A fifth generation family owned business, Memphis Machine Works has been apart of the city from nearly the beginning. As a manufacturer of saw mill machinery in 1888, Memphis Machine Works developed a reputation for quality and precision, attributes which helped the company evolve into one of the largest foundries and machine shops in the Southeastern region of the United States, manufacturing industrial products such as steam boat engines, manhole covers, cooling values for the space shuttle launch pad of NASA, as well as advanced instrumentation for neonatal care at Lebonheur Children's Hospital of Memphis.As the development of the Midsouth continued during this time, the young William Neilson Taylor IV, current president of Memphis Machine Works, saw an opportunity for expansion. Realizing the need to ease the burden of the arduous task of pipe laying during local construction projects, Neilson began one of the first precast concrete plants in the Midsouth area, an enterprise that still continues to this day where his two sons, Mitchell and Ashby, currently help mange and grow the business.