DaytonDailyNews.com

WEST CARROLLTON — Despite the three decades between them, Thomas Johnson, 45, and Robert Mason, 77, discovered a mutual passion for business and for nurturing employees — young and old.

Looking to expand, the business duo recently moved their former 9,000-square-foot Germantown-based computer numerical control machining and light fabrication shop to a 25,000-square-foot facility on five acres at 4505 Infirmary Road in West Carrollton.

Before his retirement, Mason, who serves as company vice president, owned Precision Industries in Springboro for 20 years.

Johnson has been involved in the tooling business since visiting his grandfather's tool shop as a little boy. He also earned a mechanical engineering degree from Cleveland State University in 1993.

The duo's private company, called Johnson Machining Services, does about $1 million in business a year, with the goal of $3 million to

$5 million annually. It produces a wide range of high-precision production and tooling parts for commercial, military, aerospace, and the research and development industries.

The company employs six people, four of whom are students, and is looking to add another 20-some employees.

"I leave it wide open for the hiring," Mason said. "I hire the kids, and I hire the seniors."

With those right out of school, Mason said, "They're still young and trainable. They're very bright, and I'm just absolutely amazed with them. They've got the basics down and they learn. And we're not paying them a ridiculous salary."

At 18, Ryan Helton just graduated from Carlisle High School and the Miami Valley Technical Center. He began working part-time at Johnson Machining and now is full-time.

"I like the company because it's small, and I feel that they care about the employees more than a big company would," he said.

In particular, Helton pointed to the trust Johnson and Mason place in young employees.

"Some of my fellow students work with larger companies and they've been doing cleanup and smaller jobs," he said. "Here, I'm actually training and learning on the machines and have been doing that since I've started."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-9338 or kmcallister@DaytonDaily

News.com.

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