New endeavor - Rig Machine Works

After a sudden loss of employment at a company here in Western Montana I spent a year down in Southern California working for an old employer that was in need of a Maintenance Technician.  I lived half of the time with my good friend Tim and the other half out of a F250 & Lance Camper.  It was a weird time as I felt compelled to work my butt off, but for a reason I wasn't sure of yet.  The time there was basically work, work, work.  I spent little time catching up and mostly worked 10-12 hour days, practically 7 days a week and living out of my camper which was parked in front of work on the street.  A short trip home in May of 2018 for my brothers wedding led me to my reason of why, that trip is when I met my future wife.  Now that I had my why, I needed to figure out my how, how would I make it in rural Montana and be satisfied with my work.  I've always dreamed of owning my own machine shop, like many people I was worried about basically everything.  Did I know enough, did I have enough experience, what about customers, how would I afford it, etc.  Luckily I had already built the shell to my dream shop, not knowing that it would be a perfect spot for a business someday.  I sold all of my toys, my truck and my camper, I bought a 1976 Bridgeport milling machine out of a machinery dealer in Ohio and a 1973 Hardinge HLV-H lathe out of a pencil factory in Tennessee.  In November of 2018 I opened the doors to Rig Machine Works, I had no heat and barely enough light but I was in business!