by Craig Libuse
For a history of Sherline products, CLICK HERE.
When you call and talk to us, there's a real person connected to the voice on the other end of the line. Here's a little bit about each them:
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Joe Martin: President and Owner Sherline exists because of the strength and vision of Joe Martin. Born and raised in Rhode Island, you'll notice that several decades of living on the West Coast have not totally erased his New England accent. He’s a self taught entrepreneur that found his way to the business world by being a hobbyist who was never satisfied with the products available. Sherline has been the perfect business for Joe. His love of machine tools is evident not only in his product line but also in his modern manufacturing facility. When Joe designs a new product he does it all. This includes the CAD drawings needed for production, the method of manufacturing, and the design of the tooling if needed and then writes the instructions. |
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Joe is competitive by nature and was one of the founders of the sport of Formula 1 airplane racing as well as one of its early champions. He has raced sailboats of all sizes and open wheel racecars...a Formula Ford (he was SCCA 1994 San Diego Regional Champion in that division) and a restored 1974 Vintage IndyCar. In the past his "need for speed" is also indulged with regular trips to Maui to windsurf where the wind and surf offer more challenge than San Diego's usually mild breezes. He claims he’s getting too “crispy” to indulge in these sports anymore but still enjoys occasionally running of his IndyCar at Fontana. His latest love is racing Norlin 2.4 sailboats, which are scaled-down replicas of 12-meter yachts. You climb inside the hull like a racecar. This leaves you with only your head showing and your hands free to control the lines with your hands while control the rudder with foot pedals. Seeing a fleet of them racing causes lots of double takes, because it looks like the America's Cup has come to town in miniature. |
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Joe has always been an avid model builder as the photo on the program cover for the New England R/C Championships from 1964 shows. He has built and flown many aircraft models from scale replicas like this B-47 to experimental designs of his own, both for fun and in competition. The details and designs for Sherline's machines and accessories are born in his ever-active mind, often in the very early morning hours. He tends to design things in his head often going through many versions searching for the simplest and most direct solution to a problem before he commits anything to paper or metal. Joe is still involved in many aspects of the business but doesn’t like the “business part” of business. At the present time much of his efforts has been completing the move into the new facility and improving production rates with CNC machines. He is totally committed to assuring that Sherline tools remain the world's best tool value. For the day-to-day operation of Sherline Products Joe relies on Charla, Karl and Craig to keep everyone associated with Sherline happy. In a company the size of Sherline, the top employees have to wear many hats. Charla’s job is the most visible. She watches over the financial matters in her spare time, but her main job is to keep Sherline running smoothly. Karl’s job is to see that top quality components are produced on time in our modern factory. Craig takes care of advertising, instructions, customer relations and job costing. E-mail: joe1 at sherline dot com (NOTE: in order to reduce junk e-mail to Joe we ask that once you click on this link, you go to the address line of your e-mail and substitute the @ symbol for the word "at" and a period in place of the word "dot" and remove the spaces.) |
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Charla Papp: General Manager Her job is impossible to put an accurate title on, because it covers so many different areas. She has been with Sherline for years and knows "everything about anything" that happens here. Her responsibilities range from overseeing the bookkeeping to customer relations. Not only that, she can tell you the part number and price of just about any of the hundreds of parts we make off the top of her head, which always amazes me. Between her vast knowledge of the product line and her winning ways, Charla is part of the reason so many suppliers and customers have been happy with the service they receive when dealing with Sherline. Charla's job extends to all aspects of keeping the business running. This means working with the office staff, and with the aid of Luis, the shop that includes, assembly, shipping and inventory. She handles all the paperwork for corporate, state and federal taxes...almost a full time job on its own. Purchasing materials and finding the best suppliers are all part of her job too. She has also overseen the implementation and upgrading of our computer inventory and records management systems over the years. E-mail: charla@sherline.com |
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Craig Libuse: Media, Information and Marketing Director My job is to make sure that Sherline presents a professional image in everything you see. This includes our web site, corporate identity, cards, ads, a television commercial, catalog and instructions—even our show booth and the signage in the factory. We don't have a professional sales force, so our literature must both explain and sell the product. Our instructions often go to first-time machinists, so they must be very clear and detailed. Everyone who works for a company of this size must do several jobs, and I'm no exception. Large companies have ad agencies, draftsmen, technical writers, marketing departments, webmasters...at Sherline it's me. I have a degree in Industrial Design from UCLA, but my job extends beyond just doing the technical drawings and exploded views you see in the instructions. I also do all the photography, design, layout, copy writing, typesetting and production for the catalogs and magazine ads as well as writing and sending out press releases and building and maintaining the four Sherline and Joe Martin Foundation web sites. My job also includes contacting potential new dealers and working in the booth at several trade shows around the country each year. I've been with Sherline full time since February, 1996, but I've helped produce almost all of Sherline's product drawings and literature since the company's early days in the 1970's. I started my graphic design business in the same industrial complex where Joe first rented space, and Sherline became one of my first clients. I ran my own design studio for 22 years before accepting Joe's offer to work full time for Sherline. What convinced me to sign on was my knowledge of Joe's commitment not only to quality, but the people who work with him. Having worked with this company almost 20 years, I knew the quality and integrity of the people who worked here, and the decision to join this team was not a difficult one. I am also a hobbyist, model maker and woodworker and have always loved working with good tools. It has been very gratifying talking to so many satisfied customers and representing a product that is so well designed and built. It's never boring, as there's always a new challenge here. E-mail: craig@sherline.com |
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Karl Rohlin: Shop Foreman Every part of every machine that leaves Sherline is his responsibility, and sometimes it seems like there must be more than one of him. Whenever I go out onto the plant floor, I see him. He's at work scheduling on the computer, I turn around and he's setting up a machine, I walk to another part of the shop and he's there ahead of me. He has become quite accomplished not only at programming the complicated new machines now used in production but in seeing that they continue to operate efficiently. The smooth operation of the entire production side of the plant flows through his office. That means he must deal with not only the machines, but also the men who operate them, and he is equally expert adept at both. A man of rare talents and quiet confidence, he is a key figure in the continued success of Sherline Products. With all that goes on in the shop, a juggler trying to keep seven balls in the air at one time has it easy compared to Karl. E-mail: Karl@sherline.com |
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Kim Kapple: Expediter Kim oversees the order processing and keeps the office running smoothly. As her title implies, she also does a little bit of everything in the office from answering the phone when things are busy to ordering materials. She is also on the front lines when it comes to fielding customer questions and handling overdue accounts. Her bubbly personality and hearty laugh are her trademarks. E-mail: kim@sherline.com |
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December 8, 1956—December 15, 2007
Luis as he is remembered by his frineds—always smiling.
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Luis Baez: Assembly Foreman Luis oversees the final assembly of all the tools and accessories, so in a large part, he has the final responsible for what you get when you open a box containing a new Sherline tool or accessory. He also handles all machines that are returned for repair or warranty service. In addition, his bi-lingual skills mean he answers technical questions for our Spanish-speaking customers. Luis works with quiet competence and never seems to get upset at anything. He can always be found hard at work watching over all the aspects of assembly. He also oversees machine repairs, and we are constantly receiving e-mails and letters from customers saying what a good job he did in fixing their damaged machine or answering their questions. He leads his department by example, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone, from other employees to customers who didn't find working with him to be a most enjoyable experience. In Memorium... We regret to announce that Luis, his wife Rubi and their two best friends were killed when a car in which they were riding was hit head-on by a drunk driver on the night of December 14, 2007. His loss will be felt on both the personal and professional level at Sherline. Luis and Rubi left behind three fine sons. Their youngest son, Rogelio "Roy" Baez is just 14 but a very good student. A college fund has been established with contributions from Joe Martin, employees at Sherline and friends and customers who enjoyed working with Luis through the years. Roy is a bright young man with a lot of potential. If you would like to honor Luis's memory by contributing to this fund, please contact Craig Libuse at (800) 541-0735 or craig@sherline.com for details. |
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