Chopp, an industry consultant who had joined Northwest two years earlier, was drafted to take over as chief executive.

FORBES: A Savior From the East

"It was a pretty bleak picture, " recalls 42-year-old Chopp, who was thrust into the chief executive's job in the midst of the crisis.

FORBES: A Savior From the East

And Chopp is sharing what he learned from Honda with other toolmakers in Michigan, who have formed a coalition in an effort to stop the industry's decline.

FORBES: A Savior From the East