Makino Machine's $500,000 gift helped build Mason's inclusive Makino Park, and the city is spotlighting the company during Manufacturing Month.
Mason's economic development office featured Makino on Oct. 21 as part of its Manufacturing Month series on X, calling the advanced-machining company "the biggest collaborator on the inclusive Makino Park." Mason City Council recognized Manufacturing Month at its Oct. 12 meeting.
The 34-acre park at 6100 Kopfler Court, off Reading Road, took shape after Makino announced the gift in May 2019. Council responded by renaming the land Makino Park, an inclusive recreational space anchored by the Common Ground playground.
"Giving back to the City of Mason in this enduring way that will benefit residents of all abilities for years to come felt like a fitting tribute to our partnership and success here," Don Lane, then Makino's president and CEO, said in a 2019 city announcement of the gift.
Local parents of children with disabilities, therapists and an inclusive-playground manufacturer helped shape the Common Ground playground, according to a city description of the park. The equipment exceeds Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The fully fenced playground includes musical instruments, a platform swing, an accessible zip line, a quiet space and play structures built for wheelchairs and mobility devices.
Rachel Kopfler, president of the Mason Parks & Recreation Foundation, championed the playground effort for more than seven years before Makino's donation pushed it to completion. Kopfler, a mother of five including a son with a spinal cord defect, said in 2019 she saw the need for an inclusive park firsthand, noting her son's triplet siblings pushed him to excel.
Beyond the playground, the park includes FCC Field, a mini-pitch soccer field donated by the FC Cincinnati Foundation. The field features wider doors and special surfaces so wheelchairs can move freely.
Makino, headquartered at 7680 Innovation Way in Mason, continues to invest in the region. In February 2026, the company announced a partnership with Miami University and Butler Tech to establish the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce and Innovation Hub on Miami's Hamilton campus, according to a Makino press release. CEO Peter Hoecklin said the hub gives students and professionals "…practical skills on the same equipment they will encounter on the shop floor."
City permit records show Makino pulled a $406,000 commercial permit on May 26 for a cleanroom installation at its Innovation Way headquarters, part of a larger facility renovation.
Makino Park is open dawn to dusk.
