MAGNET 

Helps EarthQuaker Crank It Up. 

Some of the best bands – and ideas – are born in basements. But they don’t stay there long. Check out EarthQuaker Devices, a funky guitar pedal company that began with some off -tour tinkering by founder Jamie Stillman. Today the Akron company powers white-hot riff s around the globe and garners praise from shredders everywhere. 

When Darlyn McDermott meets with manufacturers she’s in charge of helping, she begins with a simple question: “What’s keeping you up at night?” 

 “It always starts with a conversation,” said McDermott, client engagement director with MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, which has offi ces across Northeast Ohio. 

Half of all jobs in Northeast Ohio depend on manufacturing, and Ohio is third in manufacturing employment after California and Texas. MAGNET rolls up its sleeves and works closely with employers to create results they can measure. They can assess a business—from billing to machining—to find solutions to problem areas. 

Julie Robbins, chief executive officer of EarthQuaker Devices, a guitar pedal manufacturer in Akron, has worked closely with MAGNET to increase her company’s productivity. 

EarthQuaker began in 2004 in the basement of Jamie Stillman, a musician and one-time tour manager for The Black Keys. He began tinkering, and in 2007 made his fi rst full-production pedal known as the Hoof Fuzz. Today, the company has more than 50 employees in a 15,000 square foot building downtown. In 2019, the company won the U.S. Small Business Association’s Exporter of the Year Award. Rapid growth is welcome, of course, but it has its challenges. As sales surged during the pandemic, MAGNET helped EarthQuaker weather the problems posed by fl uctuating supply chains. 

“There are a lot of resources in Northeast Ohio to help. It’s one of the great benefi ts of being here,” said Robbins. Others are the low cost of real estate, a manufacturing workforce and amenities for family life. 

“It’s important,” said Robbins, “to get connected to the community.”