Steve and Tammy of Baillie Fabricating & Welding join us on today's episode. Together they have been running a 10-person full-service job shop for over 30 years. They discuss how they divide responsibilities (Steve leading operations and production, Tammy handling accounting, HR, and risk), how they set boundaries to avoid bringing work conflict home, and how to resolve disagreements by stepping away and seeking outside mentoring. Steve shares why he left a trucking fabrication career to start the business, a leap of faith buying their first laser to compete in thin-gauge work, and a painful lesson from investing in robotic welding while relying too heavily on one customer. They also cover credit policies and collections practices, hiring for character over skill, Tammy’s lesson about switching from a large payroll vendor to a local provider, and Steve’s move from job shop work into manufacturing by developing a durable stainless bracket and guards to combat fuel-dispenser break-ins and organized fuel theft.

To learn more, visit the Baillie Fabricating & Welding website here: https://www.bailliefab.com/

In this episode of the Job Shop Show, host Jay Jacobs talks with Tony Jordan and Thomas Deslongchamps of Pindel Global Precision about the company's remarkable transformation under the leadership of Bill Berrian. They discuss the strategic vision that guided the change, including workforce training, automation, and incorporating AI to streamline operations. The conversation offers insights into the challenges and successes of modernizing a traditional machine shop and underlines the importance of investing in people and technology for sustained growth and operational efficiency.

In this inspiring episode of The Job Shop Show, we welcome back Tamea Franco, CEO of Global Metal Finishing, to share her remarkable journey of resilience, leadership, and transformation since the pandemic. Tamea dives into the hard decisions that reshaped her team, the tech innovations modernizing her shop—from sensors and AI to value stream mapping—and her vision for a smarter, more people-centric future in metal finishing. It's a candid and energizing conversation full of insights for job shop owners navigating growth and change.