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Success Stories

Leatherneck Precision Machine

 

Leatherneck Precision Machine is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that specializes in precision machined components for the aerospace, defense, medical, dental, injection molding and other commercial industries that need precision machined parts for their product lines.  Sometimes people’s lives depend on special machine parts, such as aircraft structures, automobiles, and human-rated spacecrafts, and Leatherneck is an AS9100D- and ISO9001-certified company able to do that technical work.  He also has SDVOSB and SDVBE certifications (for small disadvantaged veteran-owned small business).

Anthony Marshall, Owner and President, is a US Marine Veteran who served in Somalia in 1994.  After leaving the Service he became a CNC Machinist working at companies such as Lockheed Martin, Space X and several other tier 2 aerospace suppliers.  He has worked on several high-profile projects like the Dragon 1 & 2 spacecrafts, Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy rockets, The Orion Spacecraft, Mars 2020 spacecraft, F35, F22, C130, 767, Delta and Atlas rockets.  Anthony started Leatherneck Precision Machine in October 2017 to help Veterans transition from the military and learn a valuable skill set that will lead to significant employment for the rest of their lives.

Leatherneck’s first CNC milling machine was delivered in late July 2018 to their facility in Englewood.  Anthony worked with a local nonprofit lender to fund a second CNC milling machine added in November 2019.  This machine allows the company to do twice the work.  “The SBDC has helped with my business education from the beginning, including, small business events, half-day workshops and one-on-one consulting.  The Aurora-South Metro SBDC are Rock Stars for the aspiring entrepreneur, a very valuable resource for the business community.”  The Small Manufacturers AdvantEDGE program proved valuable to help get his space ready for business.  In fact, Leatherneck Precision Machine was host to the City of Englewood’s Manufacturing Day celebration in 2019. The industries that are integral to the company’s success are booming.  As a result, expansion plans are to add a CNC lathe and a Coordinate Measuring Machine in 2020, inspection equipment as needed, as well as hire one or two employees to help with the work load.  Eventually, Anthony would like to grow large enough, doubling or tripling in size in the next year, by buying his own building and hiring wounded veterans—and yet stay small enough to stay in touch with his customers and employees.

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Vintage Theatre Productions

Starting out 15 years ago in a basement as a touring theatre group for small audiences, Vintage Theatre has grown from that “tiny” beginning to currently reaching over 20,000 patrons each production season. “It has been amazing to see the growth,” beams Cr aig Bond, Founder. Since moving to Aurora in 2012 into an existing black box theater, Vintage immediately added a second more intimate theatre to augment the season’s offerings. Creating a greater draw

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Yumbana, LLC

To be declared a U.S.A. Taste Champion by the American Masters of Taste national judging panel, especially when the category is “Gluten Free” baked goods, is quite an accomplishment. Yumbana was selected as a winning product line in 2017 and, since its beginning in 2011, has been committed to making products that don’t require self-discipline to eat and enjoy. ‘Yum’ is in the name and comes from the owner Christopher Lehn’s first creation, a YUMmy

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Prieto’s Catering

Prieto’s Catering is an Aurora-based food truck selling authentic and delicious Mexican food.  Prieto’s serves a variety of tacos, including the famous birria tacos that everyone is excited about!  They also serve other popular Mexican dishes made fresh, such as tamales, tortas and burritos.  Fully aware that the business needs to be responsive to customer needs during the pandemic, they offer home delivery and pick up from 9AM to 3PM daily. As a family business

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GradePower Learning

Robert and Olga Mead, the owners of GradePower Learning, started out with a vision to help build children’s confidence and self-esteem. They found an opportunity to do that not only through tutoring students, but also in teaching them how to learn. The LEADING EDGETM Strategic Planning Series was the perfect tool for Olga to test her business model. She graduated from LEADING EDGETM in 2015 and continued on as a client at the Aurora-South Metro

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Fortified Development Trucking

Fortified Development Trucking strives to be an innovative and solutions-driven minority-owned trucking company, challenging their drivers to provide reliable and excellent customer service while balancing their career and family.  Their mission is to become the transporter of choice for construction hauling and short- and long-hauling from coast to coast.  With the byline “Realizing Potential at Every Level in the Trucking Industry”, Fortified Development Trucking offers reliable, safe, timely delivery that is the most cost-effective trucking

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Grandma’s Rockin’ Rolls

It was Laura Neilson’s grandmother who spent hours teaching her children and grandchildren how to bake – while sharing life lessons and family stories. Grandma and her sister-in-law sold cinnamon rolls ‘in town’ to help supplement the farming income. Can you image the commute on horseback during the depression in a Minnesota winter?! Laura had been making Grandma’s rolls and giving them as gifts and holiday treats for over 30 years. But as Laura’s career

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