Centerline Founder Left Home in Germany to Form Company

Ponca City News

Ponca City’s Michael A. Engster, founder and owner of Centerline has been named Small Business Person of the Year for Oklahoma by the Small Business Administration.

During National Small Business Week, May 6-12, Engster will be among 52 other winners vying for the National Title of Small Business Person of the Year. The ceremony will be held by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington, D.C. In addition to the 50 states, winners from District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam will compete.

Engster’s story is one of an epic that could happen only in America and fortunately it happened in Ponca City.

Mike Engster, owner of Centerline Inc., was living in his home country of Germany seven years ago. He decided he want to come to American and become a cowboy. To do that he would need to form a new company.

He visited Oklahoma and was referred to the business incubator at Pioneer Technology Center in Ponca City.

From a one-man business incubator tenant in 1994, he began to build his fledgling business on the premise of providing top quality rebuilding services for spindles, which are used in many manufacturing machine processes in industry. Particular emphasis was given to aircraft industry, which depends on precision in the manufacturing process.

The business grew so fast in the next two years that Engster faced a serious problem. He had to expand. Good management practices and financial management of his business made the issue of securing adequate financing to construct a new building and purchase new equipment. This was an easy decision for his banker.

A site was acquired in the Ponca City Airport Industrial Park in 1997. After the new building was constructed new employees were added. The business grew and prospered. Additional expansions and acquisitions of more equipment to expansion of product lines and services have been made during the past 18 months.

Engster serves on a technical advisory board of the Pioneer Technology Center, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce and has received the Small Industry of the Year Award presented by the Chamber and the Ponca City Economic Development Advisory Board.

Now a naturalized citizen of the United States, Engster continues to grow his business with an exceptional product line, services to customers, exemplary work ethic and excellent management skills.

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