Makingchips | Equipping Manufacturing Leaders

What happens when two brothers with a racing background decide to start a machine shop—with zero machining experience? You get Olson Custom Designs, a company that’s gone from two Haas machines in 2014 to nearly 90 employees today—serving medical, defense, and aerospace industries out of a world-class facility in Indianapolis. In this episode, we sit down with Mitch and Brian Olson to unpack the remarkable story behind their explosive growth. They share how their competitive drive from sprint car racing carried over to machining, the lessons learned from starting with no industry experience, and the systems that have fueled their scale—from culture to ProShop ERP. The brothers talk openly about the struggles of starting from scratch, the importance of integrity and teamwork, and how they’ve built a facility and a culture that attracts top young talent. They also dig into how automation, palletization, and continuous improvement have allowed them to grow at breakneck speed without losing control of quality—or