In honor of Women’s History Month in March, the Colorado Chamber is recognizing female business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and job creators who have grown their businesses from the ground up and are core to our local Colorado communities.
Today’s feature is Lindsey Robinson with Industrial Screen and Maintenance (ISM)
Lindsey Robinson is the third-generation owner of Industrial Screen and Maintenance Inc (ISM), the leading Rocky Mountain cast polyurethane, CNC machining and screen manufacturer. ISM has been serving the energy sector and other industrial clients for over 53 years, providing industrial solutions and quality manufacturing services.
Robert “Pete” Miner, Robinson’s grandfather, started ISM in 1969 and passed the business on to Robinson’s father in early 2000. Robinson’s father launched the company to new heights by purchasing the company’s first CNC machining equipment. This propelled the company to compete at a new level and allowed ISM to manufacture key components for directional drilling companies, a booming industry.
Robinson started working for the family business remotely from New Mexico in 2005 while attending school for marketing and design. In 2018, she was able to purchase the company from her father. Prior to joining ISM, Robinson was an account executive for Alamosa PCS, a Sprint wireless partner, managing national accounts for big retailers. She worked as a product and sales trainer as well as a marketing representative.
“It was a fun job that allowed me to use my creativity and passion for marketing and design, as well as sales and training experience,” Robinson said.
When transitioning to ISM, that experience was key in helping her rebrand the family business. Robinson took the old hand drawn logo and completely refreshed the ISM image.
“At the time, the company was still using a scanned version of our original hand-drawn logo from the 1970’s,” Robinson said. “I had studied graphic design for a short bit at a local college, so this was a fun project for me.”
The company also had no online presence, so Robinson built ISM’s website from the ground up and created online product catalogs to reach new buyers. The new website and images elevated the company, allowing a new sales force and team members to market key products internationally. This was a pivotal moment for the small family company and opened many new opportunities, landing big fortune 500 customers all over North America.
When Robinson moved back to Colorado to continue her work for ISM, she didn’t have any experience managing a machine shop or working directly for oil and gas service companies – she describes that period as a sink-or-swim learning experience. Thankfully, all of her previous experience building ISM’s product catalogs came in handy. She also would frequently work in the field, driving from sales offices to oil rigs learning everything about the industry and customer base. ISM’s revenue grew over 450% that first year.
“My grandfather and father were entrepreneurs with an amazing ability to design and engineer industrial solutions,” Robinson said. “I wasn’t given the gift of engineering, but I was able to reach and connect with our customers to bridge the gap and help them find real working solutions.”
Lindsey Robinson’s advice to aspiring female business owners is to always keep moving forward.
“When things seem impossible, don’t give up! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, even on your worst days,” Robinson said.
Learn more about Industrial Screen and Maintenance Inc (ISM) by visiting their website at https://industrialscreen.com.
ISM Social Media:
The Colorado Chamber is committed to promoting an inclusive state economy and diverse workforce, fostering economic opportunity for all. We appreciate our partnership with minority-owned businesses across Colorado and will continue to work with these job creators on state and federal policies that impact minority employers and their employees.
Resources:
Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Administration: Women-owned business resources
U.S. Chamber: 10 Resources for Women-Owned Businesses
Colorado Office of Economic Development: Minority Business Office of Colorado
Colorado Minority Owned Business Directory