In 1984, Honda came to town. Kerry was one of the first couple of hundred hired at Marysville assembly. He was shortly after handpicked as one of the first four to start up the Honda Engine Anna plant. After time at Honda Engineering working with tooling, Kerry had the vision to start their own business. His wife, Kim, worked in billing at Mary Rutan Hospital. November 11, 1989, they started Buck’s Sharpening in one room of their garage while they continued to work full-time.

The business began sharpening homeowner items that started as hedge trimmers, mower blades, scissors and sawblades for local Amish cabinet shops and an RV manufacturer. As more space was needed, they remodeled an old chicken coop on the property that allowed them to double the space which would again only last a short time. By 1993, Kerry joined Kim as a full-time employee and they renamed the business, West Ohio Saw & Tool. The new name reflected their expanding list of customers and services that by then included industrial tools.

By the mid-90’s, they built their own steel framed industrial 60’x80’ building as additional space was yet again needed. They attended a woodworking show and Kerry got the bug to purchase their first Walter’s CNC Tool & Cutter Grinding machine that allowed them to discontinue service work on homeowner items which did not provide much of an income and moved strictly to manufacturing and servicing industrial cutting tools.  Additional equipment was added to the shop floor which opened the door to regrind custom industrial CBN and PCD round tools. By the start of a new decade, they incorporated, changed the name carried today: West Ohio Tool Co. and built a new business location in the Indian Lake Industrial Park.

Kerry and Kim grew sales largely in automotive. Kerry continued to vision longer tool life and lower cost per hole. R&D began on PCD cross center tipped technology which later proved a longer than 4-year tool life in aluminum with no change outs and 1,000,000 holes. His vision for a significantly longer tool life with a significantly cost per hole was now reality knowing that additional markets needed this newly named drill, the EdgeX4.

After a few health challenges, Kerry retired in 2020. Kerry and Kim’s daughter, Kaci stepped in to manage the business along with her husband, Rea. Kaci had more than two decades of hands-on experience at West Ohio Tool. While she had previously focused on the financial and tax side, Kaci learned many of the jobs within the office along the way and learned from her mom and dad’s example to do whatever necessary. Kerry stayed on as a trusted advisor until his passing in December 2021.

Kerry’s vision combined with he and Kim’s work ethic, problem solving, customer service and dedication that built West Ohio Tool Co. lives on more than 30 years after clearing the initial space in their garage. Kaci, Rea and the West Ohio Tool team are honored to carry Kerry & Kim’s legacy forward.