US Synthetic: How Founder Louis Pope Grew a Business Worth Hundreds of Millions

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Can FUN be one of your company values?
We interviewed Louis Pope, who’s a legendary manufacturing figure in Utah. Not just because he’s the founder of US Synthetic—a now-quarter-billion dollar manufacturing company that makes diamond inserts for down-hole drilling tools—but because of the impactful company culture he built along the way.
US Synthetic is one of the premier providers of diamond-based drill bits in the world. Wherever oil is drilled, you’ll likely find a diamond bit made by US Synthetic. While the company has been acquired multiple times in the past couple of decades, it didn’t take off right away.
Learn how a unique corporate culture and a commitment to continuous improvement helped US Synthetic weather 13 years of what Louis Pope himself called “a slog,” struggling to make payroll before they exploded into one of the most successful manufacturing companies in the diamond insert manufacturing market.
Louis’s perspective on how leaders bear a responsibility to empower and support their employees truly embodies his company motto of “improving lives.”
We’re excited to share with our listeners stories of how Louis inspired his team to lean into their curiosity and their sense of fun, even through tough times, including tales of homemade bowling ball cannons and a human slingshot.
Don’t miss this one!
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