Lynchburg Business

Precision Patterns: Patterned for Success

Issue: June 2010 by Amanda Sullivan in Business Profiles

If you ask most children what they want to be when they grow up, you might hear a wide variety of responses from a doctor, fireman, ballerina, teacher or lawyer. What you are unlikely to hear, however, is what Barry Simpson, owner of Precision Patterns, Inc. in Lynchburg, dreamt of since he was a little kid: a desire to create patterns with metal.

Simpson began to enjoy working as a pattern maker in high school. Upon graduation, he went on to work for various companies for the next 10 years, and that experience eventually led to his desire to own his own business. Simpson and his family started Precision Patterns on January 30, 2004. The company upgraded on February 24, 2004, when it started renting out a 1,000 square-foot space.

“I saw what profits were being made, plus I liked the freedom,” Simpson said. “I can come and go as I please.”

Simpson said that part of the reason he wanted to start his own business was because there was a need for his type of trade in Lynchburg, which specializes in a rare specialty of metal cutting and shaping.

“We manufacture iron and aluminum patterns that produce heavy casing for the heavy trucks, automotive and industrial industry,” Simpson said.

Despite the lack of metal pattern companies in Lynchburg, raging success did not easily accompany Simpson’s efforts. In fact, he struggled at first to even get his dream off the ground.

“We couldn’t find a place to start up, and we couldn’t get the capital investment,” Simpson said. “It was a lot of hard work.”

As any small business owner knows, the hard work does not end simply because the company has been successfully started; rather, the work increases. Part of Simpson’s goals for his business is to treat his hard-working employees well—a concept he learned from the various other companies he previously worked for. Simpson said he noticed that the companies that treated their employees the best got the most return on their investments because the employees were more willing to work hard if they understood the effort was

appreciated. Today, his employees’ satisfaction is a top priority.

“I don’t want to not be able to take care of my employees,” Simpson said. “I take care of the employees on both sides of the fence. I own the company, but I am just as dirty (physically) as they are.”

Although Simpson has seen the success of his business grow, he is not eager to see it expand much more. Because of the store’s small client list, Simpson is able to keep only a few employees on hand, which makes it easier for him to fully care for his employees like he wants to. The smaller business model also helps Simpson direct more attention to his clients. To him, staying small is a plus.

“I don’t want to get much larger,” Simpson said. “Bigger is not always better.”

Simpson has not forgotten where his love for pattern making was sparked in the hallowed halls of his high school. Because of his own personal experiences that were derived from his high school practice, Simpson has developed a program that allows students enrolled in high school to work and gain further understanding of the pattern making business. The program acts as a five- year apprenticeship. While in the program, the students work part-time for Precision Patterns and, upon graduation, they start working full-time for the company. Once the apprenticeship is complete, the student will have what is the equivalent to a 4-year degree. The program is beneficial experience for students because Precision Patterns is an ISO 9001:2008 accredited shop, which means it is up to the quality standard that many customers require in order to do business with them. Having won two awards for wood pattern making during his own time as an apprentice, Simpson believes in the value of the program he now offers to students.

“I’m a third-generation foundry man,” Simpson said. “When I got out of high

school, I didn’t want to go to college. I wanted to learn a trade.”

From the small shop at his high school, to the small shop on Carroll Avenue in Lynchburg, Simpson’s love for the trade is not only producing a product unique to our area, but is also investing in the future of other students who also place value in learning the tools of the trade.

For more information on Precision Patterns, visit www. precisionpatterns.com.