U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Brad Zaun visited Barron Industries in Oxford recently to recognize the family-owned advanced manufacturer as the 2026 SBA Great Lakes Region Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and tour its expanding aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
Zaun presented the regional award to Barron Industries President and CEO Bruce Barron at the company’s Oxford manufacturing campus. The honor recognizes Barron as the SBA’s top small business manufacturer in the six-state Great Lakes Region, encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Barron Industries previously was named the 2026 SBA Michigan Small Business Manufacturer of the Year.
The recognition comes as Barron Industries makes significant investments to increase domestic manufacturing capacity for the aerospace and defense industries, including a new $10 million Aerospace and Defense Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (ADAMTeC) and the addition of vacuum-melt titanium investment casting capabilities.
“We are extremely honored to receive this recognition from the Small Business Administration at both the Michigan and Great Lakes regional levels,” says Barron. “This award is really a recognition of our employees. Their skill, innovation and commitment to quality have allowed a small, family-owned Michigan manufacturer to compete successfully on some of the most demanding aerospace and defense programs in the world.”
Zaun toured Barron’s vertically integrated manufacturing operations, including precision investment casting, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, inspection and non-destructive testing. He also met with company leadership to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing small manufacturers as they invest in new technology, expand domestic production capacity and develop the skilled workforce needed to compete.
“The SBA wants to listen and learn from the small businesses that are the backbone of manufacturing in the United States,” Zaun says. “They are the heartbeat of America, and Barron Industries is a prime example of that.”
Barron’s new 20,000-square-foot ADAMTeC facility represents an investment of approximately $4 million in building construction and $6 million in advanced manufacturing technology. It’s expected to add approximately $25 million in production capacity and 50 skilled manufacturing jobs.
The facility will expand Barron’s capabilities in advanced CNC machining, inspection, non- destructive testing and other technologies needed to manufacture complex, mission-critical components for aerospace and defense customers.
Barron also is establishing vacuum-melt titanium investment casting capabilities at its Oxford campus following its acquisition earlier this year of titanium casting assets and process knowledge from TriTech Titanium Parts. The expansion is designed to address growing customer demand for domestically produced titanium components for aerospace, defense and other advanced applications.
“Our customers are asking their supply chains to move faster, increase capacity and provide more manufacturing capability here in the United States,” Barron says. “Our investments in advanced machining, additive manufacturing and titanium casting are all aimed at helping meet that need while creating skilled manufacturing jobs here in Michigan.”
