Article by Jerry Siebenmark, The Wichita Eagle/Photo by Jerry Siebenmark, The Wichita Eagle
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Don McGinty is the second-generation owner of the McGinty Machine Co., a manufacturer of machined parts for commercial and military aerospace.
The business was started in a garage by his father, John, and uncle Clarence in 1946 and incorporated in 1948.
Under McGinty’s 34-year tenure as owner, the company — now in its third location — has grown to 62 employees and encompasses 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse facilities along Hydraulic between Douglas and First Street.
It has weathered a lot of ups and downs in the aviation industry in those three decades. In the 1980s, for instance, McGinty sold the company’s facility at 37th and Hillside and leased it back from the buyer “just to keep the doors open,” he said.
It’s those experiences that McGinty thinks has made the company stronger.
“I made all my mistakes the first 30 years,” he said.
Q: Best business advice you have received:
A: “If you do not need a partner then have no partner.”
Q: Best business advice you wish you’d taken:
A: “You always take good business advice, but it may take you longer to understand the importance of it. In my case it was understanding the financial side of the business and not just the manufacturing side.”
Q: What sets your company apart?
A: “I have been running it since 1983 and … through all the issues we’ve faced, it has given me the experience to deal and react to most situations.”
Q: Why do you prefer to run your own business as opposed to working for someone else?
A: “I grew up with my dad running his business, and he passed down the desire to lead and take chances.”
Q: What’s your company’s next goal?
A: “Making sure we are successful in our business and continue to support the community. We are looking at robotics and 3-D printing as a future goal.”
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