Liberty Pattern’s third generation makes way for the next

From shop floor to president, Gary August retires after 43 years with New Liberty firm

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Liberty Pattern Company, a globally recognized leader in pattern engineering, announces the retirement of director Gary August after a 43-year career with the organization.

When August’s parents, Bill and Gelene, founded Liberty Pattern in 1981 as a small shop in a two-bay service station in New Liberty, Iowa, Gary was hired as their first full-time employee.

From sweeping floors and doing metal work to quoting, overseeing CNC machine operations, and making deliveries, he helped take the business to new heights. Today, as Liberty Pattern finds new ways to use technology and automation to elevate quality and productivity, 3D printers are central to production in the company’s 50,000-square-foot facility.

In 2000, August was named general manager and president after his father retired. In this role, he grew the company significantly, transforming it into the state-of-the-art, full-service pattern shop it is today. The company now employs around 45 team members, including his son, Rick August, who serves as the additive manufacturing manager.

“When I took the reins, my goal was to grow the company as much as I could and then let the next generation run with it,” says August. “The last two years have been the best we’ve ever had, so it’s the perfect time for the next group of employees to take it to another level. I have a lot of confidence in the leadership and employees. The most valuable assets in this company are the people.”

As a third-generation, family-owned business in New Liberty, Liberty Pattern Company has a rich tradition of unsurpassed productivity and engineering. Its team produces casting tooling for the aerospace, aircraft, agricultural, and automotive industries, taking pride in the quality, on-time delivery, pattern-engineering expertise, and customer service it provides.

“Gary is leaving Liberty Pattern in a terrific position, and we wish him the very best in retirement,” says Steve Slininger, Liberty Pattern Company’s president. “Our team is excited to build on the solid foundation that he and his family created. We’ve established a reputation, and that’s due in large part to Gary. We’re committed to continuing the promise that Gary’s father made in 1981: to produce only top-quality work with on-time or early deliveries.”

Gary August didn’t enjoy spending time in the classroom as a child, but he loved the idea of patternmaking. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bill, and siblings, who worked in the industry.

When Gary’s parents established Liberty Pattern Company, it was founded on a promise: to produce only top-quality work with on-time or early deliveries. 

In the early 1980s, Gary, along with his father and brothers, built everything by hand in their 800-square-foot shop—there were no computers or automated machines. “Customers gave us blueprints and orders to build tooling for the foundry,” Gary explains. “We’d design that from sketches we made up in our heads.”

Four years later, in 1985, Liberty Pattern purchased its first CNC machine. This spurred the steady transition toward using CAD to create digital models.

“It’s amazing how quickly things evolved over these last 40 years,” Gary says. “The people we hire today would have no idea how to build a pattern out of wood off a blueprint using saws and sanders.”

Fast forward to today, 3D printers are central to the fabrication shop, which now spans over 50,000 square feet and employs about 45 workers.

“The most valuable assets in this company are the people,” Gary says. “You can buy any equipment you want. But, if you don’t have people with the knowledge and skills to run it, the equipment is useless.”

When his father stepped back from full-time work in 2000, Gary took over as Liberty Pattern’s general manager and president, continuing to work alongside his brothers Mike and Leo, and his sister, Linda. His siblings, Craig and Rhonda, also contributed to the early days of the company’s success.

While Gary has lots to look forward to in retirement—more family time, landscaping work, home improvement projects—he feels the weight of leaving behind something he was dedicated to for the last 43 years.

“It takes a little time to get used to,” he says. “But I met my goal of retiring when Liberty Pattern was operating at peak performance. I have so much confidence in the team that will be running the company now. They have the skills, background, and experience to move us forward. I know our God is watching over this place. To go through all the ups and downs we have and still be able to build the company up to what it is today doesn’t happen by accident.”

Liberty Pattern Company, Gary August

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