Most shop owners don’t realize how much the structure and feel of their shop impact everything, including employee morale, customer trust, and long-term growth. Caught up in production chaos, they overlook the deeper issues holding them back: clunky systems, reactive decision-making, and a culture built on fear rather than trust.

Tim Rousseau changed all that. He built Above All CNC to be clean, safe, and forward-thinking intentionally.

His big shift? Ditching paper and guesswork for ProShop ERP. It gave his growing shop the structure it needed to handle complexity without the stress.

Now, every part of his operation, from quoting to inspection, is consistent, trackable, and efficient. Audits go smoother. Employees take pride in their work. Customers keep coming back.

If you’re still running your shop off spreadsheets and gut feel, this episode might just be your turning point.

LinkedIn - Tim Rousseau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rousseau-b2309b20/

CNC Inc - https://aboveallcnc.com/

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Most shop owners don’t realize it, but the way they lead their team and the systems they use may be quietly holding them back. In this episode, we hear from Perry Kuehn of K Tooling, a shop owner with decades of experience who thought his business was running fine… until it nearly ran off the rails. What followed was a transformation that reshaped his culture, workflow, and client relationships. And it started with one bold decision.

At first, Perry was focused on growth: new machines, new buildings, new customers. But under the surface, delivery dates were slipping, team members were stressed, and quality issues were creeping in. The systems in place, both technological and cultural, weren’t built for scale, and Perry soon realized it wasn’t just a software problem. Leadership needed to change, too.

That’s when he went all-in on ProShop ERP. But adopting a new system didn’t just mean new screens or better scheduling. It became the catalyst for a complete reset in how the team operated and how they were led. Perry shares openly about the resistance, the tough personnel decisions, and the leap of faith required to shut off their old ERP cold turkey.

The shift was immediate and profound. Delivery stabilized. Quality improved. Communication got clearer. And for the first time in a long time, the team wasn’t just keeping up, they were thriving. Perry also reveals how these internal changes paved the way for external wins: major new contracts, ISO and AS9100 certifications, and his highest month of incoming sales on record.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to evolve from a reactive job shop into a high-trust, high-performance operation, or how leadership, culture, and the right systems are deeply connected, this episode offers a powerful firsthand account of what that transformation can look like.

LinkedIn: Perry Kuehn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/perry-kuehn-6a197210/

K Tooling - https://www.ktooling.com/

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Some machine shop owners come into the industry late. Adam Verdon was born into it.

From shredding paper in the office as a toddler to operating machines as a teenager, Adam grew up at G.V. Industries, the precision machining company his father founded in 1978 after returning from Vietnam. Today, he’s not just leading the company, he’s reshaping it.

With a deep respect for GV’s history and a clear vision for its future, Adam set out to modernize the shop from the inside out. That meant more than swapping paper travelers for terminals or spreadsheets for software. It meant earning trust, building buy-in, and creating a culture where machinists and their ideas matter.

When the team embraced ProShop ERP, they didn’t just get a new system. They got visibility, clarity, and ownership. Tribal knowledge became shared knowledge. Workflow friction disappeared. And the change didn’t come through top-down mandates, it came from listening.

This episode is about more than digital transformation. It’s about what happens when the next generation takes the wheel and drives with both head and heart.

LinkedIn - Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-verdon-6b4292267

G.V. Industries - gvindustries.biz

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Plenty of people still picture manufacturing as dark, dirty, and dangerous. That image sticks, even though the real day-to-day inside many shops couldn’t look more different. But when perception lags behind reality, it’s no wonder few young people see themselves in roles like toolmaker or machinist.

Darryl Gratrix didn’t grow up knowing he’d land in the trades. He went the university route first. Nearly three decades into his career today, he's running production at Molded Precision Components and doing everything he can to ensure the next generation sees what’s possible.

That includes opening the shop doors to students, teachers, and guidance counselors, people who’ve rarely had a reason to set foot in a modern manufacturing facility. For many, a single tour flips a switch. One teacher left inspired enough to organize an event that brought 300 students face to face with local vendors.

While he’s helping shift the narrative around skilled trades, Darryl’s also keeping a 15-person toolroom running at full tilt. And that got easier with a new ERP system, ProShop, that replaced clunky interfaces and manual entry with faster, clearer processes. It didn’t just save time; it gave the team better data to manage and improve.

So yes, this is a story about skilled trades. But it’s also about what happens when one person decides to be visible in an often hidden industry, on the shop floor, in the school system, and in young people's choices about their future.

LinkedIn - Darryl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darryl-gratrix-373827309

Molded Precision Components - https://www.mpccomponents.com/

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Shop owners are so deep in the daily grind that they don’t see how outdated systems are quietly setting limits on their business. When processes feel "good enough," it’s easy to miss how much time, money, and opportunity are leaking out of a business every day.

Ben Dunn didn’t come from machining, he came from hospital administration. And that fresh perspective made it impossible for him to ignore the old habits inside the shop he acquired. Walking into a company still running on a DOS-based computer and stacks of paper, he saw what longtime owners sometimes can’t: without a clear schedule, accurate data, and systems that live beyond a single person’s memory, the business had no path to real growth or long-term survival.

Once Blueprint Advanced Manufacturing embraced modern systems, everything changed; on-time delivery skyrocketed, employee roles became clear, and the company became far more resilient. Owners will start to see that fixing what feels "good enough" isn’t just a tech upgrade, it’s the difference between a company that struggles and one that thrives across generations.

Ben Dunn on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-dunn-9a8540b4/

Blueprint Advanced Manufacturing - https://blueprintadvancedmfg.com/

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Running a shop often means wearing every hat and holding every answer. For Andy Reinwald at Ripley Machine, that translated to years of nonstop work, nearly no time off, and the weight of every open order living in his head. It was sustainable until it wasn’t.

Things came to a head after a rough year in 2016. Revenue was slipping, customer service was lagging, and the company was running on outdated systems. Andy knew he couldn’t keep leading the shop this way and expect different results.

That realization kicked off a steady climb. Andy pursued ISO certification, leaned into lean thinking, and began to untangle Ripley Machine from manual processes and memory-based management. Still, the tools he had weren’t suited for the kind of shop he wanted to run.

It wasn’t until Andy implemented ProShop that the fundamental transformation took hold.

The team got access to the same information, tooling, and setups became easier to manage, and planning work no longer relied on his constant oversight. Late orders dropped, morale lifted, and quoting, scheduling, and tracking got faster.

Now, Andy runs a growing shop with more efficient systems, higher standards, and the breathing room to take a fully unplugged vacation. His story isn’t about flashy leaps, it’s about what happens when a shop owner truly commits to improving, one decision at a time.

LinkedIn - Andy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyreinwald/

Ripley Machine - https://www.ripley-machine.com/

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Most shop owners don’t realize how much stress is baked into their day-to-day. They’re running jobs, juggling people, chasing parts—and slowly getting used to the constant pressure. For Phil Gurecki, it was normal to be the only one who knew where everything was, how it worked, and what came next. Until it wasn’t.

As Accurate Machine grew, so did the complexity. Assemblies got tougher. Tooling got chaotic. Binders multiplied. And the cost of relying on Phil’s memory—or a key employee’s tribal knowledge—became impossible to ignore.

He tried two ERPs. Neither stuck. It wasn’t until ProShop that things clicked. This time, Phil went all in. Got his team involved. Started documenting everything. Within months, even newer hires could confidently run repeat jobs. And when a key team member left, nothing fell apart.

Phil didn’t set out to build a world class shop. He just wanted to get organized and get some peace of mind. But once the systems were in place, everything shifted. He had time to lead. His team had clarity. And customer tours? He starts those at the computer now—because that’s where the real work lives.

There’s pride in the machines, sure. But for Phil, the real pride comes from knowing his shop can scale, adapt, and grow—without burning anyone out in the process.

LinkedIn - Phil Gurecki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurecki-4a9439110/

Accurate Machine Inc -https://www.accmachine.com/

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Most machine shops are filled with skilled workers, powerful machines, and a relentless drive to get parts out the door. But behind the scenes, inefficiencies can quietly eat away at profitability, morale, and even long-term survival. Many shops rely on outdated systems, fragmented information, and tribal knowledge that vanishes when key employees leave. The result? Missed deadlines, costly mistakes, and constant firefighting.

Marvin Rodriguez of True Precision Machining shares how his company faced these challenges and found a way to transform operations through a strategic shift in processes and systems. By implementing ProShop ERP, his team moved from paper-driven chaos to a fully digital, streamlined workflow. Along the way, they improved efficiency and fostered a culture of engagement where employees actively contribute to continuous improvement.

True Precision is thriving, reducing errors, cutting wasted time, and positioning itself as a top-tier supplier in aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing. Marvin’s story is a masterclass in using data, structure, and technology to take a business from reactive to proactive. Whether you’re struggling with inconsistent processes or just looking to scale smarter, this episode is packed with actionable insights for any shop owner or leader ready to perfect their systems for success.

LinkedIn - Marvin Rodriguez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-rodriguez-08667694/

True Precision Machining - https://www.trueprecisionmachining.com/

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