Tom has a strong background in manufacturing, completing projects for top businesses like 3M, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson (just to name a few). In 2009 Tom and his wife Jennifer moved to Billings so Jen could open the Billings Cabelas, and in 2010 Tom combined his love of snowmobiling with his experience in manufacturing to create his own line of snowmobile parts. Tom and his team later expanded into manufacturing parts for marine and motocross performance sports.
When starting TKI CNC Tom and Jen experienced their fair share of roadblocks, from bad business partners to moving to a brand-new area. Tom and Jen decided they were either going to fail or succeed on their own, and they kept going despite those obstacles. They built relationships that have turned into long-term customers and have built a successful company that continues to see growth year after year.
Tom and Jen have always been dedicated to not only providing a quality product, but quality customer service along with it. Building and maintaining strong relationships is valuable to TKI CNC. The Kobza’s also find motivation in providing a good product while having fun and enjoying the work they are doing.
Now that Tom and Jen have been established in Billings, it is their home. They have built their circle of friends and valued customers which makes it difficult to leave. Like many local founders, Tom and Jen have come to find that Billings has a plethora of resources like Rock31 and JSEC and various networking groups that are there to help when you are in need.
Tom and Jen hope to see physical expansion with their business and maintain a steady level of growth in the future, but keep their close relationships with their team and their customers. They also hope to recruit more machinists to our community and encourage more training in that industry at our local secondary and post-secondary schools.
Jen advises aspiring entrepreneurs to be passionate about what they’re doing. Be okay to make mistakes along the way, but also be okay to stand back up. Lastly, Jen emphasizes that it is key to have fun and to work hard.