EP. 97 | He Bought a 70-Year-Old Factory with Leaking Roofs — Then Built a Global Niche

https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-smith-725508b/https://www.vonco.com/Keith Smith grew up doing paper routes and cleaning strip mall shops before eventually finding his way into flexible packaging at 18. Thirty years later he's the president, CEO, and owner of Vonco Products — a medical device contract manufacturer he acquired in 2013 from a 75-year-old founder who had no exit plan.The roofs leaked. The docks flooded every winter. The safety record was bad. And Keith bootstrapped the turnaround anyway.Today Vonco operates two US manufacturing sites, serves clients globally, and is 80% focused on medical device — an industry they never even marketed to. We also talk about how they're using AI to replace logbooks on the production floor, why US manufacturing has to automate or die, Keith's morning routine (sauna, cold plunge, journaling, COIL tracking), and his daughter who just landed with the Chicago Bulls dance team.Timestamps:0:00 – Welcome + Keith introduces himself and Vonco Products0:43 – From paper routes to flexible packaging at 18 — how it started1:56 – Watching a company get sold, then deciding to buy his own2:18 – Finding Vonco: a 70-year-old family business with no exit plan3:50 – The first week: leaking roofs, flooded docks, broken equipment5:24 – Bootstrapping a turnaround while trying to grow at the same time7:37 – How they accidentally became 80% medical device9:09 – Three more acquisitions since — what they've learned10:12 – Manufacturing talent: the hardest part isn't finding people, it's keeping them12:01 – AI and automation: why US manufacturers have no choice14:11 – How Vonco is replacing logbooks with AI-powered knowledge search16:55 – Their products ship to Europe, Asia, Australia — including a world-leading COVID specimen transport product18:30 – What Vonco actually makes: bags, pouches, containers that hold fluids in and out of the body20:00 – Tariffs, reshoring, and how trade policy is actually affecting their business22:07 – IV drip lounges, nutraceuticals, and the compounding pharmacy trend26:23 – How Keith manages his day: it all starts with managing his energy27:55 – The morning routine: sauna, cold plunge, journaling, Bible, COIL tracking28:14 – Book recommendations: Good to Great, The Obstacle Is the Way, The Expansion Sale29:26 – Date nights, future trips always on the calendar, and journaling with his wife31:18 – The four pillars: health, love, wealth, and faith32:08 – Stoicism, Ryan Holiday, Epictetus, and box breathing33:32 – What he's looking forward to: automation investments and his daughter joining the Chicago Bulls35:43 – Half marathons, Ironman, and why he'll probably do golf this summer