Howard Feldman and Kenneth Counts founded Rockford Metal Polishing in 1977 to provide quality polishing for Taylor Freezer, a Rockford area business. RMP opened with three polishers and several lathes, processing stainless steel nose cones and blades for Taylor’s ice cream machines.
In 1986, RMP was offered the opportunity to polish a 3M Littmann Master Cardiology stethoscope chestpiece. This job eventually led to RMP processing 13 different 3M products and became the foundation for a client relationship that continues today.
By 1990, business growth enabled RMP to build and move into its current Loves Park location. The larger facility allowed RMP to expand services from simply polishing and buffing to mass finishing, bead blasting, and O.D. tube polishing. Leadership changed hands in 1997 when Barbara Gagliano, Howard Feldman’s daughter, became general manager after having served as office manager since 1977.
The new century brought continued growth to RMP’s customer base, which now consists of dozens of regional and national companies within a wide range of industries. In 2009, John Gagliano, Howard’s grandson, was named Vice President, making RMP a three-generation family business. In 2018 RMP completed a full renovation and addition to their building.