All Operators
Featured Operator · manufacturing
Marta Ellison
President · Ellison Precision Machining
Grand Rapids, MI
Second-generation manufacturing operator running a 90-person precision machining shop she inherited at 34.
Biography
Marta Ellison took over Ellison Precision Machining after her father's stroke in 2011. In thirteen years she has doubled headcount, rebuilt the shop floor around cellular manufacturing, and moved the company from job-shop pricing into contract manufacturing for medical devices. She writes and speaks about the operating discipline required to run a family manufacturer through cycles.
Operating Principles
- 01
"Hire slower than you think you can afford to."
- 02
"The shop floor tells the truth. Sit on it every week."
- 03
"Cash before growth. Always."
