The team at West Ohio Tool focuses on building long-term partnerships with customers through problem solving, technical support, and better, faster, longer-running tools. (Photo courtesy West Ohio Tool)
The custom tool manufacturer was recognized by Inc. magazine in the publication’s 2025 rankings.
RUSSELLS POINT, Ohio—Custom tool manufacturer West Ohio Tool Co. was named one of the Midwest’s fastest growing companies in 2025 by Inc. magazine, the company said in a release.
West Ohio Tool is ranked number 132 on Inc.’s fifth annual Inc. Regionals: Midwest List, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest. States in this category include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
West Ohio Tool is a certified woman-owned business at the state and national levels. The company provides custom engineered tooling and products such as its patented EDGEX4® cross-center tipped drill. The drill is reported to run up to three times faster and 100 times longer than carbide.
Since its inception in 1989, the family-owned company has grown from a regional custom tool maker to a national tool manufacturer and service provider for the aerospace, defense, automotive, and semiconductors industries. The company is AS9100D certified, a member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), and a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 holder. It is also compliant with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the release stated.
The company has also been included among the Best Places to Work in Ohio for its employee commitment and community involvement.
“We’ve made a deliberate effort to grow our company responsibly by being a problem-solver and partnering with our customers to understand exactly what they need, and then deliver a tool that gets it right the first time,” said West Ohio Tool CEO Kaci King, in the release. “Our growth across the U.S. is supported by consistent reinvestment in expanded manufacturing capability and capacity. We’re honored by this recognition and proud to be the only Ohio company on the list that serves the manufacturing sector.”
To keep pace with increasing demand, West Ohio Tool recently acquired a second automated United Grinding erosion machine and added an external robot to its STUDER grinding machine for improved throughput and responsiveness to its customers. The company also recently commissioned a FANUC wire electrical discharge machine (EDM) that will be dedicated to in-house cutting of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tips, as well as two additional STUDER machines that will add to West Ohio Tool’s manufacturing capacity in the near future.
“The honorees on this year’s Inc. Regionals list are true trailblazers driving economic growth in their respective regions, industries, and beyond,” said Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc., in the release. “This list celebrates their achievements and tells the stories of remarkable companies that are fueling growth and adding jobs in local economies throughout the country.”
An extension of the national Inc. 5000 list, the Regionals offer a unique look at the most successful companies within the Midwest economy’s most dynamic segment–its independent small businesses.
The 2025 Inc. Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth over two years. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2021. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. The minimum revenue required for 2021 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $1 million.
According to West Ohio Tool, its team of experts in engineering, tooling, innovation, and advanced machining geometry develops custom tools that have been exceeding expectations for more than 30 years, with delivery times up to 75 percent faster than industry standards.
West Ohio Tool is certified by The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). As an experienced PCD and carbide cutting tool maker, the company focuses on building long-term partnerships with customers based on problem solving, technical support, and better, faster, longer-running tools, the release said.