In this installment of "Western Michigan at work," Dr. Willis Dunbar profiles the Hammond Machinery Builders of Kalamazoo. He explains how it started with Pennsylvanian lumberman William E. Hill's lumber mill in Big Rapids, moved to Kalamazoo in 1881 and after acquiring several companies become the Hammond Machinery Builders in 1929. Dunbar talks about their two lines of machinery, printing and grinding and polishing, and the niche market nature of these handcrafted machines. Dunbar describes the ways a number of disabled employees offer their expertise in the plant and the Hammond employees' benefits package. The oldest employee of the plant, Henry J. Kingsbury, shares his experiences working at the Hammond Machinery Builders plant.
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