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Winton Machine CEO on Starting Out, Entrepreneurship and the NAM

By NAM NewsroomSeptember 3, 2026

Take opportunities that come your way—even if you’re unsure how your business will manage them, advised Winton Machine Company CEO and Co-Owner (and NAM board member) Lisa Winton in a recent interview.

The background: The 29-year-old Suwanee, Georgia–based Winton Machine, which produces factory automation equipment, had an unusual start, Winton said on an episode of “Business Trends Today,” an America’s Small Business Network interview series.

  • George Winton (Lisa’s husband and company co-owner), who has an engineering background, wrote a technical article that cited a specific type of fixture.
  • “[S]omeone [read it and] called us and said, ‘Can you make these fixtures?’” Winton recounted to show host and ASBN Co-Founder Jim Fitzpatrick.
  • “We didn’t have anything. We had a screwdriver, a wrench—like, nothing. [But] we were like, ‘Sure, we can do it. … We’ll figure out a way to do it.’”
  • Today, Winton Machine has a staff of around 40 employees and conducts business in about 15 countries.

A recent win: In July, the Small Business Administration’s Freedom 250 Patriot Pitch Competition named Winton Machine a finalist. The competition celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by “bring[ing] together entrepreneurs from across the country who are building and scaling businesses within their communities.”

  • On Sept. 18, the finalists will compete in Washington before a panel of judges for $1 million in prize funding, said SBA Southeast Regional Administrator Tyler Teresa, a guest on the “Business Trends Today” episode with Winton.

Supporting small business: Some “98% of all manufacturers are small businesses,” Teresa said. He added that the SBA has taken several recent steps to support these companies:

  • Its “Made in America” bank loan program provides loans that come with a 90% federal guarantee.
  • In May, the SBA also decoupled 7(a) loan balances from the 504 loan program so that businesses can now receive up to $10 million in financing.

Advice to prospective manufacturers: “If you’re interested in starting a manufacturing business, this is the time in our country to do it,” Winton said. “Just look [to] your resources. There’s a lot available. We’re a member of the National Association of Manufacturers; I sit on the board, and I have found it incredibly helpful in all aspects. … We have a great community out there.”