Mom and pop shops are a staple of America. All across the land husbands and wives work side by side through thick and thin. Times of thick are great, but when thin comes to town it isn’t always ideal having all your eggs in one basket. Michelle Tiscareno-Rippe and David Rippe have found a solution, mom and pop diversification. To most, diversification means spreading out the customer base between multiple industries, but to Michelle and David it means having mom’s shop, Elliptical Systems LLC and pop’s shop, Hyperformance Products Inc. The two separate companies cohabitate a 5,500sq.ft. industrial unit in Huntington Beach, CA. Manufacturing is split nearly down the middle with the sheet metal business (Elliptical Systems) on one side and David’s performance machined parts, fasteners and accessories (Hyperformance Products) on the other. It all adds up to a one stop shop for customers.
Customers come to Elliptical Systems for help with their sheet metal manufacturing needs because they offer a wide variety of services. Michelle started off by helping David assemble parts, did shipping and receiving, running parts on his lathe and learning how they operate. She found what he was doing interesting and liked seeing the parts he was making. That led her asking a lot of questions and educating herself over the years. An opportunity arose to buy Elliptical Systems. It came with a customer base already established. By fostering the relationships and building a stronger client base she was able to generate enough new orders to justify purchasing her own equipment. Michelle has spent the last five years growing the business well beyond its original capabilities. “Since adding in-house manufacturing I have the ability to take a piece of sheet metal, punch it out into the desired shape, bend it and assemble it,” tells Michelle. “Ultimately, the customer gets the quality made parts they need. There is a great feeling when the parts go from raw material to assembly ready. It’s manufacturing at its best.” Elliptical Systems serves industries in medical, ophthalmology, aircraft, computer, electronics and more. They strive to offer quality products at competitive prices. From prototype to production Elliptical Systems goal is to understand customers wants and help them achieve the outcome they need by working with them closely. “The majority of parts we fabricate are brackets, plates, panels, housing, chassis and more,” continues Michelle. “Also, we offer certified tig welding, line grain finish and hardware installation. Recently I dedicated space to customers that need to store parts so they can have them readily available. It’s our way of accommodating customers and adding value. I have plans for Elliptical Systems to grow by improving on our systems and continually providing quality sheet metal parts on time with amazing customer service.”
Elliptical Systems recently hit a milestone that was on Michelle’s to do list for a long time. “I am so excited that we are now a certified woman owned small business,” touts Michelle. “I am so proud to be a part of this program and look forward to the opportunities on offer. I work a lot with manufacturers that support having women and minority owned businesses. Competition is tough. Even with the customers I already have the certification puts me in a better position to earn their work. We manufacture a variety of different types of panels, plates, housings, and a tremendous number of brackets.” Materials most often used are steel, stainless, aluminum, and galvanized. Elliptical Systems does it best to keep as many of the processes in-house which helps to pass on the savings to customers. “It all gets punched, bent, welded and assembled right here in HB,” adds Michelle.
The pop shop part of this duo originated from David Rippe, president of Hyperformance Products Inc.’s hobby of RC boat racing. David started making boats, but quickly turned the craft into a CNC machine shop. He realized his interest and talent was in fabricating parts. “I’d go out and race and break things,” explains David. “If I didn’t break something then maybe I had an idea of how I could improve on product that I was already using. The business just evolved from there. I bought a small tabletop lathe and a drill press and began making my own parts. Manufacturers started asking if I could machine parts for them. I couldn’t do it all on manual machines, so I bought my first CNC machine. The main industries we serve are automotive, retail, aircraft and commercial. However, we manufacture parts in all industries needing CNC machining as well as having our own RC product lines.” David’s talent is that he enjoys taking a piece of metal and shaping it into something intricate and beautiful. “I taught myself how to CNC program, buying more and larger machines to keep up with the demand. I never thought RC boat parts would turn into tier 3 manufacturing for some of the biggest names in aerospace and other industries, but our quality is fantastic, and our service is unbeatable.” When customers receive their parts, they are amazed at how Hyperformance Products was able to take their design and bring it to life with great precision and detail. Hyperformance Products goals are built on customer satisfaction by producing well-made parts. David built his business on recommendations from satisfied customers. It is what has kept him in business for over 25 years. It hasn’t come easy; David continually educates himself and is always working to improve. He enjoys making parts that are challenging and prides himself on meeting that challenge. To further increase Hyperformance Products quality and commitment David plans to get ISO certification in 2021.
Keeping the customer satisfied is paramount and something Michelle and David both channel their efforts into. Sometimes it is as simple as making the best possible part and other times it means working through the night to get their parts out quicker. “What makes Elliptical Systems LLC and Hyperformance Products Inc. stand out is we are a “One Stop Shop” for all industries who have metal manufacturing needs,” details Michelle. “We are two businesses, married, and working together in manufacturing under one roof. Together we have 30 + years of metalworking experience. We develop a relationship with customers to understand their needs. We help them achieve the outcome they are looking for by working with them directly and offering our expertise. We are always improving our quality, our service, our communication with clients.”
Working closely as a team, Michelle and David leverage the capabilities of each of their companies to best satisfy their customers. “Customers can get everything they need in one place,” adds David. “Only having to go to one location adds real value. Between the two shops we have a wide variety of machines and capabilities including: certified tig/mig welding, Haas CNC mills, Hyundai and TMW Microstar lathes, Amada CNC turret punches, Haco and Wysong CNC press brakes, assembly, and a ton of support equipment. Both our companies work with clients from prototype to production. We like starting on the ground floor with customers. It really helps us understand them as a company and gives us valuable insight on how we can best assist in their endeavor. Knowing what their goal is and helping them achieve that goal keeps them coming back project after project.”
