Over the past 100 years, the city of Dayton has bore witness to the rise of numerous successful local companies that have benefited society in one way or another. However few can boast the track record of AutoValve Inc.
For over 70 years, AutoValve has been at the forefront of the aerospace manufacturing industry in Dayton. AutoValve is a family-owned company and has been since its inception in 1949.
After years of working for what would be one of AutoValve’s competitors, the founder A.P Barcus departed in hopes of building his own manufacturing company. The first valve ever sold was designed for an automobile. And despite never again producing auto parts, the name AutoValve remained nonetheless. The founder passed on the company to his daughter, who eventually passed it on to her son and the current CEO of the company, Ray Clark.
Since then, AutoValve has carried on to produce over 4,000 different types of aerospace valves for various air crafts such as airplanes and helicopters. Sixty-three percent of the products are used by the military with the rest being used in commercial and civilian air crafts.
AutoValve manufactures and markets these valves through five different departments. These departments are in charge of marketing & sales, quality, engineering, operations and administration.
Overseeing all of these departments under Clark is the general manager Tim Claude. Long before joining AutoValve six years ago, Tim was flipping burgers at McDonalds with his brother Matt Claude, who would also move on to make a splash in the manufacturing industry and currently serves as Operations Manager of AutoValve.
After graduating from Wayne High School in Huber Heights. Tim was encouraged to continue his education in the manufacturing field. He worked for several smaller companies such as Mutual Tool & Die and even graduated with a certificate in AutoCAD, a design tool used primarily by engineers and architects, at Sinclair Community College.
As general manager, Tim is responsible for overseeing all branches of AutoValve. He knows if something is wrong simply by the sound or smell it gives. Like many leaders in the employment world, his job mainly consists of communicating with people and relying as much on them for parts as they rely on him for direction.
Over the next 15 years, he strives to acquire a new building and grow the company from $11.6 million to $50 million.
To achieve this goal, AutoValve is actively searching for new employees who are pursuing a career in manufacturing. According to Tim, he is looking for people worth investing in with either job knowledge or experience in the field, along with a hearty work ethic.
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Currently, Tim is looking to hire a number of positions at AutoValve, and those interested can contact him at (937) 854-3037.
Tim encourages all to join the AutoValve team, but values experience over education.
“You can have experience without education, not the other way around,” Tim said. “Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”
Samuel J. Claude
Managing Editor