Finalist: Custom Manufacturing and Polishing Inc.

Two former employees and one former vendor for a Springfield company have found a way to step out of those roles and into the roles of owners, working together as partners.

Custom Manufacturing and Polishing works with contractors to supply architectural metals for the building industry. The company also produces equipment with a sanitary or cosmetic finish on stainless steel for many industries, including the food processing equipment industry, pharmaceutical industry and automotive industry.

Kathy Garton and Michael Sadler were employees of the company, which was started in 1992 by group of investors. Both had left to accept jobs elsewhere when they, along with former vendor Richard Lassiter, began negotiations to purchase the company. They returned to manage Custom Manufacturing and Polishing during negotiations and purchased the company in 1999.

"When I worked here as an employee I could see that the business was on the cusp of really doing well," Garton said. The company's sales history, she said, has grown from about $136,000 in 1992 to $1.5 million in 1998, and improved to $2.7 million in 2002.

Custom Manufacturing and Polishing has grown in other ways as well. It moved into its current location at 2958 E. Division St. with 33,000 square feet of space about five years ago. The company employs 22 people, including the three owners.

The three owners divided the company, drawing definite borders around their areas of responsibility. Sadler serves as president of the company and takes care of sales and marketing. As controller, Garton is in charge of cost analysis, pricing, finance statements and serves as office administrator. Lassiter's duties include running the physical plant, receiving materials and coordinating production.

They also gave each employee a raise. "We decided that we needed to take better care of our employees," Sadler said.

Fair price, quality and quick delivery are top priorities according to Sadler. "Those three things together have allowed us to not only gain new customers but to increase the level of business we have with our existing customers."

Springfield has a large base of stainless steel fabrication businesses, Sadler said, including Paul Mueller, Precision Stainless and Custom Metal Craft. Custom Manufacturing and Polishing provides services to these companies and many others like them across the United States and Canada. Services include polishing structural shapes such as round bar, flat bar, pipe and tubing.

Community service is important to the company, with blood drives being held about every three months. The owners participate in individual projects, such as PTA and Girl Scouts, and the company has donated services to Ozark Greenways trails.

Lassiter's business philosophy is as simple as following the golden rule. Another priority is hiring the right people. "I owe it to my employees to hire the very best employees that I can find," he said. "That preserves the integrity of the group."