Rave Gears Takes Seguin To Outer Space

When Nick Patel was a boy of 14 in India, he decided to hold time in his hands. Abandoning school for the bazaar, he began his own watch repair business, fascinated by the intricacy and precision of the tiny gears. Little did he know that one day he would produce mission critical parts for the first SpaceX capsule to dock at the International Space Station.

“In school, math was my headache. I could not see how it applied to real life, how I would use it. But watches, radios, the mechanics of things, these I understood, so I left school and opened my own shop,” Nick says. His parents – particularly his mother – were aghast, but supportive. Soon, Patel learned to appreciate not only the inner workings of the watches, but the people who brought them to him. 

“A lot of people would come to see me, this boy with the shop, and these were really successful people. They gave me courage and confidence, and I stopped acting as a child and started thinking like an adult,” Nick says.

So when his uncle in America encouraged Nick to join him in the U.S., he knew what he had to do: complete his education. That meant tackling the subject that most discouraged him. He convinced his principal to be his tutor, and in three months had not only mastered advanced algebra but gained a new appreciation. 

“Suddenly, I began to see that math was in everything,” he says, the way the planets turned, the machines we built. He continued his schooling, becoming a civil engineer. That determination and entrepreneurial spirit would carry him from India to Illinois, where he found himself working for a company that manufactured gears for the aerospace industry – much larger and different than those in the watches he repaired.

“At first, the only job I could get was in maintenance, but I watched and learned everything I could. I even offered to work for free after hours, but they wouldn’t let me.”

A trip to Houston in January would prove fateful for Nick. The good weather in Texas inspired him to make a move South, and in 2006 he chose to move to Seguin, where he and his brother, Sam, would go on to build a successful hotel business. 

Strong partnerships fuel old dreams

“The city of Seguin, particularly former Mayor Betty Ann Mathies and City Manager Doug Faseler, were so good to us. So easy to work with. They really helped us build a strong business that still employs more than 250 people,” Nick says. 

But while the hotel business thrived, for Nick it was always a means to an end. Gears were in his dreams. In 2012, he took a leap of faith and opened Rave Gear just across Highway 123 from the the first hotel he built in Seguin, and began to compete for contracts in the trillion dollar aerospace industry, targeting companies like Boeing, Bell Helicopter – and Space X, the private Elon Musk company that manufactures rockets and spacecraft. 

“Believe it or not, SpaceX was our first customer,” Nick says. The relationship blossomed, and when SpaceX’s capsule recently docked at the International Space Station for the first time, Rave Gear and Seguin were on board. Their uniquely-fashioned precision gears are considered mission critical parts. Rave has earned a strong foothold, despite being located outside markets where such manufacturers are typically situated, like Connecticut or Illinois. 

Thomas Alaniva, Rave’s vice president for operations, remembers an early call with a NASCAR executive, who said he had used Google Maps to try and locate Rave. “He said, ‘Thomas, I see a large building completely surrounded by cornfields! Where are you exactly?’ But we went on to earn the business of every single NASCAR racing team.” 

A new era in skilled manufacturing

Today, Rave Gear employs 60 people at an average total compensation more than two times the Seguin standard, and is constructing an expansion that will double the size of its operations. According to Chief Operating Officer Pankaj Patel (no relation), Rave — and with it, Seguin – are at a critical juncture. Today, Rave must truck parts many states away to other vendors who own the next step in the process. To streamline this and get finished materials to customers more quickly, Rave intends to vertically integrate as many of those functions as possible into their own operations. Nevertheless, Pankaj sees great opportunity for new employers and businesses to develop around Rave in Seguin. 

“Bring me a young person – right out of high school – who is bright, good at math, and willing to work hard, and I can turn him or her into an engineer,” Nick says. 

“We have worked hard to connect with local businesses who act as suppliers to Rave. But still there is much more opportunity to attract new employers with skilled, well-paying jobs to Seguin to support our operations as we expand,” Pankaj says.

In this way, Rave can serve as an economic engine, introducing a new level of highly-skilled, well-compensated manufacturing jobs to the area. Pankaj speaks with urgency about the need to develop these capabilities in Seguin and for Rave, suggesting that consolidation in the aerospace industry is coming in the next 4-5 years, after which the opportunity for independent manufacturers to own more of the process will diminish.

While Nick is particularly proud of the reputation Rave has earned for their adherence to a manufacturing process that results in “everything right, every time,” he is also motivated by a desire to create opportunity for his neighbors. 

“Bring me a young person – right out of high school – who is bright, good at math, and willing to work hard, and I can turn him or her into an engineer,” Nick says. 

He and Pankaj see a bright future for high-skilled CNC machinists who are willing to continue to learn and adapt. “You will work for a lifetime,” Nick says, despite the looming threat of automation to many manufacturing jobs. “Don’t think short term – think big. At Rave, we give people a career, not just a job.”

The company should complete construction on its expansion in 4-6 months, at which point they hope to double the number of employees.

“I believe we can make Seguin the gear capital of the world,” Nick says. “Already, we are taking the Seguin name all around the globe with our work. With the support of the community, we can grow 10 or 20 fold in the next five years. And that is good for everyone.”

Quick Facts on Rave Gears

• 60 employees
• Actively hiring
• 20,000 sq ft facility 
• 20,000 sq ft expansion underway
• Rave Gear pays 2X other manufacturing jobs in Seguin, with healthcare and 401(k) matching