Celebrating 40 Years

If you’ve followed my posts for a while then you’re no stranger to all the curveballs, exciting news, and just chaos this year has unfolded. Well, if this year wasn’t already special enough with adding a new baby to the family, we have another newsworthy event coming up!

This year in September we are celebrating 40 years of being a family business! As he turned 39 years old, my grandfather, affectionately known as “Pawpaw,” opened up his own business after working about twenty-five years in the machining industry. Before the doors were even up, he had his first job already. What started out as a one-man shop has grown into a small business within the manufacturing industry with employees who may not all be blood-related, but considered family all the same.

My dad quickly joined Pawpaw at the business as well, and my mawmaw also helped out too. They even had Mawmaw working on a few machines when they were short on help and pushed for time. They started out in 28 x 50 building as Thomas Machine Company. In 2010, we incorporated and became Thomas Machine Products, Inc. as we are known today. We have increased in size to 14,000 square feet and offer services in prototype design, turning, milling, reverse engineering, surface grinding, CAD, laser engraving, 3D printing, plasma cutting, and wire EDM.

My mom joined the team a year after I was born to lend her expertise as an accountant, and my brother and I started working part-time while still in high school. We’ve had other employees not directly related to the Thomas family over the years, but three generations do currently work at TMP full-time now. Maybe one day my son will take an interest and want to work here too, if it is in God’s will to keep the shop going.

Pawpaw semi-retired in 2015, and my dad took over as president, but Pawpaw still enjoys working at the shop and serving as vice president of the company. My dad often says that his father “has forgotten more machining knowledge than most people will ever learn.” Both men continue to work together as a team, sharing the pride in their work to make intricate parts from raw materials.

My husband started working at TMP back when we were just dating, and has now become shop floor manager. He too helps makes decisions and has taken on more responsibility at the business. My brother graduated college in 2023 and began working full-time as well, becoming the expert on our ERP system and all things technology. As I share an office with my dad, it can get quite interesting and crowded with all four men (Dad, Pawpaw, Daniel, and brother) all squeezed in there trying to figure out a plan on whatever new job came in. My father-in-law also joined our team two years ago too!

I’m probably the odd ball out between all of them. Dad, brother, and my husband all graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, and my mom with accounting from UNCC. Whereas math and science were the focus for my parents and brother, I graduated with a degree in English. Even though I worked part-time at the shop during my summers, I began getting more involved during my senior year of college when we needed to become ISO 9001:2015 certified. Within a couple years of obtaining our certification it became clear that I was needed more at the shop than just a few times a month.

My skills were needed most in the office and shipping department, and I honestly love what I do. I swapped from teaching full-time to part-time, and now can be found in the office or at the shipping table full-time. I also find myself being the expert on letters, fine tuning emails, and all the quality control documents as office and quality manager. We all fill an important role at TMP.

Now, I’d be lying if I said everyone is happy all the time. Our employees certainly have heard a family squabble or two (or a bunch) from time to time, but for the most part things run fairly smoothly. When I was in college feeling so cut off from everyone back home and at TMP, I never imagined one day that I would come back here working full-time, pretty involved in the day to day business and family matters. God truly knows one’s heart though, and He knew this is exactly where I was needed and what I needed personally for this time in my life.

Maybe to some working with family sounds like a nightmare, but I quite enjoy it. The comfortable and informal setting allows you to be yourself, and you’re only moments away from someone if you need them. Flexibility is the most priceless thing though in a workplace. Things come up, and you know you have a boss who is more than understanding.

The only bad part is that work doesn’t always stop at the door. Lots of family dinners turn in to talking about work at some point, or lining up projects for the next week. Things have to get done, and you can’t always do it during normal work hours. Also scheduling family vacations are a pain because we’ve gotten to the point not everyone can leave for a week and the shop still be able to function.

However, if you take all the cons of running a family business and compare them to the pros, the positive points win out every time. The shop has obviously been around my entire life and I remember stopping by every day after getting off the school bus to grab a snack and start on homework. I wasn’t around for the early days when the hours were much longer than I have ever witnessed. All I knew growing up is that my dad was there for each game, recital, award ceremony, and every important moment of my childhood in between, even if that meant he had to make up time later that night or on the weekends. Yes, the work had to get done, but my grandfather and father always made sure family was a priority.

For a small family business, 40 years is a long time. It’s a huge milestone, and if you ask my dad today why he believes Thomas Machine Products has been successful over the years, he’ll respond “it’s because we put God first and try our best to meet the needs of our customers. We aren’t out here to overcharge, but simply to make a living by doing what we love.” The dedication to hard work and the promise of loyalty to our customers have proven just that.

This small-town family business exceeded all our expectations and the Thomas family’s wildest dreams all because one man took a risk and built his shop from the ground up by trusting that God would provide for us. We can’t thank Pawpaw enough for his faith and courage to open the doors for all that we have come to know today. With lots of prayer and hard work, here’s to forty years of being in business!