Thanks, all, for the (mostly) favorable comments. Yes, Ann and I did sell the company. No, we didn't sell it to Bill Gates or the PRC. Instead it went to a local vendor of ours (high precision screw machine work) who we'd gotten to know over the years as reliable, and likely to continue the type of relationship with customers we tried to build over the years. The owners are both hunters and shooters who share our values and ethics. Even though the sale hadn't gone through at the time, anyone who stopped by our booth at SHOT 2022 would have been able to meet them. I asked them to attend SHOT so they would get a feel for what our customers expect of us, as well as getting a glimpse into our industry.Well that's good to know. Dave was an old school guy. The last cartridge drawing I sent him his reamer print he sent back was hand drawn. Not many like that left anymore.
I guess I'll get my next reamers on order while he's still hanging around at least.
One of the first things they asked in discussions prior to the sale was, "will you stay on to help through the transition?" I responded that I wouldn't sell the business otherwise--so I'll be around on a part-time basis for up to a year.
All the shop guys are still here, and we're looking to hire a few more in order to reduce wait times. A new scheduling and inventory system has been put in place to make responses to your queries about product availability and backlogs faster and more accurate. On-line/ website ordering is on the drawing board and should be available in the not-too-distant future. New office personnel are helping make this happen, as well as reducing customers' frustration at not being able to get through on the phone.
So, new owners of what so far resembles the same old company. I'll do what I can to maintain standards we established over the years, working with the new owners who are definitely on board with this. If you're an old customer, expect to be treated at least as well as you were in previous years. If you're a yet-to-be customer, please contact us for the best tooling for your latest project.
Best regards to all,
Dave Manson