Center Tool Company opened their doors in 1997 and for the past 44 years has been a full-service machine
shop offering customer’s confidence in quality and delivery. Center Tool is proud
to produce precision components for numerous industries across the United States.
An abbreviated listing of industries served to date has been aerospace, medical, automotive,
automation and universities.
In February 2020, Russell Winter as CEO reached out to the Business Development Center
at College of DuPage for assistance in pursuing federal contracting. Center Tool had
completed some basic requirements for federal contracting but did have higher-level
questions that needed answers. Rita Haake, Business Development Center advisor, initially
offered insight on cybersecurity requirements of DoD and then moved forward with ongoing
advising so that Center Tool could get connected to the Bid Match services, which
is the system to identify opportunities at the local, state and federal levels. Center
Tool Company was connected to the bid match system for to identify potential opportunities
for the business to pursue but initial keywords needed modification to be more effective.
Russell made inquiries to Rita for additional insight for better understanding of
the technical aspects of federal contracting. Those technical aspects included accessing
drawings, inspection requirements for the agency, packaging requirements for shipping,
etc. Mr. Winter devoted time and effort and because of that commitment, he received
his first award with Department of Defense very quickly. Assistance moved to post
contract award, which included a better understanding of First Article Testing (FAT)
and quality control inspection. Continued effort in reviewing more solicitations was
ongoing and throughout he had access to his Business Development Center at College
of DuPage advisor for solicitation reviews and understanding of the various requirements
that come with a federal contract. Mr. Winters utilized services that include running
various national stock reports and competitor reports. Each of these can offer more
details to help a contractor better understand and be more competitive in pursuing
federal contracts. Client satisfaction is extremely important to the center and Russell
stated, “Rita Haake has been paramount in the success of our steep Government Contracting
learning curve. She has been extremely patience and a great teacher! Thank you for
all you do!” We look forward to the ongoing and long-term relationship with Center
Tool so that they may expand farther into government contracting.
Contact Information
Business Development Center
535 Duane Street, Office 233
Glen Ellyn IL 60137
(630) 942-2600
Email: bdc@cod.edu
Regular Hours of Operation
Advising hours are by appointment only.
Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Map and Directions