Fullerton Tool - 2024 Manufacturing Community Impact
This article appeared in the June 2025 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
Educating students and professionals about the journeys and joys of working in the manufacturing industry is among the top goals of Saginaw-based Fullerton Tool Company. The team members do so by supporting FIRST robotics teams, offering hands-on educational opportunities, working with local schools and participating in CTE programs — all with a purpose of boosting interest in manufacturing careers.
In fact, Fullerton is so dedicated to this mission and to the future of the industry in Michigan that its leaders have created Fullerton Tool University (FTU) and the Fullerton Advanced Solutions Team (FAST) Academy, and they work with schools, community organizations, local boards and even competitors to attract talent.
Through these solutions, Fullerton Tool is making a tremendous impact on students, industry professionals, their communities and the industry as a whole. For these reasons, Fullerton Tool was honored with the 2024 Manufacturing Community Impact Award — which Fullerton President Patrick Curry says feels like the Stanley Cup to them.
Generating Interest in Manufacturing
A manufacturer of carbide cutting tools, Fullerton is involved in multiple programs geared toward increasing interest in manufacturing careers.
Curry says students of all ages have toured their facility and that the business supports the Saginaw Career Complex’s CTE program with tooling, mentorship opportunities for students, interview skills training and more.
“It’s really important to the industry that we spend our time with the students that are coming into our workforce and invest in them now,” says Amy Cole, Fullerton Talent and Development Manager, adding that they also provide job shadowing and internships. “Anything that is really asked of us, we’ve usually been able to accommodate, even as far as helping the teachers deliver the curriculum.”
In addition to the MMA’s 2024 Community Impact Award, Fullerton has been honored with the 2025 Business and Education Partnership Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education, Cole notes.
“That is also an honor that we take a lot of pride in because that recognizes educators,” she says.
Fullerton CFO Bruce Miller and Curry, an MMA board member, say manufacturers must work together to build the talent funnel and that the MMA helps make these connections possible.
“It’s great to be able to work with others, strategize with them and develop great systems for the future of manufacturing in the state of Michigan,” Curry says.
‘Innovate or Evaporate’
Fullerton created FTU and the FAST Academy for two different audiences but with the same goals: advancing the business, advancing careers and advancing the industry with efficient, streamlined solutions.
FTU trains current and future employees on technical tasks, how to enhance efficiency and how to leverage automation. The FAST Academy teaches teams how to simplify processes by choosing tools and solutions they might not have considered.
If Fullerton can help customers and their teams work more efficiently while improving their bottom lines, that’s what they will do, according to Curry.
“I like to say ‘innovate or evaporate,’” Curry remarks. “We want to continually not only give the best product for today, but come back to you later and give you the best product tomorrow too.”
A Culture of Giving Back
Cole says Fullerton hires based on their core values of People, Passion, Precision, Principles and Productivity, and that naturally leads to people who want to give back to the community. She adds that they provide employees with eight paid hours per year to volunteer their time to causes they feel passionate about.
Founded by Morgan Curry and now under the stewardship of Patrick and cousin Mathew Curry, Fullerton has been a family owned business since day one, and a commitment to giving back is encompassed within the company’s foundational principles.
“We are 17 years from a 100-year celebration of a family business; the fourth generation of the Curry family is in the building,” Miller says. “Our culture grows not just from the top down, but from the bottom up. We are blessed to have it both ways. Our culture drives everybody to make a positive difference.”
Fullerton Tool Company is the epitome of a Manufacturing Community Impact Award winner. The company impacts the community in numerous ways, from training the next generation of industry professionals and being involved in local schools to collaborating with other businesses for the continued growth of the industry in Michigan.
The Manufacturing Community Impact Award is part of the annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards which celebrates the leaders and products that are pushing the industry forward. Learn more about the awards program and gala.