Humtown Products Uses SBA Support to Expand, Innovate, and Strengthen American Manufacturing
The Ohio manufacturer used SBA financing and business support to invest in new space, expand exports, and grow into North America’s leading producer of 3D sand cores and molds.
Humtown Products has grown from a small Ohio pattern shop into a manufacturing company with national reach and global customers. SBA-backed financing, long-term support from the Small Business Development Center, and export assistance helped the company expand its operations, strengthen its market position, and continue investing in innovation.
Start with a mission
Founded in 1959 by Russell Lamoncha, Humtown Products began in a small Ohio garage serving the foundry industry. Over time, the family-owned business grew from a traditional pattern shop into a company known for conventional and 3D-printed sand cores and molds. Today, under the leadership of President and CEO Mark Lamoncha, Humtown has become North America’s leading producer of 3D sand cores and molds.
Lamoncha grew up in the business and later returned to help lead its next chapter. Under his leadership, the company embraced automation, additive manufacturing, and a culture centered on teamwork and continuous improvement.
“I come in every day to serve our industrial athletes, because the vision only works when the team succeeds with it.” – Mark Lamoncha
Support from SBA and resource partners
SBA helped Humtown through some of its most difficult periods. Lamoncha said the company likely would not have survived a major downturn without an earlier SBA-backed loan. That financing gave the business room to keep operating and investing at a time when many manufacturers were struggling.
More recently, Humtown used an SBA 504 loan to support a real estate expansion in Youngstown tied to the acquisition of land and a building. The new location is expected to house packaging and shipping operations and improve efficiency across the business.
“The SBA loans gave us access to equipment and space most small companies could never reach, and that guarantee is what lets a smaller manufacturer with big ideas compete.” – Mark Lamoncha
Humtown also built a long-term partnership with the Small Business Development Center, which provided financial modeling and marketing support. The SBDC Export Assistance Network helped the company reach international markets, including Norway and India.
Results of SBA Support
The company used that support to invest in technology and improve operations. Lamoncha said Humtown modernized older equipment, adopted Industry 4.0 practices, and improved productivity by more than 400% over time. The company also expanded its additive manufacturing work and helped commercialize 3D sand printing for industrial use.
Humtown now serves customers that need complex cores and molds for high-performance applications. The Youngstown expansion is expected to streamline packaging and shipping, improve workflow, and support the company’s next phase of growth.
Beyond its own operations, Humtown has also supported regional workforce development. Humtown and Youngstown State University publicly described the 3D sand printer as a classroom and laboratory resource for engineering students and other institutions in Northeast Ohio.
Being Seen on the national stage
As Humtown Products grew, Lamoncha’s work increasingly intersected with national SBA events. In 2026, he attended SBA’s Annual Awards and National Small Business Week ceremonies that concluded at the White House, where he was named the National Small Business Person of the Year. He said those events made it clear that federal leaders understood how much small businesses matter to the U.S. economy, especially in manufacturing communities like those in Ohio.
“When Administrator Kelly Loeffler said 36 million small businesses make up 98.9% of employers under 500, you could tell she was fighting for our significance and that she really sees us.” – Mark Lamoncha
Lamoncha described walking away from the SBA Annual Awards with a deeper understanding of what it means to value others, saying that every person in the room felt seen and recognized for their contribution. For him, that recognition goes beyond a single trophy, it affirms that small manufacturers like Humtown are central to America’s industrial future.
Final thoughts
Lamoncha said the support Humtown received from SBA has included more than financing alone. It has also included business advising, export help, and national recognition that affirmed the company’s place in a competitive manufacturing landscape.
“I may have gotten the trophy, but the real gift was significance for 36 million small businesses, and Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s passion and love for small business is what makes that possible.” – Mark Lamoncha
For Humtown Products, SBA support helped preserve a family business, expand its reach, and continue a legacy of innovation that began over 65 years ago.