Meet Heather And Fred Taylor | Business owners, married couple, lucky parents

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather And Fred Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather and Fred, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
People are important, everyone has value. It’s important that we treat each other with respect and kindness, including ourselves. Even with all this technology, at the end of the day, it all comes down to people and the relationships you have with them. How you treat each other, who you know, how you can connect, how you can help each other. We are passionate about working together with other businesses, helping each other grow, learning about everyone’s strengths and what they have to offer.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are essentially a CNC job shop, focusing on multi-sheet and production parts cut out of wood and plastic sheet goods. We work with all kinds of different businesses to cut parts for them, anywhere from cabinet parts to lab equipment, artistic decorative panels, parts for climbing gym walls, rental and event furniture, electrical ductbank spacers, concrete molds and more.

When we first started our business back in 1999, we mainly focused on building custom furniture. We realized that there are so many different moving parts to a business, that it is better to focus on what you’re really good at and what you want to do, and outsource the rest. We gradually got away from furniture and started growing the CNC side of our business. Now we are able to help other businesses outsource this part of their projects. We are rarely sending out a finished product. Instead, we are a part of the puzzle…an important step in the manufacture of many different products across many different fields. It is fascinating to learn about other industries and find out ways we can help support them. We take pride in helping businesses grow…when they realize they can have us do the CNC work, it allows them more time and resources to focus on all the other parts of the business.

I feel like there are a few things that set us apart. First of all, we are creative and scientific (with a bit of a mad scientist thing going on). We have creative solutions to problems, are willing to work with and experiment on a large variety of materials, and take a scientific approach to ensuring the best cut and outcomes for our customers. Another thing that we offer is the ability to handle high production without sacrificing quality. We are very detail oriented and particular about our quality, yet we have 4 CNC machines and skilled operators that can turn out very large orders. The third thing I can think of that our customers appreciate about us is our communication. We do our best to talk through each project with our customers, update them on progress, notify them of any potential issues that may arise, and just generally make sure we’re all on the same page with no surprises.

We love connecting with so many other businesses and making connections. Everyone in the shop is excited to see pictures from a customer when their project is completed, and we are proud to be a part of it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When we do vacations, we don’t like them to be too planned out, scripted or rushed. We like to have some ideas and plans but plenty of room for rearranging days and exploring. There are so many things to do here, depending on their interests. We would want to take them to see (and climb?) at some of the local climbing gyms, especially Bouldering Project in Tempe. Desert Botanical Gardens and Boyce Thompson Arboretum are must-sees. We’d have to get coffee at Steve’s Espresso and desserts at Tracy Dempsey Originals and Aloha Yogurt. For meals we would look for vegan and vegetarian friendly options in whatever flavor they were craving…but most meals we would probably make at home. I’d recommend they visit during nicer weather (not middle of the summer!) so we could spend a lot of time outside. We could spend some time in the desert in the Phoenix area, like South Mountain and McDowell Mountain Park. We could also take a day trip to Sedona or stay for a night or two to explore oak creek and some of the trails. A bonus would be getting to spend a day at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since we are married and this is our only business, we have been our own best support network. We are thankful to have supportive families that have been there through our ups and downs. Our hardy crew does an amazing job at staying flexible, working hard, and making sure that we keep up with our deadlines and high quality standards. There are also many business owners and key players that we have worked with over the years in different capacities…we appreciate all our customers but the business connections we have made through long term repeat business have especially been helpful – we check in with each other to discuss ideas, refer work, and see how each other is doing. There is a lot that goes into being a business owner that is hard to explain and understand if you have not been in the trenches, so it is nice to have other people to talk to who are in the same position.

Website: https://www.cnclabworks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnclabworks/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-taylor-cnclabworks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnclabworks

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CNCLabworks

Image Credits
Our amazing office staff, snapping pictures around the shop.