Were I in the market for a machine shop, I would be quite interested in the location. You will find many such shops not able to make a go of it in SW Virginia and most of the state of NC.
In Wytheville, VA there used to be several....there are now none, unless you count a few odds and ends the local NAPA store does.
In business, location and enough people who need your service are fairly important to the success....
now if he is independently wealthy or has some need other than opening the doors...anywhere in SW VA or NC would be a great place to open.