Eduardo Castellanos, now a CEO, didn’t take the traditional career pathway of obtaining a college degree or climbing a corporate ladder. In his last two years of high school, instead of taking electives he joined an on-the-job training program. “I was blessed to be able to work with my father, who had a company for import and export of chemicals for agriculture,” he says.
After high school, he attended Miami Dade College for one semester, but he’s more of a hands-on learner and “I let my father know that while college is important, it will also be there for me to get back to if I needed it, but he won’t always be there.” Instead, Castellanos worked for his father’s import-export business full-time from 2012 to 2015 before going all-in running a specialized manufacturing business.
His education, he says, came from working alongside his father and, since 2015, running that manufacturing business where every decision he makes carries real-world consequences.
The story of Grain Machinery Manufacturing Corp., also known as Grainman, is built on deep-rooted pride in American manufacturing, Castellanos says. A friend of his father’s, a Cuban immigrant with only $600 in his pocket, founded the company in 1975. Grainman quickly established a strong reputation for manufacturing laboratory testing equipment for the rice, seed and grain industries. Although Castellanos’s father, Octavio, was not a partner in the company, he was always involved, contributing key guidance and support. He played a significant role in the creation of one of Grainman’s flagship products to this day.
When the family friend decided it was time to retire, he didn’t simply want to sell Grainman to the highest bidder. He wanted to pass it on to the right hands – someone who would honor its legacy and build upon it. He asked Octavio for help in finding a buyer, and it soon became obvious the right buyer was the Castellanos family.
Jumping into business ownership
“What inspired me wasn’t just the opportunity to lead a business, but the legacy behind it – the relationships, the craftsmanship and the pride in creating something that truly makes a difference,” Eduardo Castellanos says. “My father has since passed, and that loss has only deepened my commitment. I didn’t just take over a company – I inherited a responsibility to carry on what he helped build.”
Taking the reins at Grainman in 2015, Castellanos faced a steep learning curve. “I jumped in head-first into the manufacturing world and now 10 years in it, it was the best thing I could have ever hoped for,” he says.
Under Castellanos, the Miami Gardens company expanded into more industries with new capabilities, including injection mold and die work and custom precision fabrication, while it continues to be the only Made in the USA United States Department of Agriculture and GIPSA-approved manufacturer of laboratory rice testing equipment. The equipment Grainman manufactures is used by laboratories, universities, testing agencies and grain processing facilities around the world.
In 2017, Castellanos added a sister company called Magic City Machinery, which serves the cannabis industry. Magic City not only sells the equipment, but Castellanos is the inventor of an extraction machine and a patented automated process that is cleaner, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
“We’ve modernized, digitized and brought in new technologies, but more importantly we’ve built a team of people who believe in what we’re doing. That growth – the people, the pride, the resilience – is what I’m most proud of,” Castellanos says.
Getting help from Florida SBDC at FIU
Of course, no success story is without challenges and hardships. “There were days when everything feels like it’s falling apart. Machines break, deadlines slip, the pressure is high. True leadership is about anchoring your team in purpose through those moments.” What’s more, as Castellanos says, “if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”
Playing a pivotal role in Grainman’s success is Florida SBDC at FIU, the small business development center within the university that offers no-cost business consulting to small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. “The SBDC at FIU has been a lighthouse for us,” says Castellanos.
Shelly Bernal, an SBDC at FIU consultant and a specialist in international business and strategic growth, has been providing Grainman with guidance on business development. Most recently, they have worked together on creating target customer lists, building a pipeline of talent, and growing an online presence, she says. “Eduardo is dedicated to lifelong learning and consistently strives for excellence in everything he does, while upholding the highest standards of quality.”
Since receiving SBDC’s support, Grainman’s sales and revenues have improved, but the biggest benefit, Castellanos says, has been guidance on setting up a scalable structure for sustainable growth.
Expanding in government contracting
Grainman, now with 11 employees, also has been expanding in the world of government contracting. Luis Batista, a consultant with the Florida APEX Accelerator at FIU, has been helping Castellanos navigate the opportunities and the processes for success, which can feel daunting to business owners.
Support from SBDC at FIU and APEX opened doors to opportunities that Castellanos wouldn’t have otherwise known about. “Their expertise has allowed us to pinpoint opportunities for improvement, explore new programs, and structure our business in a way that ensures continued success… That kind of support is priceless, especially when you are trying to lead a company through change and growth,” says Castellanos. “My biggest regret is that I didn’t find them sooner.”
Government contracting is not entirely new to Grainman. Over its 50-year history, the company successfully secured government contracts from time to time, but those contracts involved their original product lines.
“What we are working toward with Luis’s help is something much bigger,” Castellanos says. “Our goal now is to break into new areas of government contracting, particularly in contract manufacturing and precision CNC machining.”
What’s ahead for Grainman
Going forward, Castellanos also plans to expand in-house capabilities in sectors from aerospace to medical device manufacturing, and to offer end-to-end solutions for complex needs.
One of the most exciting developments on the horizon is the launch of a full-scale wing for additive manufacturing (also known as industrial 3D printing) capable of supporting its growing product lines and meeting the complex needs of large prime contractors. He came up with the idea after attending the National Science Foundation’s Additive Manufacturing Symposium at FIU. By integrating additive manufacturing with the company’s precision machining expertise, Grainman aims to design, prototype and manufacture all under one roof.
Grainman’s team is also hard at work on launching an e-commerce platform, designed to better serve their global customer base and streamline the purchasing experience of high-precision parts and equipment.
Advice and a big honor
To aspiring business owners, Castellanos offers this advice: “Do it from the heart. Do something that matters to you – something you’d fight for when the things get tough. Don’t wait for perfect timing or perfect conditions. Start with what you have, be humble enough to learn, and bold enough to dream big. Surround yourself with people who believe in your vision and never lose sight of why you started.”
Castellanos and his company will receive the Manufacturer of the Year Award on May 8 during Florida SBDC at FIU’s Business at its Best Awards Ceremony.
“Receiving the Manufacturer of the Year Award from the SBDC at FIU is a deeply meaningful milestone for us. It represents not just our commitment to quality and innovation, but also the resilience and heart behind everything we do,” he says. “This award honors the legacy of our past, the dedication of our present team, and the vision we carry forward into the future — proudly manufacturing in the USA.”