Welcome to Marzilli Machine Co’s second installment in the Meeting Marzilli series, today we talk with Jamie Marzilli, the President of Marzilli Machine Co. Learning more about the owner of the company. Today’s post begins with us discussing life before the business, we then talk about things like the impact the business has had on him, as well as what the future holds for Marzilli Machine. We go into detail about the upcoming expansion, and how it will change the business substantially. As well as why he started machining, and what the trade means to him. Stay tuned for next week when we discuss CNC Turning in the next installment of Marzilli Monday!
We will start today off by talking about Jamie’s early professional life, What he did, and how he got to where he is today. One of the first things I asked him about was his education, and how he learned about machining & manufacturing. Jamie started high school at Tiverton High School, he then transferred to Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School after his freshman year, hoping to get into carpentry. After learning that the carpentry shop was full, Jamie’s choices were limited, as transfer students can’t explore all the trades at Diman such as regular applicants. Ultimately Jamie chose Machine Shop, his decision being driven by the fact that he knew people in the trade who were doing well for themselves, and he thought manufacturing was interesting. After a few weeks in the shop, he was hooked, and learning new things daily. After graduating from Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Jamie went on to start his career as a job shop machinist. He spent most of his career at one shop, climbing the ranks into management. After a while, he became dissatisfied working with people who weren’t machinists, fueling the desire to start his own business. That was until one day, Lee Marzilli, Jamie’s wife, and CEO of Marzilli Machine Co., dared Jamie to start the business, in a game of truth or dare. This decision led us to where we are today. When I asked Jamie how his day to day has changed, he had a ton of answers for this one question. He talked a lot about his schedule, and how he feels as if he is always working. Even when away from “Work”, Jamie states that he is “always thinking about what’s required to get to the next level”. He’s always looking for ways to make himself better at what he does. I asked Jamie what he enjoyed most about owning a business, to which he replied “The freedom to choose my own path”. He talked about the drive he has to teach the next generation, and how he wants to have a lasting impact on the future of manufacturing. He is very thankful to have been given a unique skill set that allows him to help the next generation grow. And he feels an obligation to pay it forward.
I then changed the conversation to find out how he feels about being a business owner, asking him things such as how he stays motivated, and how the business affected his personal life. When it comes to motivation, Jamie had a lot to talk about. He mentioned how his kids, family, and his team keep him going. He feels the need to “finish what he started”, and he wants to hand a successful, strong business to his kids. Furthermore, he also mentioned that motivation isn’t everything, and discipline is a very important trait to have. When asked about his personal life, Jamie said that everything has changed. He has to stay mindful of his home-work life balance, and he feels “guilty” when not working. He stated that being a business owner has changed who he is as a person, and has become “a part of the definition of who he is”. I then asked about his struggles early on as a businessman, he talked about the difficulty of learning to think differently. He spoke about how he can’t think like a machinist anymore, and he has to look at things from multiple perspectives. I then shifted the conversation towards the future of Marzilli Machine Co. I wanted to know more about Jamie’s goals, and where he sees the business in a few years. When I asked him about his short term goals, he talked about his focus on the upcoming expansion. Putting most of his efforts into getting the company into a new, much larger facility, about 3x larger than our current shop. Jamie has a goal of reaching 10-12 million gross sales by 2028, and will do whatever it takes to get there. He states this will take around 50 employees to achieve. As of now, we are planning to have our grand reopening in spring of 2024. I then asked him how he plans on hiring that many people, finding 20 more like-minded, hard-working employees is no easy feat. He said that while important, talent isn’t everything, hard work is. He enjoys training new individuals through precise systems, and teaching them valuable skills. In fact, prior to owning the business, Jamie wanted to be a teacher. Going as far as getting his teaching license, he wanted to teach machining at his old school, however the position wasn’t available, leading us to where we are today. Everything happens for a reason.