Northwest Aerospace News April | May Issue No.14 | Page 24

RURAL
PAYETTE
PERFECTION
Teton Machining Solutions in Payette, Idaho serves the
aerospace industry with high quality machined parts
By: Jennifer Ferrero, APR, DTM
J
im Franklin, sales manager for Teton Machining Solutions in
Payette, Idaho says there are those that prefer urban lifestyles and
those that prefer rural lifestyles. The employees of Teton Machin-
ing are those that prefer the latter, living in rural Payette, a town of
about 7,000 north of Boise. The city tagline is “What home feels
like.”
The company was named after the Grand Tetons as the initial
founder, Norm Meller from Ohio, loved to vacation in the Tetons
and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The company was started in Jackson
Hole, in Meller’s basement, to service customers in Utah. Later,
the company moved to Payette after picking up recurring work
with Hewlett Packard in Boise. They’ve been in business making
machined parts since 1952.
The company is employee-owned (Employee Stock Ownership or
ESOP) which Franklin said offers two main things, “Better reten-
tion and better customer care.” He said the employees are involved
in the success or failure of the business and added, “You have to
be engaged especially when you own stock in the company – if it’s
decreasing it’s a real pain, if increasing a real pleasure.”
Franklin came to the company in the nineties, left, and then came
back 16 years ago. Andy Oyervides, president and CEO, has been
at the company since leaving the Marine Corps as a young man. He
started in an entry-level position and worked his way up to presi-
dent. Franklin said that it isn’t uncommon for employees to learn
the business and work their way up, due to being employee-owned
and in a small town.
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NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS