A Presidential Interview

If you didn’t already know, MFP is a family-owned business and has been since its creation. We had the pleasure to sit down with our current owner and president, Roger Betten, to learn a little bit more about him, the current state of the company, and what he would like to see for the future of MFP Automation Engineering.

Question: What or who got you into the automation engineering field?

Roger: I started working for my father at the age of 16 at J.N. Fauver, a fluid power company in Kentwood, and I would drive my moped from school to work every day.

Q: How did Michigan Fluid Power, today known as MFP Automation Engineering, get started?

R: J.N. Fauver was being sold and my father along with a couple others noticed the need and the future potential for Michigan Fluid Power in the ever-evolving engineering market.

Q: You started working in this industry at a young age, was this a passion from the get go or did you see yourself moving on to other opportunities?

R: I had no idea where I saw my future going so I decided that the best route would be to educate myself in the fluid power field and enrolled in some technical fluid power classes to see if it was something I really enjoyed learning about and could see a future in; and it worked out pretty well.

Q: Did you ever see yourself taking over and becoming president of the company?

R: Not really. In the beginning I was more concerned with helping grow the business, helping our customers, and just continuing to evolve the company to what it is today.

Q: The growth of MFP was probably unimaginable in the beginning, 15 years ago where did you see yourself and the company going?

R: Our growth has been amazing and I am beyond grateful for the opportunities it has afforded MFP as whole as well as each of our individual employees. 15 years ago, I thought I would be building units and focusing on outside sales and account management. I assumed MFP would be a small, efficient business making around $15 million a year with maybe around 30 employees.

Q: How much has MFP grown since you have become president?

R: We have doubled in size in just the last 6 years and out-grew our Grandville location, which I never thought would have been possible, and moved into our amazing new location in Hudsonville, Mi.

Q: What is your goal for MFP going into the next 5 years and do you ever see yourself opening more locations?

R: I’m striving towards double digit growth year over year while implementing employee’s ideas for efficiency while still maintaining the same number of employees. I do not see us opening new locations, I believe we have everything we need at our current location to continue growing as well as providing excellent customer service. In addition, by maintaining focus in one location, we keep overhead lower for our customers, as well as maintain the company culture and attitude our team here loves and values.

Q: In general, what is the most difficult part about being a business owner in today’s world?

R: Keeping up with today’s fast-paced customers while also maintaining efficiencies and employee engagement.

Q: Do you have any advice for new businesses and other entrepreneurs?

R: Focus on employee personnel, business growth, and treat everyone with respect. You are never done learning. Take every opportunity you can to continue to grow as an individual.