Two Brothers, One Tormach, and the Mission to Bring Honor Back to American Manufacturing, #526
About this episode
Keith and Patrick Lee share their journey of building a machine shop from a one-car garage to a successful business, emphasizing the importance of family and problem-solving in American manufacturing.
Keith and Patrick Lee didn't start their machine shop with a giant facility, a full team, or a fleet of high-end equipment. They started with a Tormach in a one-car garage, a willingness to learn, and the belief that if they kept showing up, solving problems, and doing what they said they would do, they could build something real. In this episode of MakingChips, Keith and Patrick share the story behind their South Jersey machine shop, from discovering CNC through high school STEM projects and YouTube videos to slowly building the business on nights and weekends. Keith brings the hands-on machining background, including time in the Air National Guard and aerospace manufacturing, while Patrick brings a mechanical engineering background and experience in heavy construction operations. Together, they've had to figure out not just how to make parts, but how to build a business from scratch. Their journey is full of the kind of lessons every shop owner can relate to: learning CNC by doing, finding early work through Xometry, using LinkedIn to build real customer relationships, deciding when to invest in equipment, and building processes before hiring or automating. They also talk…
More episodes of Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
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- Win a Machine, Grow Your Team: One Shop Owner's Playbook for Smart Growth, Ep #531
- The AI Everyone Will Actually Care About at IMTS 2026, Ep #530
- Why Starting a Machine Shop Felt Less Risky Than Another Corporate Job, Ep #529
- The Fast Eat the Slow: A Strategy Playbook for the Future of Your Machine Shop, 528
- Stop Complaining About the Skills Gap and Do This Instead, Ep #527
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