What Makes a Trailblazer: TSTC graduate always dreamed of business ownership

What do dyslexia, jewelry and an angry mother all have in common?

Give up?

They all put Mathew on the path to business ownership.

Mathew Joseph is a graduate from Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Electrical Technician (now Advanced Manufacturing – Industrial Maintenance) program. He is also the owner and president of C3 Industrial Technologies in Kilgore, a CNC (computer numerical control) and manual machine repair and maintenance company which offers field and in house services. The company is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

As a family man, one of Mathew’s greatest joys is getting to not only provide for his family but work alongside them. The business is named after his three sons — Caleb, Carter and Cohen — and Matthew’s two brothers and father work with him each day. Even his wife, Lee’ah, left behind her 20-year long career and is now the vice president of C3.

“It’s neat working with the family,” Mathew said. “Not a lot of family members can do that. There’s times when it gets a little crazy, but the great memories outweigh the crazy times by way more.”

But how do dyslexia, jewelry and an angry mother all equal a successful business?

Some of Life’s Greatest Teachers

Mathew’s childhood was dripping with diamonds and gold — because his father owned a jewelry store. Though his father later sold the store to pursue a career in journalism, it planted the first seeds of desire for business ownership in Mathew’s heart.

“I grew up going into the jewelry store,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to own a business.” 

As he grew even more, Mathew found traditional schoolwork very challenging. A child’s education naturally gets complex as they enter middle and high school, but Mathew’s grades were slipping and reading was becoming one of his least favorite things to do because of how much he struggled.

Despite this, he was not diagnosed with dyslexia until his senior year of high school. Once his teachers were made aware, they quickly switched up his learning methods. 

Like flipping a light switch, Mathew became a model student.

“I went from making low B’s to making A’s,” he said. 

However, he gained something better than a perfect report card.

“One of the biggest strengths that I got out of it was, because I was dyslexic, I had to study longer than most people do,” he said. “It taught me the work ethic that I have today. That if you stick with something then you can work past (anything).”

But a high school diploma was one thing. Mathew confessed he was still not confident he could get a college degree. He considered entering the fields of sports therapy or medicine, he even tried becoming a basketball coach, but ultimately found himself back at his parents’ home with nothing.

His mother refused to let him settle.

“That’s when my mom was like, ‘You’ve got to find a career!'” he said with a laugh. “She drove me all the way to TSTC in Marshall.”

Unsure of what to expect, Mathew began looking through the college’s programs. One stood out: Industrial Electrical Technician.

He decided to take a chance.

It was a decision that would shape the rest of his career.

No Matter How Long it Takes

In 2006, armed with an associate degree from TSTC and his stellar work ethic, Mathew was ready to take on the world. 

“My dad said that was the best money he ever spent,” Mathew said.

His degree proved lucrative right away, granting him 14 years of employment with two East Texas companies — Merritt Tool (now Merritt Preferred Components) and Komatsu. Along the way, he would meet and marry Lee’ah.

He never let her — or himself — forget his biggest desire.

“Ever since Lee and I met each other, I always told her, ‘I’m going to own my own business. I don’t know what business it’s going to be, but I want to own my own business,’” Mathew said.

Lee’ah recalled Mathew’s passion growing by the day.

“He had this notebook and he would write notes, and sometimes he’d draw diagrams,” she said. “I didn’t know what all of that stuff was, but I could tell he was really passionate about it.”

In the last eight months before C3 took shape, Mathew began taking on side jobs. There were days when he would do nothing but work and sleep, but it eventually got to the point where he was making more from side work than his full-time job. The couple decided it was finally time to bring Mathew’s business to life.

“Money was actually blowing in, and I was like, ‘ok, let’s figure this out,’” Lee’ah said. “We worked out our finances; I was working full time, I had insurance. It made sense at the time. I was like, ‘if nothing else, now’s the time. Jump now or never.’ He jumped and we haven’t looked back since.”

Becoming a Trailblazer in Business

In 10 years, Mathew’s business has gone from a discussion at his kitchen table to a physical shop that continues to expand. 

“I’m able to provide not only for my family — Lee’ah and I and the kids — but for my dad, my brothers and three other technicians,” Mathew said. “They’re able to have a career and grow with C3. That’s success to me; to be able to create something that’s generational and the children will be able to be a part of it.”

Mathew is always keen to hire technicians outside of his family, especially fellow TSTC graduates.

CNC technician Vincent Ogg, a Precision Machining graduate from TSTC’s Marshall campus, has worked for C3 for three years. According to him, word of the business has spread farther than Texas. Mathew, Vincent and the rest of the team regularly repair machines across the southern United States.

“When I first started, we were probably within a two- or two-and-a-half-hour radius, reaching parts of Louisiana like Shreveport, Bossier City, and all the way over to Texarkana. Now, we’re probably within a six-hour radius,” Vincent said. “Mathew is pretty great. He’s very energetic and he likes to stay on top of things and make sure they’re handled well.”

In 2025, TSTC awarded several graduates with the TSTC Trailblazer Award in honor of the college’s 60th anniversary. The award celebrated distinguished alumni who embody the values and mission of the college. Mathew was one of two winners at the Marshall campus.

“I just never thought I’d receive that kind of award,” he said. “To be able to represent a school that has helped me, that has changed my life, it’s pretty neat.”

The C3 team have plans to build their own machine shop so they can take on even more in house repair jobs. Mathew and Lee’ah are also working with a software developer to create a custom order system, and Mathew already has even more ideas for filling the acres on the company’s property.

“We knew (the business) would be successful, but we always thought it would just be me doing it, and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet,” he said. “There’s big plans for C3; we’ve just got to get there.”