How I Made It: Sherry Davies, CEO & President of T.J. Davies Co.

My dad dropped out of high school and went straight to the Navy. He and my mom were high school sweethearts, and after the Navy my mom wrote letters to different manufacturing plants in the Cleveland area to find him a job. That’s how he ended up at Warner & Swasey, and we moved to Solon, Ohio, where I grew up.

Before he opened his own shop, his parents gave him money from a home equity loan to buy his first machine. He worked on Brown & Sharpe machines, and as kids we’d visit him at the shop to spend time with him while he worked around the clock.

Mazak came to us in the early ’70s and asked if we could make retention knobs. My dad said yes, and that’s how we started. He realized it could provide a steady income compared to the ups and downs of job-shop work.

Retention knobs are at the top of tool holders in milling machines. They’re essential because inferior ones can snap, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. We use certified U.S. steel and manufacture them in one operation to ensure perfect concentricity. We also avoid post-grinding steps that weaken the knobs.

Dad passed away in the summer of 2018. When I took over, I didn’t know one coolant from another or what an end mill was. I had to teach myself metallurgy, CAD, and blueprint reading. I even uncovered embezzlement by an employee who stole $832,000. It was a trial by fire, but I made it through.

I didn’t even know how to turn on the machines when I started. Now, I can turn on every one of them. I’ve taken classes on machining and continue to learn. Leadership is about stepping up and leading by example. I take my turn cleaning the bathrooms and salting the parking lot. You can’t ask your team to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. That’s how I’ve built a culture where no one says, “That’s not my job.”

Since I took over, I’ve added sockets, coolant tubes, and other products. We also have the capacity to do Department of Defense work. It’s come full circle because we’re balancing the job shop model with our retention knob production.

During COVID, I bought three years’ worth of steel, so we never ran out. We made masks for the state of Ohio and kept working safely. I’m a planner—I don’t want to overpay or run out of anything.

Dad’s only marketing was a tiny ad in Modern Machine Shop and a 12-page catalog. Now, we have a 132-page catalog and a modern website. I’ve taught myself marketing and plan to keep improving.

We pay 100% for healthcare, dental, vision, and more. Bonuses range up to $10,000, and everyone gets significant time off. Treating employees well keeps them loyal. Two of our employees even bought homes because of the stability we provide.

I’m training Gabby, one of our young machinists, to take over the office operations. I’m 62, and I want the company to thrive if something happens to me. Succession planning is critical, and I’ve divided responsibilities between the office and shop floor.

Shops like ours fill the gap between minimum-wage jobs and professional careers. We create opportunities for people to enter the middle class. Without us, a lot of families wouldn’t have the stability they need.