But I will miss the people…good people. And the work. It’s good work. It’s been challenging, it’s been fun. A different culture right from the start.
These days at Edgewater, having a stack of RFPs in the pipeline is a sign that business is good. But Steve McNabb, who is “Edgewater Employee No. 3,” remembers the days when seeing Rick Blake walk in with a stack of papers that needed quotes was a daunting sight. “When I first got here in February 2001, Rob Blake and I got to do everything: purchasing, shipping and receiving, figuring quotes. It was fun – but it got hectic,” he recalls. 
“My first project was camera inspection. A piece of aluminum with an extrusion, an electrical box, and a camera. Rob was wiring them in his living room at home to meet deadlines. We did what we had to.”
Rob adds, “We had a Bridgeport and a lathe. We didn’t even have a bench yet, so we set up some sawhorses and a piece of plywood. Steve was our foreman in charge of the machine shop. I’ll never forget those days.”
Watching the business expand into its new location “was fascinating,” Steve says. “I watched the building go up from footings to façade. A bunch of us were pulling network communications wiring through the building to save money. The day Rob and I carried our toolboxes into the new Edgewater, it seemed huge. Next thing I know, we were buying equipment. “I’m really proud to have helped get the machine shop going with other guys, who put in a lot of effort. It was fun and exciting.
Over the years to come, Steve would hold many positions: HURCO operator, purchaser, plant manager, mechanical machine builder.
The Edgewater wasn’t always smooth sailing. “At Joy Manufacturing in Michigan City, I worked on air compressors. I was in IAMA, but like other unions, it was busted, and I lost my job.
“As a production machinist at Weldon, my M-O was ‘fake it ‘til you make it.’ Well, I didn’t know what I was doing, was slow, and was shown the door.
“So I went to my car and drove north on Red Arrow Highway. A mile or two up the road, I got an offer to shovel wrist pins into a grinder machine for $3.50/hour. I passed on that, driving further and getting hired at Adco Diecast for $4.50/hour, where I entered their apprenticeship program. That’s where I met Jim Mercier.
“Later on, I worked as an Apps Engineer, then applied at Dane. I wasn’t hired there until Rick, who went to my church, urged them to look at my application. After three years at Dane, Rick asked me in strictest confidence if I’d be interested in working with him at a company he was forming. I didn’t even tell my wife about the offer!”
“I was really pleased when my son Scott completed his machine builder apprenticeship at Edgewater St. Joe. He wanted to get into Project Management, and when Edgewater South started up, he was accepted and moved there. Now he’s an Application Engineer. My grandson Jett has started his machine builder apprenticeship there. I’m very proud of them both.”
As for retirement, Steve’s looking forward to many things. “First, I want to get organized. My garage is a disaster! And I want to get my house organized so I can be productive working on projects and the yard.
“I want to work out and get in shape. Things like hiking and kayaking sound good to my wife and me. And I’d like to find a high-performance car for an old 1970’s engine I have. I’m also interested in astronomy. I should have started that when I had better eyesight!
“I won’t miss getting up at 4:30 a.m. for the past few decades. But I will miss the people…good people. And the work. It’s good work. It’s been challenging, it’s been fun. A different culture right from the start. And Rick has been very gracious and patient with me over the years. He really cares about the people, and our leadership has an appreciation for the employees. We are recognized when we do a good job. It’s been an amazing ride.”
