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Planning For Success
With the help of: Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Ohio MEP)
About
Levi Hollow Tools is a family-owned and -operated specialty woodworking tool manufacturing company around 70 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio, in Adams County with six employees. Started in 2008 with the introduction of the TrueTrac Track Saw System, Levi Hollow Tools sold primarily through direct-to-consumer trade shows and a brick-and-mortar dealer distribution network until 2016. Then the focus shifted more towards expanding the e-commerce/online sales portion of the business.
Since then the company has brought the majority of its manufacturing in-house with the addition of two CNC mills and a handful of other more specialized equipment, though they still source the aluminum and plastic extrusions found in most of their products locally from other manufacturers.
The Challenge
The Ohio MEP OSU South Centers staff was very knowledgeable and understanding of our situation. The team of consultants they brought in to do the Strategic Planning were great to work with. They were all very knowledgeable and professional. I would recommend any manufacturer take the time to work with them.
MEP's Role
OSU South Centers MEP staff held virtual meetings with Jacob Rhodes to develop a firm understanding of the past and present state of all aspects of the business including staffing, financial performance, past activity and assets. These meetings made sure that the consulting team and Levi Hollow Tool were working from the same starting point.
Face-to-face meetings were held to develop a current state of the business, including a SWOT analysis, discussion of mission, vision and values and identifying core competencies of the business, and the perfect vision of the company in five years would look like, with work-life balance documented as well. The team then developed a roadmap, including discreet action steps and goals for semi-annual reviews of the plan. Ultimately OSU South Centers MEP and Levi Hollow Tool also met to hold the final review of the plan.