When firearms manufacturer LMT Defense moved from Illinois to Eldridge, Iowa, five years ago, they brought more than just jobs — they brought a mission. The company has grown from 85 employees in a 30,000-square-foot facility to 215 workers and an 85,000-square-foot operation.

“We got a lot of support from the mayor in Eldridge at the time. We got a lot of support from the politicians in Des Moines,” Jim Jestile, COO and CFO, said in an interview. “The pool of labor’s really good in Iowa.” Of their workforce, 20% are veterans or active military reserves.

In the latest episode of the Made in Iowa Podcast, I interviewed Jestile and Mike Neff, vice president of operations. Here are four top quotes from the conversation.

LMT’s mission

“We provide tools for individual soldiers to protect themselves and to try to come home at the end of their mission,” Neff said. “It’s very important and personal to us what we do and the products that we provide.” 

Building quality products 

The quality required in defense manufacturing has evolved dramatically. The weapons must perform in extreme conditions, including negative temperatures, sand and mud. “When I got on board, everybody expected a 10,000-round endurance test,” Jestile said. “Now the requirements that we’re seeing come out of our customer base is 30,000 rounds.” 

The differentiator

The company now serves close to 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, Estonia, Switzerland, New Zealand and the Philippines. “Some of the bigger companies will just say, ‘This is our product and if you want it, this is what you get,’” Neff said. “Whereas with LMT, Carl has always set the tone that the customer comes first. Most of our guns are custom guns.” 

Approaching challenges with integrity

“There’s no long-term deals,” Jestile said. “It can be volatile at times.” But, he said, “Integrity is the most important part or the foundation of our moral structure at LMT Defense. We’re going to do what’s right by the customer, we’re going to do right by our employees.”

Watch the episode of the Made in Iowa Podcast featuring LMT Defense. All episodes are available to stream at businessrecord.com/bpcstreaming or wherever you get podcasts.