No part too small for Firstar Precision Machining Corp.

Since 2000, Brunswick's Firstar Precision Machining Corp. has been satisfying a need in the Ohio community for uniquely designed and made machine parts. When the business David Tenny previously worked for shut down, Tenny and two friends formed their own company, Firstar. The company set out to succeed in a market where his original employer was unsuccessful. Twenty-one years later, Firstar is thriving and hoping to give some of its success back to the community that Tenny has always called home as a Brunswick native. Firstar is a precision machining company specializing in creating unique machine parts. Tenny is especially proud of Firstar's contribution to the Amalgatome, a skin-grafting tool. Before the Amalgatome, harvesting skin for grafting was messy and imprecise. Now, the Amalgatome allows for skin to be harvested efficiently and evenly. "Firstar is proud to manufacture 80 percent of the parts used in the tool," Tenny said." Knowing that we can participate in bettering people's lives is enormous." Skin graft recipients aren't the only lives Tenny has affected. Firstar regularly donates money to local school programs, which help disadvantaged students. "I'm a big believer in community," he said. To be closer to home and to be able to give back more to the community, Tenny moved his company back to Brunswick. Tenny assists schools with mock interviews for disadvantaged kids, primarily those with behavior issues. Firstar also participates in food drives and donates to nonprofits such as the Brunswick Rotary. For those interested in a career in precision machining, Tenny recommends high-level math courses such as geometry and trigonometry, and eventually taking engineering courses. Tenny hopes to become a representative in his field for Greater Cleveland and one day all of Ohio. To learn more about Firstar, including career opportunities, visit firstarcnc.com. Matthew Kovach, a senior at Medina County Career Center, is one of more than 50 student "backpack journalists" (grades six-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program is sponsored by Scene75 (scene75.com), Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, Baskets Galore, Medina County Women's Endowment Fund, Medina County Community Fund, Brunswick University Center, Brunswick Eagles 3505, 100+ Women Who Care Medina, and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to brunswickschoolsvideoprogram.org to learn more about the program, or visit thebeat.viebit.com to view videos produced by the students.