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“Humtown is more than just a business. It’s a legacy,” says CEO Mark Lamoncha. The 60-year-old Columbiana, Ohio–based metal casting company has had three generations of Lamoncha leaders, starting with Mark’s father, Russell, who founded it as a small pattern shop in 1959. Today, Humtown is able to keep that legacy alive—and growing—in large part due to tax policies that support innovation, investment and job creation.

The benefits: When tax reform introduced full expensing for capital expenditures and research and development in 2017, Humtown reinvested its tax savings in expanding its operations, hiring more workers and purchasing more equipment, Lamoncha told attendees at an event at the Ohio Statehouse, part of the NAM’s 2025 Competing to Win Tour.

• “Since the 2017 tax reform, Humtown has invested over $9 million in capital expenditures related to 3D printing and averages around $100,000 annually in R&D costs,” said Lamoncha, noting that a single 3D printer can cost upward of $1 million.
• “Under the 2017 tax reform, we were able to deduct 100% of those costs, generating around $1.6 million in accelerated tax savings. That amount alone allowed us to purchase another 3D printer,” he added.
• These investments represent a huge benefit not only to Humtown, but to the larger supply chain it serves. Thanks to 3D-printing toolingless technology, Humtown recently fulfilled an urgent order of essential parts from an EV manufacturer, which traditional tooling would not have produced in time. The result: “Their new product launched 22 weeks ahead of schedule—proving that smart tax investments drive real-world innovation and success,” said Lamoncha.

The threat: As these and other tax provisions get phased out, Humtown is facing a painful increase in costs. Already, it is paying an additional $365,000 in taxes, which is “cutting back on our ability to reinvest in our team, new equipment and our growth plans,” said Lamoncha.

• But the cost for the manufacturing economy is much greater, he pointed out. “Every day Washington delays a tax deal, businesses are forced to second-guess investments, hold back on hiring and rethink expansion plans. For a small or medium-sized manufacturer, that’s the difference between adding a new production line or standing still—and, for some, staying in business.”

The wider community: The threat to tax reform will not only harm Humtown, but prevent it from investing further in partnerships that benefit its entire community.

• Humtown partners with Youngstown State University to educate students in grades 4–12 about 3D printing. The company houses a 3D sand printer purchased through the Ohio Third Frontier Grant program that is used mainly for educational programming.
• In this “hands-on, peer-led learning experience,” students are taught both digital file creation and manufacturing processes, and then lead their peers through the factory as “career ambassadors,” Lamoncha explained. (Watch one 9th grade group’s experience here.)
• Initiatives like these prepare young people for stimulating, high-paying careers in manufacturing, while ensuring manufacturers have enough young workers to keep growing in the decades to come.

The bottom line: “[V]isionary leaders like Jay Timmons and the NAM team are fighting to restore U.S. manufacturing—moving us from just 10% of GDP back to 25% or more. But let me be clear: this won’t happen unless we align state and federal policies to make America the best place in the world to build, create and manufacture,” said Lamoncha.

• “We have the talent. We have the technology. And we have the opportunity. Now, we need the commitment.”