provide answers and solve problems for them .
“ Everyone struggles at times , whether it ’ s racing or machining , and we try and do our little bit to help teams and organizations use our products and our knowledge base ,” he continues . “ I have always said customer service is No . 1 . You must be able to be there for the customer . If you don ’ t know the answer right then , let them know you will find out and get right back to them as soon as you can .”
Over the years , Harrison has met and worked with many legends in the sport . Most importantly , he has developed long-term relationships with some of the biggest names in drag racing . He has leaned on them for advice both in the business and racing worlds .
“ I have been trained by Roland Leong , who is a great mentor of mine ,” Harrison says . “ He has always said , ‘ It is not what you know , it is who you know .’ Through our relationships across different racing series from SRX to NASCAR to IndyCar to NHRA , we have created relationships with this knowledge base . If we don ’ t have the answer , I can go to a contact at another organization and get input from them .”
Like any business , there have been good years and lean years . Most recently , the past two to three years have been especially trying with a pandemic and global conflict upending supply chains and logistical networks . This is where the long-standing mindset of customer service first has served Harrison and TMS Titanium well to manage a shifting global economy .
“ We have had a good supply chain for 16 years now ,” Harrison says . “ The biggest impact we have seen besides just the world economy and COVID has been the Russian-Ukraine war . A lot of material came from that part of the world . Fifty percent of Boeing ’ s aerospace material came out
TMS Titanium founder Todd Harrison with Tony Stewart of Russian mills for commercial aerospace , and that has changed with the impact of the war . There is also metal that was melted in Ukraine and shipped to the U . S . to be manufactured , and all those situations have changed .
“ We have had to be very creative in our relationships ,” Harrison adds , “ and luckily , we have some very loyal mills that we work with and suppliers that understand our business . We have found some workarounds and we have been able to continue to work because they know we have great customer service and we do a good job .”
Working in the racing industry has been a dream come true for Harrison . While he is not hands on day-to-day with a team or car , he is as involved as he can be . His customers in every industry know he is a phone call or text away . In racing , that can mean contact at any hour of the day . These are the moments and situations Harrison and TMS Titanium thrive in and are eager to step up to help .
“ We get emails and calls non-stop around the clock ,” Harrison says . “ Racers work in the middle of the night . They are in the garage and we get those calls or texts . We just try and be available and fulfill as many of them as possible . It is neat to get a text at 9:30 p . m . and you can give someone an answer and you get into the office at 6:00 a . m . and [ that product ] gets shipped right out . That is a great relationship to have with these guys .
“ I can ’ t tell you how many times we get a call two or three days before a race where a racer needs something ,” Harrison continues . “ A great example is when Ryan Martin blew up his transmission and threw the driveshaft out . They called us at 3:40 p . m . and we stopped production . I put six guys on an eight-line-item order and we got it out UPS red so he got it the next day , put the car together , and was able to continue filming his racing .”
With racing growing and getting faster every season , TMS Titanium and Harrison have kept up their end of the bargain . They are always available and will put in the work to support any race team at any level . They work around the clock to source materials and solve problems , whether a team needs to fix a Funny Car body support or a medical fabricator needs raw materials to design a new titanium rod for a patient . The goal is getting the win and keeping the customer happy . DI
July / August 2023 DragIllustrated . com | Drag Illustrated | 127