After her father died, Ashley Parent kept Mills Machine Works alive and rebuilt it

Mills Machine Works began in 1995 when Ashley Parent's father started a small job shop in their basement, taking on complex work others declined. As his reputation grew, the business moved to a 17,000-square-foot facility, but Ashley's path into leadership was never planned.

When her father passed away, she and her siblings John and Megan Mills inherited not just the company but the challenge of keeping it alive. Customers had questioned whether the next generation could continue the highly specialized work, and revenue dropped roughly half almost overnight.

Ashley turned to online resources, peers and formal classes to fill gaps in sourcing and blueprint reading, and she and her team rebuilt trust and the customer base. The firm specializes in prototypes and precision 3-axis CNC machining, led largely by women, and is now pursuing a $3 million growth vision.

Kept the family shop alive after customers fled, rebuilt the customer base, and now targets $3 million in growth.

The founder's death removed the person customers trusted.

Loss of trust halved revenue, so rebuilding relationships came first.

Learning the technical craft fast let her lead credibly.

The siblings' commitment kept the specialized capabilities alive.

When the founder dies, the next generation must learn the craft fast and rebuild customer trust to keep the firm going.

Mills Machine Works grew into a respected custom job shop with a predominantly female-operated team, and it continues to work on large, complex projects while keeping the personalized attention of its early days.