Regional Manufacturing Magazine for The Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, and N. CA)

Vol. 2, No. 5 Oct/Nov 2012

www.a2zMetalworker.com www.facebook.com/a2zmetalworker

Fahey Machinery Celebrates 50 Years in Business, Three Generations of Sales, Service, and

Impeccable Ethics for the Pacific Northwest!

A2Z METALWORKER NW • 18 • Oct/Nov 2012

In January of 1964 Raymond’s son, Bill Fahey Sr. was fresh out of college and joined the family business. Bill Sr. had a good amount of experience working with the tools that his family business sold because while going to college he would work for the local shops and with many of the fabrication tools. “It worked out pretty well,” says Bill Sr. “I got to sell the machines I worked with in college and I had a pretty good knowledge of how they worked. This helped me to sell the machinery and help my customers with top of the line products.

He continued, “When I joined the business mom and dad gave me my old room back, a gas card, and a small salary per month. I started slow and went on errands the first 4-6 months and basically watched and listened. I went on sales calls with dad and I would watch how he interacted with customers and I would listen. Six

months later dad gave me a list of about 500 names on it and he said this is your account list, go see them, and I realized at that moment how little I knew. As a young man one can be pretty cocky and think he is hot stuff, but it took me almost a year before I made my first sale and I will never forget it. I kept plugging away and finally made one. It wasn’t much but it meant the world to me and the feeling and confidence I had from that first sale propelled me to more sales.”

In the early days of the business it was just Bill Sr. and his mom and dad. Bill Sr. would drive all over Oregon making sales calls pro-moting the business to customers and introducing Fahey Machine. After a while his dad let him go into Idaho and it could take up to two weeks before he would be home again, a real road war-rior considering this was the time when the interstate system was just coming into existence and it took forever to get anywhere. Bill Sr. would drive through Idaho and

into Montana shaking hands and making a name for Fahey Ma-chinery all the while developing

the territories. Eventually he worked his way into eastern Washington and expanded the territory there. His sister Mary was hired soon thereafter as secretary and the four of them worked hard to make every year better than the last.

“Through hard work and determination the business grew every year and it felt good to be a part of the family business,” says Bill Sr. “In those days we were a very small company and there were some very big competitors with many employees. These other companies had many branches throughout the states we covered and we were work-ing out of the house. The thing was we specialized in sheet metal and fabricating equipment and we were the only ones that did that so we

Fahey Machinery Celebrates 50 Years in Business, Three Generations of Sales, Service, and Impeccable Ethics for the Pacific Northwest!

Raymond and Lauretta Fahey founded Fahey Machinery Co., Inc. (Fahey Machinery) almost 50 years ago as a machine tool distributor, specializing in sheet metal and steel fabricating equipment. Fahey Machinery has become a leading distributor and represents some of the finest machine tool manufacturers in the industry with a territory that spans the following states: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, and Northern California.

Years ago, Raymond Fahey worked in the Los Angeles, California area for the aircraft industry doing precision Aerospace fabrication during the Second World War. He worked with various precision sheet metal machines and became proficient at his trade.

In 1943 the Fahey family moved to the Portland, Oregon area and Raymond worked for an aircraft related business there. Shortly af-ter the war ended, the company Raymond worked for went out of business. He then went to work for a machine tool company that sold metal working machinery. Raymond’s division sold sheet metal to sheet metal shops. This company also had a division that sold fabrication equipment and Raymond soon found his calling and began to sell equipment to shops in the area. Through his vast knowledge of working with fabrication equipment people came to him for advice on what to purchase for their shops.

Eventually Raymond felt he could do a better job supporting the shops with the fabrication machinery he was knowledgeable about. Raymond saw his niche and never looked back. After many 12 hour days and strategic business moves Raymond and his wife Lauretta decided to build the business together as a family. The Fahey home became the business location for a number of years. While Raymond pioneered the territory in sales for Fahey Machinery, Lauretta Fahey ran the accounting and day to day affairs at the office, creating a great partnership with Raymond and a great foundation for Fahey Machin-ery. When Raymond and Lauretta started the business, Raymond was 49 years of age and three of Raymond’s children were either in or going to college. It takes a strong individual to strike out on his own during a period of uncertainty.

Founders Raymond and Lauretta Fahey

Bill Jr. and TJ Hatfield with Marvels in stock, ready for shipment

A2Z METALWORKER NW • 19 • Oct/Nov 2012

had our niche. The bigger companies sold everything under the sun and did not specialize in a line of products.” Bill Sr. continued. Fahey Machinery’s claim to fame was pounding the pavement. “Our customers knew who they were dealing with; we would shake their hand and look them in the eye. They knew we were not an order taker type of business. We were, and still are, their expert in fabrication equipment,” Bill Sr. said.

In the late 1960’s Boeing was not in great shape with the SST pro-gram and in 1971 the House of Representatives voted to end SST funding. Due to this project cancellation Boeing placed a glut of new/used machinery on the market. It was a difficult time to sell machinery in the Seattle area. In 1974 Bill Sr. moved up to Seattle to try and grow the territory. By then, Boeing was going straight up, the Alaskan pipeline was being built and high tech was just coming into play, and the timing was impeccable. Everyone else was selling

machine tools and Fahey Machinery was one of the only machinery businesses selling fabrication equipment. From 1974 through 1980 was a great time for making money in the Seattle area. Fahey Ma-chinery did well during this period and the business grew.

In 1968 the Fahey’s bought property and in 1977 built the build-ing they currently operate out of in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Fahey Machinery paid off the new location in only 15 years. “This is the best thing we ever did. Fahey LLC, my two brothers and myself own the 10k sq. ft. building. With this business space we stock all varieties of equipment both new and used. Sometimes a customer will want a new piece of equipment and they will want us to buy their used machine. If it’s in decent shape we will usually buy it and they end up with new machinery,” Bill Sr. said.

Bill Sr. came back to Portland to run the company as President in 1980 when his father stepped down as Chairman of the Board. Where is Fahey Machinery going in the next 5 years? Bill Sr. said, “In long term we want to continue to grow the company slowly practicing controlled growth. Times have been so unsettled for years

with the state of the economy and the government moving away from supporting US manufacturing and thus shrinking the middle class. Some of the consequences of over regulating by the government (OSHA & EPA) have made it so difficult for manufacturing to do business in the US that companies have either gone out of business or outsourced and offshored their work. This over regulation has resulted in less customers for us today. In the perfect world I see manufacturing growing again in the United States. We see some business coming back from Asia and that is encouraging. Businesses are finding out that it doesn’t make sense anymore to do business there with rising costs in fuel and labor and the decline of quality. When manufacturing comes back and we have higher paying jobs the economy will rise again and I see a good future on the horizon.”

Fahey Machinery is very proud they started with virtually nothing but knowledge and determination. They have continued a solid busi-ness for 50 years into their third generation with Bill Fahey Jr. as President. “Today the industry is very Internet driven and extremely competitive. There is a lot of price-cutting just to get the sale. Back in the days of my grandfather you could do a deal on a handshake and we built relationships back then. It was harder to get information

on machines and you relied on your sales professional to give you

October 1st the Fahey’s celebrated 50 years in busi-ness; 3 generations of Fahey’s supporting fabrication

in the NW

Bill Jr., TJ Hatfield & Bill Sr. showcase their large rolling machines

Bill Jr., Bill Sr. & TJ Hatfield in front of their 10,000 sq. ft. building

A2Z METALWORKER NW • 20 • Oct/Nov 2012

quality information. Today the Internet has made it a different playing field and even though our company services what we sell, competitive pricing rules,” Bill Jr. said.

“As President I look forward to our company continuing to grow. We have a great team, Jackie Fahey (sister-in-law), Leonard Foster as Service Specialist, and Lisa Malone, Book Keeper. I see us adding some more service personnel and some sales professionals to support the business and help our customers. We have added a strong sales professional with T.J. Hatfield. T.J. joined the company as VP in January and is buying into the business as a partner. T.J. brings many years of experience in machinery sales to the company and follows the same strict ethics the Fahey’s have fostered for years,” Bill Jr. continued.

Fahey Machinery is located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. They house a wide variety of new and used equip-ment and machines for: bending, punching, shearing, stamping, sawing, burning, welding, rolling, finishing, as well as milling and turning. Along with a profes-sional sales team, Fahey Machinery employs full time service, parts, and tooling departments. The company is dedicated to keeping their customers’ equipment operating smoothly and with precision.

Today Fahey Machinery continues the legacy of 50 years (as of October 1st) of serving their customers and the industry through honesty, hard work, and some of the highest ethics in the industry. For service and sales of the finest fabrication machinery in the industry you can depend on Fahey Machinery.

Here’s what some of Fahey Machinery Customers have to say:

“I have nothing but great things to say about Fahey Machinery! They have great people working there. The service guy there, Leonard is real good. Fahey Machinery is one of the only machinery distributors I trust. I highly recommend them!”Cd’A Metals, Larry Coulson

“We started in the back yard with a hand break we bought from Fahey Machinery in 1989. They are the sole supplier for new equipment and get first crack on everything. Fahey Machinery is hands on, always answers their phone and, is very good with follow up service. Great representatives. It’s good to have a rep that knows the application. I highly recommend Fahey Machinery to everyone!” Evans Metal Fab, Chris Evans

“Scientific Research has been doing business with the Fahey’s since

1986, I deal with Bill Sr. primarily and Bill has become more of a friend over the years, he stays in contact and takes the time to know my business. Bill Fahey isn’t pushy and I appreciate the way he conducts himself. Bill tries to understand what I need and what I’m doing and comes up with a solution for every situation. The Fahey Company really stands out to me. I recommend Fahey Machinery to everyone I can. Fahey has good lines and represents them well.” Scientific Research, Mike Hollowell

“We have known Bill and been doing business with the Fahey’s for about 40 years. My dad dealt with his dad and we have done business for three generations and ours is about 60 years old. It’s unusual to

find any one in a business for 40 years. I have a great business relationship with Fahey Machinery. You don’t do today what you did 30-40 years ago. Bill and his company represents a full breath of equipment lines in our industry and he is knowledgeable of most all of it. Fahey competes hard and fair for your busi-ness. Bill is a professional with strong character and a man of his word and great at follow up and promises what he can deliver. Bill understands that you build relationships for the long haul and building these relationships takes time and trust. Over the years Bill has made relationships and intends to keep them. Fahey Machinery is a leader in their field.” Capital Industries, Ron Taylor

“Bill is one of the most knowledgeable machine tool salespersons out there.

He listens to our needs and meets our needs and requirements. He also brings years of experience to the table. Bill will

not sell you a machine you do not need. This year I had a need for a mill. After I explained to Bill what I needed, I got a call a few days later with a mill he thought would work and the name of the sales rep. he thought could help me. We bought the mill and have another one planned for 2013. Bill did not forget about the mill or us just because he did not carry what we needed. Bill is a guy that always will get 1st opportunity. Bottom line, Bill is a guy who cares about what he does.” Buyken Metal Products, Mark DeLaurenti

For more information on Fahey Machinery and their top of the line fabrication machinery and service, please call: (503) 620-9031, www.faheyinc.com

Leonard Foster, Service Specialist

Fahey Machinery also sells used equipment they refurbish them-

selves

A2Z METALWORKER NW • 21 • Oct/Nov 2012

Fahey Machinery Co. Inc.A Proud Accupress Dealer

Accurpress offers a selection of press brakeand shear models unparalleled in the industry.

We sell into the highest of precision sheet metal shops and the heaviest of fabrication shops throughout all of North America, and have been doing so for almost four decades.

Fahey Machinery Co. Inc.17605 SW 65th Ave.Lake Oswego, OR 97035

(800) 523-2439of�ce@faheyinc.com

www.faheyinc.com

ACCELL

EDGE

ACCURSHEAR

ADVANTAGE

CONTRACTS

Alliant Techsystem Operations L.L.C., Independence, Mo., was awarded a fixed-price -- economic-price-adjustment with a maximum value of $8,480,000,000. The award will provide for the procurement of small caliber rifle ammunition and for the operation, maintenance and mod-ernization of Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2022. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-12-D-0078).

Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract between 12 contractors with a maximum value of $7,000,000,000. The award will provide for the software and systems engineering services. Work location will be determined with each or-der, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 15 bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity.

HELLFIRE Systems L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $403,484,222 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure various models of HELLFIRE II mis-siles. Work will be performed in Orlando, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-11-C-0242).

ITT Exelis Corp., Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $220,704,301 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the operations and maintenance services in support of communications and informa-tion systems under the 160th Signal Brigade. Work will be performed in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar, with an estimated completion date of June 29, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., is the contracting activity (W9128Z-11-C-5000).

Argon St Inc., Mountain View, Calif., was awarded a $24,989,826 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the research and development services for advanced signal intelligence capabilities. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2015. Two bids were solicited, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-12-C-A036).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $24,476,978 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously is-sued basic ordering agreement (N00019-10-G-0003) for spare parts and supplies in support of the MQ-8B vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned air vehicle. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (36 percent), Horseheads, N.Y. (30 percent); Salt Lake City, Nev. (11 percent); Sparks, Nev. (11 percent); and various other locations within the United States (12 percent); and is expected to be completed in April 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.