Center Tool Company opened their doors in 1997 and for the past 44 years has been a full-service machine
shop offering customer’s confidence in quality and delivery. Center Tool is proud
to produce precision components for numerous industries across the United States.
An abbreviated listing of industries served to date has been aerospace, medical, automotive,
automation and universities.
In February 2020, Russell Winter as CEO reached out to the Illinois Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (PTAC) at College of DuPage for assistance in pursuing federal contracting.
Center Tool had completed some basic requirements for federal contracting but did
have higher-level questions that needed answers. Rita Haake, Illinois PTAC advisor,
initially offered insight on cybersecurity requirements of DoD and then moved forward
with ongoing advising so that Center Tool could get connected to the Bid Match services,
which is the system to identify opportunities at the local, state and federal levels.
Center Tool Company was connected to the bid match system for to identify potential
opportunities for the business to pursue but initial keywords needed modification
to be more effective. Russell made inquiries to Rita for additional insight for better
understanding of the technical aspects of federal contracting. Those technical aspects
included accessing drawings, inspection requirements for the agency, packaging requirements
for shipping, etc. Mr. Winter devoted time and effort and because of that commitment,
he received his first award with Department of Defense very quickly. Assistance moved
to post contract award, which included a better understanding of First Article Testing
(FAT) and quality control inspection. Continued effort in reviewing more solicitations
was ongoing and throughout he had access to his Illinois PTAC at College of DuPage
advisor for solicitation reviews and understanding of the various requirements that
come with a federal contract. Mr. Winters utilized services that include running various
national stock reports and competitor reports. Each of these can offer more details
to help a contractor better understand and be more competitive in pursuing federal
contracts. Client satisfaction is extremely important to the center and Russell stated,
“Rita Haake has been paramount in the success of our steep Government Contracting
learning curve. She has been extremely patience and a great teacher! Thank you for
all you do!” We look forward to the ongoing and long-term relationship with Center
Tool so that they may expand farther into government contracting.
Contact Information
Business Development Center
535 Duane Street, Office 233
Glen Ellyn IL 60137
(630) 942-2600
Email: bdc@cod.edu
Rita Haake, Center Manager
Phone: (630) 942-2184
Fax: (630) 942-2606
Email: haaker@cod.edu
Summer Hours
Monday to Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Map and Directions