U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Brad Zaun visited Barron Industries Monday, August 24, to recognize the family-owned advanced manufacturer as the SBA Great Lakes Region Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and tour its expanding aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
Zaun presented the regional award to Barron Industries President and CEO Bruce Barron at the company’s Oxford, Michigan, manufacturing campus. The honor recognizes Barron as the SBA’s top small business manufacturer in the six-state Great Lakes Region, encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Barron Industries previously was named the 2026 SBA Michigan Small Business Manufacturer of the Year.
The recognition comes as Barron Industries makes significant investments to increase domestic manufacturing capacity for the aerospace and defense industries, including a new $10 million Aerospace and Defense Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (ADAMTeC) and the addition of vacuum-melt titanium investment casting capabilities.
“We are extremely honored to receive this recognition from the Small Business Administration at both the Michigan and Great Lakes regional levels,” said Bruce Barron, President and CEO of Barron Industries. “This award is really a recognition of our employees. Their skill, innovation and commitment to quality have allowed a small, family-owned Michigan manufacturer to compete successfully on some of the most demanding aerospace and defense programs in the world.”
During Monday’s visit, Zaun toured Barron’s vertically integrated manufacturing operations, including precision investment casting, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, inspection and non-destructive testing. He also met with company leadership to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing small manufacturers as they invest in new technology, expand domestic production capacity and develop the skilled workforce needed to compete.
“The SBA wants to listen and learn from the small businesses that are the backbone of manufacturing in the United States,” Zaun said. “They are the heartbeat of America, and Barron Industries is a prime example of that.”
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Family-owned Barron Industries traces its roots back to 1923 with the founding of an iron sand foundry in Detroit that supplied castings to Ford Motor Company. One hundred years later, Barron is a turnkey manufacturer of precision machined castings and assemblies for aerospace, defense, space, energy technology and other commercial industries. With our focus on innovation, we have continuously evolved to remain in the forefront of technological improvements and workforce development. Our advanced vertically-integrated process includes manufacturing for design, rapid prototyping, precision investment casting and CNC machining, as well as Nadcap certified non-destructive testing and welding. An AS9100D accredited manufacturer, Barron delivers high quality engineered components for demanding applications around the globe.
