The Family Approach in Finishing and Coating

On paper, a finishing and coating shop is an inanimate being that has the purpose of employing individuals and — hopefully — turning a profit.

In reality, the women and men who make up these entities are the real purposes of the organization. Some shops have a more familia approach to them, where employees stay for 10+ years, and sons and daughters of employees are often hired in their first real jobs.

In two of the shops we profile this month in the FinishingAndCoating.com December digital issue, family is what really matters to the owners of the companies.

In the example of Metal Finishing Technologies in Connecticut, owner Peter Mirabello tells the story of how the wife of founder Stanley Grabowski paid a visit to the shop for their 2019 Christmas lunch. 

“The whole company came, and many brought family members,” Mirabello says. “We had at least eight retirees show up, and the previous owner’s wife attended, who hadn’t been to the shop in many years. We had a great day talking about the history of the company and how proud she was that MFT was owned and operated by people that truly cared about the business her husband started 40+ years earlier. It showed us all that MFT is not just a business but a family that is a part of many people’s lives.”

The same example is prevalent with Quality Metal Finishing in Byron, Illinois. It was founded in 1947, the same year that Metal Finishing Technologies was founded. They started as a polishing, buffing, and metal plating company but have now become full-service start-to-finish zinc die casting and metal plating organization. Their facility spans 180,000 square feet, and they still maintain their three main core competencies: zinc die casting, metal finishing, and decorative chrome plating.

“One thing you wouldn’t know about QMF until you walked into the door is how family-oriented the environment truly is,” says Matthew Bortoli, Owner, and President.

“When you become a part of the QMF family, we care about you,” says Brandon Wolf, Vice President of Operations. “We want the best for you, and we want to see you succeed. QMF will help you learn the skills you need to be successful at our facility and at any other manufacturing or plating facility.”

At its core, finishing and coating operations are usually smaller companies, most often run by a family that has many generations to show for their success. In this issue, you’ll see what exemplifies that persona of “family-oriented” really means, and I am sure you can find hundreds of similar cases just like those at Metal Finishing Technologies and Quality Metal Finishing.

Bortoli says QMF also strives to have a fun and safe environment as well, so at least once a month, they will have some type of event or theme day to keep up morale.

“They feel accomplished as a team, and we share the numbers and progress with them daily, so they know they are a part of something greater,” he says.