6  ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
TELL US A BIT ABOUT 
YOUR HISTORY
Tufts Grinding, Inc. was established 
in 1983 by two brothers, Don and Art 
Tufts. They began their operations in 
a small shop on State Street in South 
Chicago Heights, with only one 
employee. Being Illinois natives and 
with their parents residing just a few 
miles away, they understood the area 
well. They chose this location due to 
its affordability, well-built roadways, 
and supporting infrastructure, mak­
ing it the ideal spot for establishing 
their business.
	
Until 1996, the business did only 
conversion work; their customers 
sent them their steel, and the com­
pany would process it according to 
their specifications. In 1996, Tufts 
Grinding began selling steel, allow­
ing their customers to purchase steel 
Tufts Grinding, Inc.
Christopher Tufts 
Director of Analytics 
and Innovation
directly from the company, which 
is then processed according to their 
desired specifications and due dates. 
	
Today, the company is run by 
the second generation, Bryan and 
Dan Tufts, Don’s sons, and has 
grown to multiple shifts that run 
up to six days a week. They offer 
many different products, stocking 
programs, and electronic infor­
mation-sharing to their customers 
across North America. “Our focus is 
on producing high-quality products, 
and we achieve this by striving to be 
a world-class company with a team 
of dedicated employees committed 
to ensuring customer satisfaction 
and management, emphasizing the 
well-being of employees, and foster­
ing a work environment that pro­
motes growth and success. Thanks to 
this unwavering focus, our company 
has experienced significant growth, 
and we are proud to have many 
employees who have been part of our 
team for over a decade, some for even 
30 years,” Christopher Tufts, Director 
of Analytics and Innovation says.  
HOW’S BUSINESS?
Like most manufacturing, things 
are currently slower than they were 
a couple of years ago. “We are in 
a highly cyclical industry and are 
accustomed to these swings. In the 
meantime, we’re staying proactive 
and focused on taking advantage of 
the unique opportunities presented at 
different times in the business cycle,” 
Christopher says. For example, their 
sales team is working to capture new 
market share while other depart­
Chris Tufts, Bryan Tufts, Dan Tufts, Don Tufts and Art Tufts

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