Margaret Kozlowski is the CEO of AM Precision Machining Inc., a full-service CNC machine shop located in Elk Grove Village. Her father, Stanley Kozlowski, founded the family-owned business in 1983. Stanley and Margaret's mother, Krystyna Kozlowski, and brother, Andy Kozlowski, are also involved in the daily activities of the business. The company first made a name for itself because of its rare ability and Stanley's expertise to work with exotic metals used in the military and aerospace industries.

Margaret is an ambitious woman who spends most her days outside the office networking, meeting with potential and current clients, as well as promoting AM Precision Machining's brand, Millusions^® Metal — providing prismatic decorative finishes to a variety of items, including furniture, musical instruments, wall coverings, residential and commercial décor, and signage.

She discussed with us the many benefits of being a family-owned business in Elk Grove, including its tight community, highly connected location, and the opportunity to be a part of one of the biggest manufacturing events, The Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing & Technology Expo. Here's what she had to say:

On the benefits of being located in Elk Grove Village …

There's a PowerPoint presentation I use when I meet with customers. On one of the slides I identify being located in Elk Grove as a key value. It states, "We are located 15 minutes from Chicago O'Hare Airport in Elk Grove Village. EGV is the largest industrial park in the nation. Special processors are located within a 5-mile radius." Special processors include heat treatment, mag particle inspection, chem film, painting, and more. Our customers value that we're so close to vendors because they know the job will get done faster.

On Elk Grove's highly connected location …

A client of ours flew in to the Chicagoland area from Atlanta for a meeting unrelated to our business relationship. While they were in the region, they didn't think they would have time to visit our office before catching their outbound flight from O'Hare. However, our close proximity to the airport convinced them to come in; it turned out to be a great meeting.

We are also courting a new customer located in Indianapolis. We've been able to pursue this business development and build trust with the customer by saying, "We're going to hop in the car and come see you." And since we're located in Elk Grove, we always tell our clients and customers that they don't have to worry about the highway traffic. You can access back roads to get to the airport easily. We're located in an area where there are so many route options available that you can travel practically anywhere stress-free.

The importance of participating in the Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing & Technology Expo …

Elk Grove Village is very large. This is why it's such a huge value to have a variety of networking events in the area to better understand your neighbors. When I first participated in the expo, I didn't even realize how valuable my local network really is.

When you work for a family business, you tend to operate in your own bubble. You get into the mindset that "this is the way we've always done it," instead of learning and growing from how others do it.

I'm the type of person that loves to learn. Whenever I have a chance to learn something new, I jump on the opportunity. I am so open to people advising me on how I can do something better. When someone says, "Let me show you a different way," I embrace it. Even if it doesn't work for my business or me, I still appreciate the generous effort.

Final thoughts …

Ever since I met with Josh Grodzin, Director of Business Development and Marketing for Elk Grove, I felt a stronger sense of Elk Grove's tight community. Josh works really hard to introduce EGV businesses to each other to bring us closer together.

Questions for Margaret? She can be reached at gosia@amprecision.com, or learn more about AM Precision Machining by visiting www.amprecision.com.

The Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing & Technology Expo is only one month away! Click here to attend.