What It Means To Be American Owned, American Made
CINCINNATI has been around since the 1890s, and we’ve been working hard in southwest Ohio for the duration. As the decades have passed, it’s become a rarity to find an American manufacturing company still producing on U.S. soil.
Around here, our employees are well aware that CI is something special. To mark Independence Day this year, we asked them to put into words what it means to them, on a personal level, to work for a manufacturing company that’s as American as it gets.
Their words are below. If you or someone you know also feels a pull to work in U.S.-based manufacturing, browse our open jobs anytime. Happy 4th, everyone.
Matt Garbarino, Marketing Director
Working for an American company is paramount for me. When I graduated college, my first job was at General Motors, which solidified my feeling of pride working for an American company. That was 30 years ago; I’m 52 now, but my feelings have not changed. It’s important to me.
A lot of it is pride. I believe in our country’s culture and history. What’s always important to me is the “why”, and I believe in our country’s why. All the things CI has been through, providing amazing products over the years, it’s certainly something to be proud of. I like being an underdog, and we compete with much larger foreign companies. I feel despite being small, it offers advantages and that our products and our people make a big impact.
I’d venture to say 70% of the companies we sell to are job shops, family-owned, privately-owned. There’s a cultural connection between us and them. People outside see the CINCINNATI nameplate and that image is iconic and makes us look bigger than we are. At the end of the day, we are just like our customers, make stuff too. And just like them, we’re privately owned, right in the heartland of the Midwest.
Mark Watson, Senior Product Specialist, Vertical Motion Products
Although I interviewed with only American companies after college, I did not think it was necessary for me to work for an American company. I worked for another American company before coming to CI.
At CI, as time has passed, my attitude has changed. In 36 years, I have made sales calls in 34 states, and I’ve had the opportunity to experience the best our industry has to offer. In over 90% of those sales calls, I met with American owners—many of whom were the company's founder. They each had a dream that became the business they owned. It was an American dream.
The majority of these companies were doing world-class work, and being associated with their success made me proud of my company, my industry and my country.
Greg Wilson, Director of Service
I grew up in a military family. My dad served and so did I. As a kid, we lived all over the country. When I got out of the military, it was an economic decision. When I started in manufacturing service and worked my way up, I was thankful for where I landed. Here at CI, my voice was heard, even when my experience level was nowhere near where it is now. The company has always taken care of everybody, even through economic downturns here and there. I’ve always appreciated that. We’re small, we’re local, we’re completely American-made. There’s a great sense of pride in that.
Todd Kirchoff, Manager of Machine Tool Products
For me, I always felt like our machines were basically made in my home town. I felt proud about that. When there’s an issue with machines, as a product manager, I can talk to the people writing the software, the designers of the mechanicals. They work here, just like I do. We build all of it, right here in Harrison.
I’ve always bought local and been proud of where I grew up. I used to live near an American embassy, before we got into a house and I’d look out the window every morning. There would always be a line to get visas that went past the block. People wanted to come in more than get out. That’s meaningful.
My grandfather is a WWI veteran, he survived the trenches in France, and my son is active duty in the Navy. I’m not as outspoken as some people, but there is a deep pride that I feel that we’re not simply American-made. For me, we’re community-made. Right here in the United States. Harrison, Ohio. I love answering that question.
Tony Briner, Operations/Final Assembly Manager
I have a little bit of a unique perspective, because I worked in construction about 10 years before I worked here. One of the things that brings me a lot of pride is, the feeling of “I made that.”
I used to build fences. The ballpark in downtown Dayton for our AAA team, I built the whole perimeter fence for that ballpark. Every time I bring my kids, they talk about how I built that fence. Now it’s, “Dad works there, Dad built that machine.” That brings me to work every day with a different sense of putting my name on that. My kids are looking at that and know that it’s good to be professional.
We have that opportunity here to make a difference. My kids now are getting ready to start college; they’ll be making opportunities for themselves and hopefully building a legacy they can be proud of, too. We’re always trying to improve every day here. I really take to our OWN IT campaign. That’s really what the motto is for people who show up here. Do it right, make it the best quality before it goes out the door. I feel a lot of people here do own the work they put out there, and they’re proud to work here.
Dana Hayes, Process Development Engineer
To me, working for an American company means stability and legacy. Many people ask who you work for and where that company is based. I can proudly say that CI started here and stays here. I know that we are taking pride in the product we produce and that we strive to improve that product line year after year.
I also know that there is a legacy of keeping jobs here in the country and taking care of those who are stateside. Working for a company that has been around this long gives me hope that we will continue to fight despite economic unrest and stay strong for the days to come, putting pride in our work and continuing to strengthen our community.
Sai S.R. Bonthu, Electrical Design Engineer
As a young Engineer who immigrated to the U.S. with little industry experience and a ton of academic knowledge, to be honest, it wasn't easy for me to blend right into the CI Engineering team. Pride radiated from all corners of the facility with 120 years of innovation, so it was tough at first. However, my team has worked patiently to bring me to a level where I believed that I could do it. I was trusted and accepted to carry the legacy forward for my team.
I have to admit that I was lucky to be an apprentice for engineers with decades of experience. They groomed me through the process. In less than two years, I confidently presented new product design ideas, and the team turned them into a great product that was made in less than 6 months. Today, as I continue to innovate, I OWN the responsibility to keep up with the American standards that I was taught. It's not easy!
As I contribute to CI's success, CI is helping me chase my dreams to research and pursue a PhD program. I know that this is only possible in the U.S., and more specifically, with CI being an American company that strongly promotes innovation in American manufacturing.
Justin Atkins, Operations and Purchasing Manager
I’m slightly different from the rest of the people my age. I’m actually super proud to be American and I do have allegiance to that. My family started a body armor company protecting the police and the military. I wanted to work elsewhere, so when I looked at different companies I could go to, I knew I wanted to be in machine tools. There were once-legendary companies that were still around, but it was really just remnants. CI was different.
I interned here, then got offers from both CI and GE. So I asked myself, “Do I want to be a number, or do I want to move the needle?” Being 22 years old as an engineer, I had a lot more opportunities to make an impact right away at CI. That’s one of the things that attracted me to this place.
There’s a recurring moment that I love. I drive down the road at 6:30 a.m., the sun is coming up, and you can see our innovation center with an American flag draped on the exterior. I still get a chill from it. That feeling I get, being with a company that’s proud of its heritage, proud of this country, it makes me want to stay here and make sure we stick around another 120 years.
