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THIRTY UNDER THIRTY PROFILES


Todd Hinton Age: 22 NMG Aerospace Stow, OH


UNDER THIRTY A


t 22 years old, Todd Hinton has mastered the art of time management, which is nec- essary to achieve the ambitious goals he had set for himself four years ago when he started college at The University of Akron. Those goals were to graduate college debt-free, go on to graduate school for an MBA, and start his own small machining service to people with “one-off” jobs or small batches. Todd started working in manufacturing in high school and began working full-time as a quality inspector on his 18th birthday at a small machine shop in the steel tubing industry right outside his hometown of Wooster, OH. At a young age, Todd was attracted to building and fixing things and has always said that “even a great product or service could always be improved.” Todd moved up in the company and was even- tually promoted to work as a CNC machinist, setting up and operating various CNC mills and lathes in the shop. During this time, Todd en-


rolled in an associate degree program in Manufacturing Engineering Technology at the university. Todd worked 50–60 hours a week, many times switching from second to third shifts and often working weekends around his class schedule while taking courses during the day. At 19 years of age, Todd started his own manufacturing com- pany, called Billet Built Motorsports LLC to design and manufacture products for different types of racing such as motocross, dirt track, and Soap Box Derby racing, as well as offering machining service to local farmers and shops. Eventually, Todd moved to Akron to be able to finish his associate’s degree and move into a bachelor's of science in an automated manufacturing engineering technology program. He worked as a wire EDM machin-


ist in the aerospace and automotive tool & die industry before joining his current employer, NMG Aerospace in Stow, OH. Today, Todd works as a quality engineering technician with responsibilities for implementing qual- ity and continuous improvement tools and processes throughout the company. He has achieved Lean “Cham- pion” status in NMG Aerospace’s Lean Ladder and is a current student member of four professional associa- tions with plans to earn his Six Sigma green belt. Todd is working on developing a web site


“Some of my professors at Akron work full time in industry during the day and teach welding or machining classes at high schools or community college. That’s something I want to do in the future.”


(www.themicemovement.com) for aspiring entrepreneurs that have little or no knowledge in manufacturing but hope to start a company or develop a product or service. The web site would create an online forum called MICE, which would connect people with expertise in a number of different industries with aspiring entrepreneurs. When asked how he finds time for his busy schedule, Todd said: “My family, my dad and grandpa taught me the value of work


ethic, of putting in a good day’s work and earning my own way, even gas money for my truck in high school. I’ve set my priorities straight and don’t just hang out with my friends.” Todd also intends to give back to advance manufacturing STEM education. “Some of my professors at Akron work full-time in industry during the day and teach welding or machining classes at high schools or community college. That’s something I want to do in the future.” Hard work pays off. Under terms of his current em- ployment contract, a percentage of the cost of classes that relate to his job are paid for by his employer so debt-free isn’t out of the realm of possibility.


July 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 95


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