123. A Daughter’s Promise: Preserving Bedard Machine Through One of Life’s Hardest Challenges

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Most family shops don’t get a clean handoff. Somebody gets sick, the calendar moves faster than the plan, and one person has to decide whether to step in or let the doors close. That’s the story Christy Subia lived at Bedard Machine, and it’s why I wanted her on the show.

Bedard is a 95% aerospace shop in Brea, California with 23 people and 17 machines. And four years ago it was almost none of what it is now. Christy came in from outside the industry while her dad’s Alzheimer’s was quietly pulling him away from the business he started in 1979. Her mom was ready to shut it down. Christy decided to find out if she could run it instead.

What she’s done since is the part every owner should hear. She nearly doubled revenue, not by chasing new customers, but by chasing bottlenecks. She cut a 12-week office lead time down to four, moved people into the roles they were actually built for, and turned a careful guy in shipping into the shop’s first full-time inspector. She says it plainly: solve one bottleneck and it just moves to the next department, so you keep chasing it.

We also get into the human side, which is harder than any tolerance. Working shoulder to shoulder with her mom. Earning her place as a woman on the floor. A notice of escape three weeks into the job that grounded planes, reminding her that she loves solving problems. And the advice she’d give anyone staring down a family transition: trust your gut, stay vulnerable, and lean on the experts who want to help you.

This is the kind of conversation that reminds me why this industry is full of the finest people you’ll meet. Christy’s only four years in, and she’s already sharper than folks who’ve been at it for decades. Grab a notepad for this one.

What’s Covered in this Episode

• (0:00) Meet Christy Subia and the family transition that brought her to Bedard Machine
• (4:22) Bedard today: 23 people, 17 machines, 12,000 square feet, 95% aerospace
• (6:49) The 1979 origin: one manual lathe and a dad who wouldn’t quit
• (11:08) Why the IMTS Job Shops Workshop belongs on your September calendar
• (11:58) What 15 years selling raw pet food taught her about family business
• (14:38) Dennis’s mechanical decline and delegating his job before anyone noticed
• (17:28) A lean office, a mom ready to close, and a CMTC succession plan
• (22:15) Why we love SMW Autoblok and it’s world-class workholding
• (23:29) From a pet food recall to aerospace traceability: same muscle, new industry
• (25:20) A notice of escape (NOE) and chasing the root cause: concentricity, the CMM, and gummy material
• (31:28) Growing machinists with Fullerton College instead of just hiring them
• (37:19) How CLA helps manufacturers find millions in revenue and savings
• (38:28) Doubling revenue by chasing bottlenecks and cutting lead time from 12 weeks to four
• (42:54) The silver tsunami hitting shops and their customers at once
• (44:59) Working with her mom and the ownership transition
• (52:21) Diversification: Boeing C-17 landing gear, ITAR, CMMC, and getting back into space
• (55:28) The real challenges: people who outgrow you and aging equipment
• (57:40) Christy’s advice for navigating the hardest business in the world

Resources Mentioned

• IMTS Job Shops Workshop
• SMW Autoblok
• Hennig WorkFlow Automation System
• CLA
• ProShop ERP
• Fullerton College Machining Program

Connect with Christy Subia

• Bedard Machine
• Christy@bedardmachineinc.com