Above: Stephen Serling and Colin Serling
March, 2026- Q: Why are you passionate about manufacturing?
A: American manufacturing is in our blood. We are the fourth generation of a family owned and operated manufacturing business that has evolved significantly throughout the years. The business started in the 1930s in New York City as a shoe last manufacturing company. We were the world’s first company to make plastic shoe lasts and sold to companies like Steve Madden and Reebok. Each ensuing generation expanded and diversified the business to meet the needs of the marketplace at that time.
Our focus today is on honoring the legacy that was built before us while making the investments necessary to ensure the business continues to grow, compete and serve our customers at the highest level. We are passionate about making mission-critical components for America’s infrastructure. We buy domestic materials and strengthen our local supply chains. In the process, we can offer families a great place to work and ultimately make a strong impact to our local community.
Q: How has QMS continued to grow?
A: Today, we have built a vertically integrated stamping and fabrication business to service a diversified group of global OEMs. Our strategy is deliberate and focuses on the longterm. It is rooted in developing people and listening to customers. We have expanded facilities several times to make room as we’ve continued to invest in high precision stamping, fabrication and powder coating capabilities. Our leadership team takes pride in having one of the best engineering and controls teams in the industry, allowing us to build creative, custom automation solutions in-house. Outside of their technical talents, our best teammates are servant leaders who take pride in mentoring the next-generation workforce, creating a deep bench of talent over long periods of time.
Q: Why is it important to be an advocate for manufacturing?
A: The manufacturing industry needs a narrative change. Many people outside the industry think of this as a boring, dingy, perhaps unsafe working environment. The reality is that our business is fast paced with lots of upward career mobility, and it continues to be driven by incredible technology, automation and robotics.
One of our secret weapons is Heather Griffin, our people operations manager. She came to QMS after 20-plus years in the local school system and has expanded our Work- Based Learning and Internship programs with local universities. She, along with her dog Lily, brings a positive vibe to our floor every day and reinforces the importance of both family and community.
Every summer, we host a manufacturing camp for middle school students in town, in conjunction with the FMA Foundation, SparkForce. This is the first time most of these students have thought about a career in the manufacturing industry. After a week of learning, touring our plant and listening to our leaders share their paths, most of these students feel inspired and have a new perspective on the industry.
If our team can pass down technical skills and tribal knowledge, we will create professions that provide lifelong employment, as well as continue to have a major impact on local communities. It is an honor to grow the next generation of steel manufacturing workforce in Tennessee.
Q: As the fourth generation, how do you both honor the company’s legacy while making sure it stays strong for the fifth generation?
A: As we build toward the fifth generation, we believe the best way to honor our legacy is to remain true to the core values that built this company. We are grounded in the same principles and are committed to the same long-term vision.
Perhaps our greatest differentiator today, is that we lead QMS as lifelong teammates. Born just 17 months apart, we have navigated every stage of life side by side—through various highs and lows. Iron sharpens iron. We understand how each other thinks and push each other to achieve more. That bond creates stability and allows us to respond to the market with agility and confidence. We are not beholden to external shareholders’ short-term minded financial pressures, so we can allocate resources as we see best fit for the long-term trajectory of the business.
Our responsibility is clear: to steward a proud family legacy, strengthen it to compete in today’s dynamic market and position it for enduring success for generations that follow.
Quality Metal Stamping, qmstamping.com.
