Small Business, Big Rewards

GST Michigan Works! has had the pleasure of working with Epic Machine since 2018.  Epic is home to 17 CNC Turning Centers and 9 CNC Milling Centers. They have diversified their customer base to include not only the automotive industry, but also agricultural, construction, rail, medical, food, wind, solar, municipal, and military industries. Since 2018, GST Michigan Works! has watched as Melinda Keway grew into her role and learned the business from her dad, Mike Parker. Now, as President of Epic Machine, Melinda has ensured the business continues to grow and expand under her leadership.

The company has been interested in the Going PRO Talent Fund for quite some time, but because of internal changes and various other factors, they did not apply until 2024. Much to their surprise, they were awarded a total of $15,620! The funding has allowed them to train a total of 10 incumbent workers in 5S Application, Lead Auditor, Value Stream Mapping, and Lean Simulation.  All courses were completed through the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.  

Melinda Keway states, “The training our staff attended was primarily focused on Lean Manufacturing, and we found the training was a huge morale boost to the staff. They enjoyed going off campus, but also really enjoyed the in-house classroom courses as well.”

The training has boosted employee morale and engagement at Epic Machine, with several employees now organizing the shop to put their learning into practice. 

Melinda also states, ”I have found if you continually offer, even small, training courses that keep employees engaged and feeling like they are helping to contribute to the success of the company and themselves, it really helps with employee retention. GST Michigan Works! is a great group of training partners, easy to work with.”