Microvellum
Four seasons, mild winters, family roots
Location: Medford (800) 204-0913
Owners: David Peel and Taylor Grimes Employees: 32 Click here to visit the Microvellum website A little dabbling and a manufacturing mindset resulted in the formation of a local company bent on creating its own aura. Microvellum, currently based in Medford, is a global leader in flat panel processing technology. President David Peel was looking for better ways to engineer and draw manufacturing designs early in his career and began dabbling in AutoCad to find some solutions. After leaving southern California and meeting up with Taylor Grimes, now Vice President, the two left their former jobs and collaborated to establish Microvellum in 1999.
Taylor Grimes, Microvellum
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Microvellum now creates streamlined production management software for the secondary wood processing industry. Their software product allows manufacturers to use just one software application for flexible design and shop management. Despite the economic downturn, Microvellum is thriving. Having experienced 65% growth in 2006 and another 35% in 2007, the company is forecasting an additional 20-50% growth by 2010.
The company will soon move into its new headquarters in Central Point where it will continue to refine a work environment that is fun. Grimes states that the 32-person team enjoys an “open environment where there are no bells for breaks and everyone knows the big picture.” Kids are welcome and it is not unusual to see a game of ping pong in progress in between offices. Microvellum has applied principles of lean manufacturing to its office and offers rewards to all its employees based on the company’s profitability. In addition to full medical benefits for their employees and families, the company offers profit sharing and 401K. While the company does not necessarily have a competitive advantage by being located in southern Oregon, and they readily admit they are often challenged in finding qualified people, their family roots are deep here and they enjoy the four seasons.
Grimes is passionate about the company’s emphasis on education and reports they have provided over $7.2 million in free software to educational institutions since the company was formed. Not afraid to embrace change, the company is leaps and bounds ahead of their competition. Grimes expresses concern though that “nobody’s graduating with any knowledge of manufacturing, engineering, running jobs, managing projects, automated processing, or shop management.” With that said the company aims to help change this trend and is a huge supporter of Woodlinks – a national educational program that focuses on panel processing.
The company excels in its knowledge management and gives every employee the opportunity to sell to its existing customer base when a need is discovered. Grimes adds that to remain competitive, the company must continue to do things better. “We love empowering people to do great things . . . ideas and concepts generated here end up defining the company, the employee and even the customer.”
Great service, combined with organizing and creating better products, will continue to set the company apart in the global marketplace. In five years, Grimes expects the company will be easily twice its size while continuing to build its presence in at least five more countries.
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