2017cnc10-11

22 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST October/November 2017 A rrow Machine Industries Inc. is a family owned manufacturing center in El Cajon, Ca. They made a name for themselves in underwater camera and So- nar housings. Today, they have a more surf and turf approach to manufacturing, splitting time between Harley Davidson parts and underwater items. Scott Dacy is president of Arrow Machine Industries Inc. (AMI), holding that position since he started the company 20 years ago. Scott wasn’t born into machining, but rather came into the industry because he needed a job after leaving the ser- vice. “I wasn’t college bound and instead enlisted my senior year in high school,” explains Scott. “Everyone laughed when I told them. They laughed even harder when I explained this scrawny kid had joined the Marines. I wasn’t grown up as a per- son when I joined, and even after four active and two years in the reserves I still wasn’t what most would consider a complete person. When I got out of the military my girlfriend’s dad gave me a job at his machine shop sweeping floors at four bucks an hour. It was about the same as I made as a helicopter mechanic in the Marines.” Scott was a hard worker and had an aptitude for math, but his personal life was still a mess. He found himself living in his 1978 Thunderbird on National Avenue when the realization hit. “One morning I saw a guy about my age push- ing a shopping cart,” describes Scott. “He didn’t have a car or a job, he was just homeless. I knew things had to change and I went and applied for a job down the street at a company called Fourward Machine.” Scott went to work at Fourward Machine as a CNC pro- grammer. “I told them I was a CNC programmer and that’s what they hired me as,” explains Scott. “Of course, my CNC programming experience came from sweeping floors, loading parts, unloading parts and loading the program into Shizouka knee mills with Bandit controls. I figured I had learned enough from watching the bosses and programmers do their job.” He was in way over his head, but came in early and stayed late off the clock to get things done. The bosses liked his effort and he had a key to the shop. He spent an entire weekend working for RIGHT ON TARGET WITH UPGRADED MACHINES AND INTUITIVE WORKHOLDINGS ARROW MACHINE INDUSTRIES INC. Article & Photos by Sean Buur Scott Dacy, president Arrow Machine Industries Inc.