufacturing needs to be positioned as a technology-driven career path for younger workers
• (46:50) How shop owners can support workforce development by engaging schools, offering internships, and speaking up about opportunity
• (48:49) Kenny explains why CMMC and IT decisions should start with a question about a shop's true core competency
• (51:00) Why Kenny believes shops should lean on experienced MSPs and major government cloud providers instead of trying to build everything themselves
• (54:43) Why MSPs need configurable CMMC solutions that actually fit small and midsize manufacturers
• (58:12) How to connect with Kenny and what types of shops he is interested in acquiring

• High end parts, high end capability, and high end capability with DN Solutions
• Your buyers have technical questions. Navu delivers reliable, accurate answers. Learn more at Navu.co/MakingChips
• Why you need to join us at IMTS 2026!

• Native Aerospace and defense
• [email protected]
• Connect with Kenny on LinkedIn

• The website
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Instagram

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When Ashley Parent first appeared on Machine Shop Mastery, Mills Machine Works was fighting for survival. After the unexpected loss of her father, who founded the company in 1995, Ashley and her siblings inherited not only a family business but also the challenge of keeping it alive. Almost overnight, the shop lost roughly half of its revenue as customers questioned whether the next generation could continue the highly specialized work that had defined the company for decades.

What followed was a crash course in entrepreneurship, sales, finance, and leadership. Ashley had to learn how to generate new business, understand the numbers behind profitability, and reposition the company for a different market. Through relentless outreach, honest storytelling, and a willingness to ask for help, she slowly rebuilt customer confidence and created a path forward when the future seemed anything but certain.

Then an unexpected opportunity arrived. A local shop owner who had followed Ashley's journey reached out about finding a home for his employees. What started as a simple conversation quickly evolved into the acquisition of an entire machine shop. The move expanded Mills Machine Works' capabilities, added new customers and employees, and accelerated the company's growth trajectory in a way Ashley never could have predicted.

In this inspiring follow-up conversation, Ashley shares the realities of rebuilding a business after tragedy, navigating financial challenges, integrating an acquisition, and leading a growing team through change. She also offers hard-earned lessons on pricing, profitability, relationships, and why asking for help may be one of the most powerful business strategies a shop owner can embrace.

The result is a remarkable turnaround story. From staring at empty spindles and uncertain prospects to pursuing a $3 million growth vision, Ashley's journey is a powerful reminder that resilience, adaptability, and community can transform even the toughest circumstances into opportunity.

• (0:00) Ashley Parent returns to share the next chapter of Mills Machine Works
• (3:00) Taking over the family business after her father's passing
• (5:45) Using LinkedIn, storytelling, and outreach to win new customers
• (8:18) Understanding pricing, quoting strategy, and profitable work
• (11:15) Why we created HireMFG Leaders (and why you should use it)
• (11:45) Reaching consistent breakeven after years of uncertainty
• (12:44) Navigating difficult conversations about the company's future
• (15:15) Acquiring a neighboring machine shop and expanding capabilities
• (19:26) Evaluating the acquisition and managing risk as a growing business
• (21:33) Structuring a seller-financed deal and gaining a new mentor
• (23:15) Integrating production work into a prototype-focused shop
• (24:33) Building leadership teams and teaching employees the business side
• (26:54) Why we trust SMW Autoblok when it comes to workholding
• (28:03) How sharing struggles publicly led to community support and opportunity
• (30:00) The five-year vision to grow Mills Machine Works to $3 million
• (32:49) Managing cash flow, inflation, and rising manufacturing costs
• (36:50) Learning financial management and the true cost of machining
• (37:58) Developing a leadership style built on empowerment and ownership
• (39:55) Communicating the acquisition and earning employee buy-in
• (42:30) Moving an entire machine shop in just four days
• (43:57) Get a free report of sales opportunities in your area from FacturMFG.com/chips
• (45:02) Why understanding your numbers is critical to survival and growth
• (48:03) The importance of asking for help and building relationships
• (50:34) Adapting to constant change in modern manufacturing

• Why we created HireMFG Leaders (and why you should use it)
• Why we trust SMW Autoblok when it comes to workholding
• Get a free report of sales opportunities in your area from FacturMFG.com/chips

• Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
• Mills Machine Works
• Follow on Instagram
• 50. From Tragedy to Rebirth with Ashley Parent from Mills Machine Works

• The website
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Instagram

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When I sat down with Casimir Sienkiewicz (CAZ) from CazTek, I immediately connected with his story because it reminded me so much of the journeys so many shop owners go through. What started with a Bridgeport mill in a garage has evolved over the last 22 years into a growing engineering and precision machining company tackling everything from advanced prototypes to 5-axis machining, Swiss work, automation assemblies, and aerospace and medical projects. But what really stood out to me wasn't just the equipment or the growth. It was Casimir's mindset around creativity, problem-solving, and continuously evolving as a business owner.

One of the themes throughout this conversation is how closely personal growth and business growth are tied together. Casimir talked openly about the realization that he had to stop trying to personally carry every responsibility inside the company if he wanted the business to scale. Like many entrepreneurs, he built the company through grit, technical skill, and sheer determination. But eventually, that approach created bottlenecks. Bringing in strong leaders, defining core values, implementing systems, and learning to trust his team became the next phase of growth for both him and the company.

We also spent a lot of time talking about the intersection of engineering and manufacturing. CazTek isn't just a machine shop. Their team works through the entire product development lifecycle, from early concepts and mechanical engineering all the way through machining, assembly, testing, and production. That end-to-end visibility gives their employees a unique sense of purpose because they get to see how the products they design and manufacture actually impact the world, whether it's medical devices, aerospace hardware, or industrial systems.

This episode is packed with lessons around scaling a manufacturing business, building the right culture, implementing systems like EOS, adopting new technology, and creating an organization that can grow sustainably. Casimir brings a thoughtful and honest perspective to the conversation, and I think listeners will really relate to the challenges, mistakes, and breakthroughs he shares along the way.

• (0:00) Introduction and the origins of CazTek's manufacturing journey
• (3:18) Overview of CazTek Engineering and CazTek Precision today
• (8:28) Learning manual machining, CNC setup, and programming at a young age
• (10:17) Landing in a manufacturing engineering technology program
• (11:36) Starting the business in a 400-square-foot garage with a Bridgeport mill
• (15:15) Hiring the first employee and moving out of the garage
• (16:58) Learn more about IMTS 2026 (and why you should join us)
• (17:51) Purchasing the first Haas VF-2 and launching the machine shop side
• (19:44) Expanding into 5-axis machining, turning, and Swiss machining
• (21:22) Balancing rapid prototyping work with outside contract machining
• (23:21) Growing through referrals, relationships, and word-of-mouth reputation
• (24:29) Building a true sales pipeline and moving beyond feast-or-famine growth
• (28:06) Recognizing personal limitations and bringing in experienced leaders to scale
• (29:56) Why we love SMW Autoblok workholding
• (30:39) Learning to trust others and let go of operational control
• (34:04) How systems and delegation unlocked the next stage of growth
• (36:54) Challenges of investing time and resources into organizational growth
• (38:11) Implementing EOS and building systems for accountability and growth
• (39:53) Hiring the right personalities and getting people in the right seats
• (41:08) Why we created Hire MFG Leaders (and why you should use it)
• (42:04) Coaching employees into roles that fit their strengths
• (46:25) Building scalable processes and implementing tools like ProShop and Paperless Parts
• (49:19) Current growth challenges, operational bottlenecks, and scaling in parallel
• (51:33) Defining CazTek's core values and attracting mission-driven employees
• (57:03) Thoughts on manufacturing growth, automation, and staying resilient through market shifts

• Why you need to join us at IMTS 2026
• Why we love SMW Autoblok workholding
• The E-Myth Revisited
• Built to Sell
• EOS
• MN Precision Manufacturing Association

• CazTek
• CazTek Precision
• Connect on LinkedIn

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• Instagram

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