Introduce Yourself!

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Hi, I’m Jerika Cordell (said like Erica with a J), and I run and own Castle Machine Company, a family-owned machine shop based in Greencastle, PA. We’ve been around for decades, and I recently stepped into the leadership role to continue my family’s legacy after my father passed unexpectedly in 2023.

We specialize in precision machining — from one-off prototypes to small and mid-size production runs — with capabilities in CNC milling, turning, surface grinding, and 5-axis machining. Our team’s strength lies in tight-tolerance parts and problem-solving for customers across industries like aerospace, industrial, and energy.

Right now, I’m here to connect and grow — we’re looking to secure more consistent production work and form partnerships that align with our quality-driven values. One challenge I’m facing is balancing legacy knowledge with modernizing the business for long-term stability. But I’m excited about the opportunity to build something strong that supports both our family and our incredible team.

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Hi @Jerika , welcome to NORAMARK, and thank you for the powerful introduction. Your story really resonates... stepping into a leadership role under such personal circumstances takes courage, and it’s inspiring to see your commitment to carrying the Castle Machine legacy forward.

We’ve seen a lot of manufacturers in the community facing that same balancing act: preserving legacy expertise while modernizing systems and processes. You’re not alone in that, and I think you’ll find some great peers here who’ve navigated similar waters.

Looking forward to seeing more from Castle Machine and finding ways we can support your goals, whether it’s through helping you to find new customers, new partners, materials sources, machines, services, and more.

Glad to have you here!
-Andrew

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@jesse-casto52 If you want to, you can post job openings here on the forums. We have a "Classifieds" section. It's very informal, but you can post what you're looking for there with some basic info: https://community.noramark.com/category/11/classifieds

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@andrew-kornuta Thank you so much — I truly appreciate it. These past two years have been full of growth and tough lessons. I’ve learned the importance of building strong relationships with our customers and the hustle it takes to bring in new business.

Castle Machine Company has always felt like home to me. When I walk out into the shop and catch the familiar scent of metal and oil, it brings me a sense of comfort — it’s the same place my father dedicated his entire career to after graduating high school.

This company helped raise me, and now I hope it will be here to help me raise my kids. I’m committed to honoring that legacy and building a future that’s just as strong.

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Hi @Jerika welcome to NORAMARK! It's great to see you here. How do you maintain and transfer that legacy knowledge? This is something we are all working on these days.

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Hi Everyone Alex Huckstepp, co-founder of Uptool. We're building software to help high-mix manufacturers like machine shops run much faster. Happy to join the Noramark community here!

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Hi @alex-huckstepp81 welcome to NORAMARK.
Hi mix is so hard. Can't wait to learn more about Uptool

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Hi, I’m Jason Stidman, the owner of Steadfast Machine. A few years ago, I transitioned from construction and real estate development into manufacturing by acquiring two small machine shops. We retained most of the staff and knowledge from each shop and expanded our capabilities by adding new equipment, enabling us to better serve customers across several industries.

Our current work is a mix of prototype projects and production machining, and we’re working to complete our AS9100 and ITAR certifications, hoping that will open up more customer opportunities.

These days, connecting online seems to have replaced the old ways of simply introducing yourself, making it harder to stand out and reach the right customers, which remains our largest challenge. Despite this, we’re optimistic about overcoming it and excited to collaborate with others in the manufacturing space.

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Welcome @Jason.Steadfast and thank you for sharing your journey!

Our aim w/ NORAMARK is to cut the noise and BS from online connections and enable it to have a similar impact as in-person meetings, while also scaling up. Our focus is 100% on US Manufacturers only. I hope we can help you to achieve your goals. We're constantly improving and adding new solutions to do just that. Thanks for joining us!

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Hi! I work in workforce development in casting and forging for IACMI - the Composites Institute. I'm based in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area. I'm here to help people get access to free apprenticeship curriculum and free online training in casting and forging. Our main goal is to build a talent pipeline in advanced manufacturing so that we can reshore effectively. All about reindustrialization. https://www.noramark.com/iacmi-metal/

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Hi everyone, I’m Ethan Copple, a systems scientist with a background in industrial engineering and anthropology. I'm wrapping up a Ph.D. in IE focused on complex systems analysis and improvement that examines healthcare delivery through a supply chain lens. I'll be graduating this fall and looking to transfer my skills to industry and the reindustrialization movement. I’m especially interested in the intersection of operations, strategy, and human factors. Excited to connect, share ideas, and contribute to the conversation, especially in relation to the infrastructures needed to reindustrialize.

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@crystalbentley This sounds awesome!

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@EthanCopple Congratulations on the Phd and welcome to the reindustrialization movement!

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@crystalbentley So glad to see you on here Crystal!

BTW, if you navigate to your profile at https://www.noramark.com/iacmi-metal and click "Edit Profile" you'll be able to flesh out the description, add a logo, and upload photos and even videos. It's a great way to build out presence on the site and connect with folks!

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Hello. My name is David. LinkedIn

I have been running Cyber City Circuits since 2018 in Augusta, Ga. We do a lot of PCB Assembly. We have three pick-and-place machines and can stay busy with them from time to time. It is feast or famine, am I right?

I also do a bit of PCB design work. Often, it is for people who already have a proof of concept with some Adafruit boards or such, and need someone to make it into a functional PCB for their product. It is a lot of fun.

I also write for Digikey's industry magazine. History of engineering kind of articles. It's all very dense material, and I imagine some are tough to get through. Expect to sit down for at least half an hour if you're going to read the Wildman Whitehouse article, for example. (https://cybercitycircuits.com/retro-electro-the-little-told-history-of-electronics/)

I specialize in making electronic PCB Event Badges. (www.BadgesBadgesBadges.com) While PCB Assembly and prototyping, testing, QC, etc., are the moneymakers, badges accounted for a large portion of revenue last year.

I have run many soldering workshops since 2019, teaching over 1,000 people in that time. I can teach up to 150 people in one day. I am the first person in US history to teach a US First Lady how to solder. Jill Biden crashed a summer camp I was teaching in the summer of 2023. That was pretty neat. If you know someone interested in having a large workshop, it is a traveling show.

I also offer a free 30-minute live one-on-one PCB DFM review if anyone here is interested. There is no obligation, and I may be able to save you money on your next production run.

Thank you for your time.

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Hi David @CyberCityCircuits, I love the badges and want to order some in the near future.
How does the badge design work? Is it a collaborative process or is it expected that I would know how to design it?

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Welcome @CyberCityCircuits !!

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I hope that all of our new manufacturers will take a moment to introduce themselves. I see several have joined over the past few days. We'd love to hear more about you!

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Kim Bowman from Land Sea Air, Inc. based in Wilmington, North Carolina

We're logistics consultants and freight brokers looking to build fresh supply chains

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Welcome @Bowman !! we're very happy to have you here on NORAMARK.

If you get chance, check out our blog post on how NORAMARK Networks work: https://community.noramark.com/topic/69/noramark-concepts-networks

This is the core concept that lays the groundwork for high-trust supply chains and over time we will be adding more and more supply chain management features, including projects, notes, tagging, etc.

NORAMARK Forums

Introduce Yourself!