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 APEX Accelerator
(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
Jean Lin, Center Manager
Phone: (630) 942-3041
Fax: (630) 942-2606
Email: lini@cod.edu
Regular Hours
Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Map and Directions