Rotarian creates his own success after several career paths along the way
Member spotlight: Gene Hinton
December 16, 2020
Sometimes, plans go by the wayside quickly and life offers a sharp course-correction.
That was certainly the case for Rotarian Gene Hinton, owner of a successful precision machining and fabrication company in Rockledge.
In 1974, Gene finished his journalism degree at the University of Florida and was ready to begin a career with the Fourth Estate. He started at a major newspaper, too: the Atlanta Constitution.
There was only one problem.
“I worked the graveyard shift on the police beat,” Gene said. “I was never comfortable there. It just wasn’t for me.”
Gene left the profession after only a matter of months chasing news stories. Instead, he started chasing customers in the hardware business. It was the era before Home Depot and Lowe’s, and Gene worked the sales and marketing side.
“I loved it,” he said. “I got to travel and meet some great people.”
Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Gene came home and took over his father’s machine and fabrication business. He successfully ran the company from 1978 to 1999.
But after more than 20 years in that business, he was ready for a change. Another company had acquired the business and Gene, with his strong entrepreneurial spirit, felt that he just wasn’t cut out to be an employee.
“After being the employer for so long, I wasn’t good with the daily grind of going to work, getting a paycheck, coming home, getting up the next day and going back to work again,” he explained. “I couldn’t do it.”
It was then that Gene started his own business. And he’s never looked back.
HMS, Inc. does work with an emphasis on steel, stainless steel, aluminum and custom polymer manufacturing. The company has customers in the movie industry, space industry and theme parks, to name just a few.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s in a submarine or a power plant or a theme park,” Gene said. “If it goes up and down, and round and round, we can usually get it manufactured.”
Gene has been involved in Rotary since 1984 when “a dear friend bigger than me said, ‘You’re going to get into Rotary’.” Since then, Gene has been sold on the club’s mission.
“I like the people and I like their mission: service above self,” he said. “I like the fact that you are able to give back to the local, national and global community. Rotary is whatever you want it to be – a true service organization.”
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Rotarian Duane Daski is a member of the Rockledge City Council and has extended his service to countless people through volunteer work over many years. “I've always been involved in giving back and helping out,” Daski said. “I’m a big-time believer in giving back to your community whenever you can and helping out in any way you can.”