The company was founded by George and Lisa Lackermayer in 1966 as Tool Gauge and Machine Works Inc . George died in 2012 , and Lisa Lackermayer is the majority stakeholder and chairman . The name was shortened to Tool Gauge . The early company made bullet machines , but then evolved into plastic injection molding .
Jim Lee , general manager of Tool Gauge , is excited about the future of this company . Both he and his wife , Debbie Lee , CEO of the company , love what they do . While they are not the owners of the company — both are employees — they are at the top in leadership and are very committed to the growth and development of the company and its employees .
Jim Lee said that their culture is , “ not founded on a vision or mission statement ; it is flipping the idea of culture .” He noted that a few years ago , Debbie read a book called “ Culture by Design ” by David Friedman and attended executive coaching through Vistage International . These two events inspired them to create a culture program based upon weekly “ fundamentals ” that become “ rituals ” upon repetition .
They knew what behaviors they were most interested in . So , Tool Gauge , a manufacturer of complex , high-value plastic and metal assemblies for global aerospace original equipment manufacturers ( OEMs ), created 28 fundamentals that everyone in the company would engage with each week .
The fundamentals range from “ Be a fanatic about response time ,” to “ invest in relationships .” They are all team and preparedness-based and encourage critical thinking and personal growth .
26 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS