But Honeycutt will tell you that they are busy and growing — he sees opportunity in commercial aerospace and space . The two industries he said , “ are very different .” Through perseverance and change , Honeycutt and the team share their optimism and belief that their business is a going concern . The tagline leaves no doubt that this is a machine shop , “ AEROSPACE . MARINE . MEDICAL . SCIENTIFIC . BEYOND . WE MACHINE .”
The business , initially founded by their father , Ron Honeycutt , is now operated by Steve , Tim , and Nick Honeycutt . In 2006 , Ron decided to sell the company . The buyer needed to be a better fit . After four years , Ron repurchased it when the existing owner failed .
The company ’ s repurchase took a name change from Honeycutt Machine to Honeycutt Manufacturing . Then they started repairing customer relationships .
Now they have a staff of 32 personnel . Dad is less involved but still comes by the facility for a few hours daily . According to Nick , Honeycutt Manufacturing serves the aerospace industry about 60 to 65 percent of the time . Additional work includes high-end fly-fishing equipment , snowboard bindings , and parts of coffee makers .
But during the pandemic , he remarked that they also picked up some much-needed space work from Blue Origin . Nick said that was low-volume , high-value prototyping work . They were grateful for the work since the airline industry dried up . But in 2023 , things are on a rebound , and Nick is prepared .
Nick ’ s twin brother , Tim , is also prepared . Tim is responsible for everything “ customer-facing and outside the facility ’ s walls .” He observed that everything from “ punching bag to shoulder to cry on ” falls into his purview . But kidding aside , the brothers , including Steve , work hard to keep customers and employees happy .
The twins went to Washington State University . They aren ’ t like many manufacturing managers , because they have the education and generational knowledge that keeps them going . One of the challenges they ’ ve faced is a familiar story — workforce development . Tim said that right after the pandemic , there was a hiring spree by regional manufacturers who were rapidly approaching competitors ’ employees and working to lure them away .
APRIL | MAY 2023 ISSUE NO . 32 37