U.S. Rep. Jason Smith recently visited Charles Tool Company to discuss the business's local manufacturing work and how the Working Families Tax Cuts have impacted rural operations.
Smith met with founder Bill Charles and toured the Shannon County facility, where employees specialize in hot-forming components for the aerospace, automotive and heavy machinery industries. The stop was part of the congressman’s annual Farm Tour of Missouri’s 8th District.
The congressman cited the company as a prime example of rural manufacturing success, noting that policies such as Section 199A and 100% bonus depreciation — both made permanent by the Working Families Tax Cuts, he pointed out — give small manufacturers the long-term certainty needed to grow and invest.
“Bill Charles built this company from the ground up, and his team right here in Shannon County makes components for the aerospace, automotive, and heavy machinery industries across the United States,” Smith said in a news release. “I’ll keep fighting for policies that help them grow and succeed.”
Charles founded the company in Illinois in 1987 before relocating to Eminence in 1998 to be closer to the Current and Jacks Fork rivers. The company provides on-the-job training for all its employees, some of whom have been with the business for more than a decade.
