Microfinish is welcoming O’Connor as new president

Microfinish

Located: 865 Scholz Drive, Vandalia.

Services: Metals finishing and polishing job shop, laser engraver.

Employees: 45

Main customers: Medical device manufacturers, close to half; tier 1 and tier 2 automotive suppliers, about 30 percent, aerospace companies, about 10 percent.

Revenue: Up 25 percent today over early this year.

Source: Dan O’Connor, Microfinish president

VANDALIA — Taking the helm of Microfinish from Bill Jernigan was the plan for both Jernigan and Dan O’Connor all along.

But the occasion is sad, nonetheless. Jernigan, 50, founder of metals polisher and finisher Microfinish, died Aug. 20 after a long fight with cancer.

O’Connor — a longtime friend and partner of Jernigan’s who remains owner of Oakwood-based International Finishing Corp. — is Microfinish’s new president.

“I’d rather be talking about something else, all things considered,” O’Connor said in an interview Friday, Sept. 3.

The company Jernigan founded 27 years ago in his garage goes on, with O’Connor and its longtime management team, including Production Manager David Vanatta, in charge. O’Connor said he will run both Microfinish and International Finishing.

The relationship began in 1999 when O’Connor made a cold call on Jernigan. A nearly four-hour conversation followed, as well as the start of a profitable business partnership. International Finishing often arranges to have customers’ precision metal finishing jobs performed at Microfinish, while the latter company can direct companies with engineering needs to International Finishing.

“It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” O’Connor said.

Walk around Microfinish’s 50,000-square-foot floor, and you’ll see automotive stamped parts being de-burred, Harley-Davidson brake rotors being polished with a robotic arm and high-end pocket knives or even artificial femorals being polished to a perfect sheen. Gears for wind power generators are a growing part of the business as well.

Customers include medical manufacturers, automotive and aerospace producers, depending on an ever-shifting market. “Every month, it’s different,” Vanatta said.

It’s not all high-volume, low-labor work.

The fastest growing sector is medical, where work can include detailed hand polishing, O’Connor and Vanatta said. Microfinish is AS 9100 and ISO 9001 certified.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.