Mastercam was founded 30 years ago by the Summers brothers—Brian, Jack and Mark—who worked  day and night to build a leading CNC software platform. The trio truly established a team mentality that permeates the business today. The 26-acre facility features walking trails, an outdoor patio, a vegetable garden, a fully equipped in-house gym—and a  bike room in case anyone wants to take a bike ride during lunch. My first thought was that this is a company that works hard—and plays hard.

As for working hard, recently the company adopted a Scrum Model which Brian said is a philosophy that involves breaking down a project into smaller, manageable tasks. Small, yet agile teams work together in two-week “sprints”  to complete tasks in a project. Often, groups are “co-located” in a large room in cubicles, with a common area in the middle of the room containing comfortable, couches, charis, tables and a white board. The group meets daily in the common area to brainstorm before heading to their individual workspaces. Brian has found this method has resulted in better quality work, quicker reaction to potential problems, and more accurate forecasting of new product release dates.

After the company tour and a walk through the machine shop, we journalists were treated to food, spirits and great company. The evening ended with Mastercam Marketing Manager Ben Mund declaring, “We are proud of the past 30 years, but are not resting on our laurels. We are looking forward to the future.” Cheers!