Growing a Business with Good People
Creation Date: 10/06/2026
Experienced machinists are getting harder to find every year. Many are retiring, and the ones still in the market often won't move without a large pay package. If we want to grow, we have to hire young talent and develop them ourselves. Madison County and Employment Training Department's (MCETD) Illinois Apprenticeship Expansion Program walked us through building our Machinist (Entry Level) Registered Apprenticeship and getting it approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, giving us a structured way to do exactly that.
The only way to grow a business is with good people. My goal is always to promote from within, and the apprenticeship program feeds that goal directly. As we bring in and train new machinists, the experienced people on our floor can step into leadership roles. For any business on the fence, my advice is to start. The support is there, and the people you develop today will be running your shop in ten years.
- Billy Banks, President