Podcast Summary

The Unshakeables – "Who’s Running the Shop?: Gretna Machine Shop"

Release Date: March 24, 2026
Hosts: Ben Walter (CEO of Chase for Business), Kathleen Griffith
Guest: Nubia Perez (CEO, Gretna Machine Shop, Houston, TX)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the remarkable transformation and resilience of Gretna Machine Shop, a Houston-based family business serving the oil and gas sector. The story is told through the lens of Nubia Perez, who took on the challenge of leading her family’s manufacturing business after a decade-long leadership vacuum following her father's passing. The conversation explores Nubia’s journey—her initial reluctance, moments of epiphany, how she redefined both the business and her own role, as well as broader insights into family business succession, local business ecosystems, and the resurgence of American manufacturing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Business Origins and Early Years

• Gretna’s Foundation & Immigrant Roots

  • Founded in 1980 by Nubia’s parents after immigrating from Colombia.
  • Named after Gretna, Louisiana, reflecting their family journey.
    • [02:49, Nubia Perez]: “Gretna was started in 1980 by my mother and my father...So my dad was a machinist in Colombia...He came over in his early 20s looking for an adventure...In Gretna, Louisiana, is where my sister and I were born. So that’s why the company is called Gretna Machine Shop.”

• Life in the Shop: Childhood Memories

  • Vivid descriptions of the machine shop environment, paper-based operations, and family involvement.
    • [04:18, Nubia Perez]: "My dad was a manual machinist, so I have very vivid memories of him smoking a cigarette while he's on it...Having a four or five year old running around in a machine shop with metal shavings, probably not allowed anymore..."

• Desire to Forge Her Own Path

  • Nubia initially wanted to forge a career in international development, far from Houston and the family business.
    • [05:56, Nubia Perez]: “I was convinced that I was going to go work for Greenpeace or go work for the UN, marry a Brazilian, live in London, have our children in different countries.”

2. The Turning Point: Returning to Gretna

• Family Duty and Reluctance

  • A combination of her father's declining health and a spiritual calling brought Nubia reluctantly back to Houston and into the business.
    • [07:10, Nubia Perez]: “The priest says, I’m going to tell y’all a story about how I had the calling to become a priest...I left that day, I was like, oh, I get it...it’s not what I wanted to do, but I knew it was the right thing to do.”

• Conditions for Return

  • Nubia negotiated to pursue her MBA while working at Gretna.
    • [07:51, Nubia Perez]: "If Gretna can support me getting my MBA, then I'll come work in the family business for two years...I started my MBA at Rice University in August and my father passed away in September."

3. The "Dark Years": Leadership Vacuum (2012–2023)

• Lack of Clear Leadership and Structure

  • After her father’s death, the business lacked direction. Mother was nominal president, but roles were undefined.
    • [00:53, Nubia Perez]: “My mom was president, my sister and I vice president, but there’s no clear functions for those titles... it really just started crumbling...”
    • [08:57, Nubia Perez]: “A good 10 years... there was no clear leadership or no clear direction because Gretna had always been fine.”

• Survival, Not Strategy

  • Nubia handled problems ad hoc, “fire extinguisher” mode, rather than strategic leadership.
    • [09:47, Nubia Perez]: “Oh, I’m a fire extinguisher...I just go where the problem is...I was not involved at all in customer facing, acquiring new customers, talking to customers...”

• Pivotal Strategic Decisions Despite Instability

  • Led the diversification from oil & gas into aerospace, requiring new certifications.
    • [10:36, Nubia Perez]: “In order to participate in the aerospace industry, you have to have certain certifications...So we revamped our quality management system...”

4. Inflection Point: Stepping Up as CEO

• Pandemic as a Catalyst

  • COVID-19 exposed the need for real leadership as the business stumbled after its best year ("2019 bathing suit, our highest grossing year, to just plummeting").
    • [15:33, Nubia Perez]: “Covid exposed the good, the bad, the ugly..."

• The ‘Frozen’ Moment & Epiphany

  • Inspiration from watching “Frozen 2” with her kids resonated with Nubia’s sense of destiny as a leader: “I am the fifth spirit.”
    • [16:28, Nubia Perez]: “In Frozen 2...she realized I'm the fifth spirit. It literally was an epiphany...no one else...me. I am one of the owners. I grew up in the family business. I have my MBA, and I wanted it as much as deep down, I probably didn’t want to admit that.”

• Securing Support and Asserting Leadership

  • Received backing from her mother and sister; gave a speech to the company affirming her new role.
    • [17:26, Nubia Perez]: “I gave a big speech and I said, all right, it’s time. It was more for me than for everyone else, but I was basically laying my qualifications as to why I should be the person to be in charge of the company.”

5. Transforming the Business: Learning, Coaching, Systems

• Immersing in the Operation

  • Spent six months on the shop floor, observing, learning, and connecting with the team.
    • [17:42, Nubia Perez]: “The first six months, I sat on our shop floor and I did what I call an internship in the company...I would talk to the guys at the time. They say, Nubia, it’s so good to see you on the shop floor...They just needed some more leadership and a true vision...”

• Professional Development & The EOS System

  • Joined Vistage, got executive coaching, and learned to implement EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to bring structure and accountability.
    • [18:13, Nubia Perez]: “Through Vistage, I was introduced to EOS, which is Entrepreneurial Operating System. It creates a framework...with very specific roles and responsibilities, making sure that all the right people are on the right seats, all based on our values...”

• Tackling Challenges and Doubts

  • Candidly shares moments of self-doubt (“crying in the shower moment”), and seeking posthumous guidance from her father at the cemetery.
    • [19:26, Nubia Perez]: “I remember going to my dad, to the cemetery, literally getting on my knees and be like, I don’t want to do this...just give me a sign...I joke that my dad has helped the company more from heaven than when he was here...”

6. Cultural Shift & Building a Real Leadership Team

• Honesty and Communication

  • Open communication with vendors; focus on eliminating process waste (“the non sexy part on the operational side”).
    • [20:38, Nubia Perez]: “Having those very hard conversations with our vendors of, hey, I know we owe you this...That’s part of the solution, is not hiding and having those conversations with your vendors...”

• Knowledge Distribution & Culture-First Leadership

  • Moved away from the founder-centered model to cross-functional teams, prioritizing values and fit over tenure or technical skill alone.
    • [21:45, Ben Walter]: “The biggest thing Nubia did was to remove all the knowledge from one central person...”
    • [21:59, Nubia Perez]: “Between 2023 and now, I counted the other day, I think I had 17 different people say on my leadership team...Do they fit the values and the culture of the company first and foremost?”

• Current Leadership State

  • After much trial and error, now has an effective, aligned leadership team in place, operational accountability, and clear roles.
    • [23:23, Nubia Perez]: “We really all started working together in Gelling, like in the last month and a half...making those strategic decisions, it’s become much easier with an accountability chart...making sure that all the right people are on the right seats, all based on our values...”

7. Personal Growth, Mission, and Houston’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

• Bringing Her Values Into Business

  • Strategic vision incorporates sustainability (“mindful manufacturing”) and workforce development inspired by her international interests.
    • [24:39, Nubia Perez]: “We want to be leaders in mindful manufacturing...finding ways to implement more of a sustainability throughout as much as we can on our shop floor and in our offices.”

• Giving and Receiving Mentorship

  • Nubia participates in a manufacturing renaissance, actively involved in industry associations and peer networks.
    • [26:06, Nubia Perez]: “I’m a board member of the Greater Houston Manufacturing association, and you’re definitely seeing this new generation of manufacturers throughout the United States that are supporting one another...”

• Houston as a Business Hub

  • Houston’s diverse, entrepreneurial, international atmosphere makes it ideal for business growth.
    • [26:50, Nubia Perez]: “Houston is extremely diverse, and...is an immigrant city. People leave their countries to find something better. So that spirit, I think, is definitely one of the cornerstones of Houston...”

• Importance of Local Ecosystem

  • Discussion on the value of building businesses within strong local industry clusters rather than isolated, low-cost areas.
    • [29:06, Ben Walter]: “I can’t overstate how important it is to have mentors, a supply of employees, a deep list of suppliers, a deep list of customers...having a center of gravity or a magnet is pretty helpful...”

8. Advice for Small Business Owners

• Be Open, Stay Humble
  • [31:11, Nubia Perez]: “It would be to be open, but to stay humble. If you allow yourself and allow the universe to really guide you and you’re open to it, then there are people who will help you along the way, even if it is your parents.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Epiphany as Leader:
  “It literally was an epiphany. As I’m sitting on my couch and I’m looking at the org chart, it became very apparent that there was no one else who was quote, unquote, meant for this role than me.”
  — Nubia Perez [16:28]

• On Leadership by Consensus Failing:
  “It was a time where I thought leadership by consensus was the way to go. We were just doing what we needed to do to survive.”
  — Nubia Perez [11:13]

• On Facing Business Adversity:
  “The manufacturing business is tough. Whether it was cash flow or whether it was having to let someone go who’d been here for 25 years, it was having to have hard conversations with my sister. Whatever those moments were, I call it the crying in the shower moment.”
  — Nubia Perez [18:56]

• On Houston's Unique Business Climate:
  “Houston is extremely diverse...People leave their countries to find something better. So that spirit...is definitely one of the cornerstones of Houston.”
  — Nubia Perez [26:50]

• On Modernizing the Family Business:
  “I had to remember that my role was not only to work in the business, but also on the business...”
  — Nubia Perez [22:49]

• Advice to Fellow Entrepreneurs:
  “Be open, but stay humble...allow the universe to really guide you and you’re open to it, then there are people who will help you along the way, even if it is your parents.”
  — Nubia Perez [31:11]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gretna’s Early Years and Nubia’s Childhood: 02:49–05:25
• Nubia’s Initial Resistance & Epiphany: 05:26–07:43
• Father’s Passing, “Dark Years” Begin: 08:06–09:14
• Leadership Vacuum and Firefighting: 09:36–10:25
• Diversification into Aerospace: 10:25–10:56
• Covid as Catalyst for Change: 15:33–15:59
• Org Chart Epiphany ('Frozen' Analogy): 16:28–17:13
• Leadership Transition & Shop Floor Internship: 17:26–18:13
• Implementing EOS, Coaching: 18:13–18:49
• Difficult Conversations, Lean Operations: 20:38–21:45
• Building a Sustainable Leadership Team: 21:59–23:55
• Sustainability, Workforce, and Industry Mentorship: 24:39–26:38
• Houston’s Unique Advantages: 26:50–27:49
• Advising Small Business Owners: 31:02–31:25

Episode Tone and Final Thoughts

The conversation is open, honest, and introspective, showcasing Nubia’s humility and candor about family business challenges, personal sacrifice, and her commitment to continuous learning and improvement. The hosts encourage a practical, real-world perspective grounded in empathy, curiosity, and mutual support—echoing broader themes of legacy, adaptation, and transformation that are foundational to small businesses nationwide.

For listeners seeking actionable inspiration and a nuanced, authentic look at what it takes to lead and transform a legacy family business in a changing America, this episode is essential listening.