a BROADcast for Manufacturers

Sponsored By AdCirrus ERP, your trusted partner for cloud ERP solutions. Learn more at adcirruserp.com.

Meet Curt Anderson

 Curt Anderson is the founder of B2B Tail dedicated to helping manufacturers stop being the best kept secret in their industry through profitable digital sales growth strategies. With over nine years at B2Btail, Curt provides valuable e-commerce strategies that help manufacturing companies achieve their goals and reach success. He creates free resources to guide manufacturers on their e-commerce journey, including checklists, keyword strategies, and website optimization techniques. Curt's mission is to ethically drive the hi...

Sponsored By AdCirrus ERP, your trusted partner for cloud ERP solutions. Learn more at adcirruserp.com.

Meet Vivek Joshi

Vivek is the founder and CEO of Entytle, a provider of Installed Base Intelligence solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturers. He has extensive leadership experience in various industries, spanning diversified industrial manufacturing, healthcare, high technology and private equity. He previously was founder and CEO of LumaSense Technologies Inc., an Operating Partner at Shah Capital Partners, and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sun Services, a $3.6 billion division of Sun Microsystems. He also served at Webvan as Vice-President...

Sponsored By AdCirrus ERP, your trusted partner for cloud ERP solutions. Learn more at adcirruserp.com.



Meet Hani Malek

With over 35 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, I am a passionate and results-oriented leader with a proven track record of revenue, profit, and cash flow growth.

As a Professional EOS Implementer, I help entrepreneurs and business leaders get better at three things - VISION, TRACTION and HEALTHY. At the end of our journey together, everyone is on the same page with where the company is going and how it is go...

Meet Liz Heiman

Liz has been conquering the sales environment since she was 15, hawking lingerie at local flea markets. A self-proclaimed introvert, she recognized that sales success comes not from owning the room but from owning the relationship. Her transformative training programs have powered the success of HP and Coca-Cola. Liz earned her stripes as head of Miller Heiman's struggling Asian-Pacific region. She engineered a turnaround from red ink to black, catapulting annual sales to $1 million within just two years.

At the vanguard of B2B sales, Liz specializes in propelling manufacturing companies from uncertainty...

Meet Ron Hockersmith

Ron grew up in Arizona and studied Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University and The California Institute of Technology. After stints in gas turbine engine design and research on the mechanics of viruses he ended up in Milwaukee at GE Healthcare. Ron became a Lean Master Blackbelt and led teams in new product introductions at GE for 14 years before transitioning to a VP of Engineering role for an international defense contractor.  Ron retired early in 2020 and after fixing everything there was to fix on his 1903 Victorian home, he got bored and started working part-time a...

Meet Damon Pistulka

Damon Pistulka is the co-founder of Exit Your Way, a company dedicated to helping business owners maximize their business value, prepare for successful exits, and sell their businesses.

Damon’s journey started on a 3,000-acre farm in South Dakota, where he learned the true meaning of hard work and resilience. His career began in engineering but quickly expanded into leading and scaling companies across industries like manufacturing and healthcare.

Damon’s expertise lies in business strategy, leadership development, transforming business operations, and the lives of those who run them.

Wh...

Meet Eric Decker

Eric Decker is WMEP’s Business Development Manager for southeastern Wisconsin. He works with small and mid-sized manufacturers to help them understand opportunities to improve operations, grow profitability and develop their employees. 

During his career, Eric has spent considerable time serving small and mid-sized manufacturers in southeastern Wisconsin. Before working at WMEP (where he’s been for almost eight years), he worked with organizations such as GPS Education Partners and BizTimes Milwaukee. 

Eric’s family lives in Wauwatosa. During his free time, enjoys the outdoors, cooking, fitness and skateboarding.

Connec...

Meet Susan & Scot Westwater

Meet Susan and Scot Westwater, the dynamic duo behind Pragmatic Digital. They're on a mission to help manufacturers strategically implement AI to accelerate sales cycles and drive revenue growth. With two books and over 40 years of combined experience, they bring a refreshingly practical approach to digital transformation. By combining Susan's customer experience expertise with Scot's tech-savvy, they help manufacturing leaders find more qualified OEM leads and close deals faster. The result? Significantly

reduced development cycles and marketing challenges turned into competitive advantages. No jargon, no empty promises – just measurable business growth.

Meet Angela Thurman

Angela Thurman holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and is a certified Project Management Professional™. She served for more than ten years as a Subcontracts Program Manager at Collins Aerospace, managing complex third-party products for their large customers such as Boeing and Airbus. While at Collins she was recognized as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Supplier Management.

Since leaving Collins in late 2020, Ms. Thurman has launched Thurman Co., LLC, a technical project management consulting firm in Houston, TX. Thurman Co. provides its clients with customized project ma...

Meet Emily Honor Hubbard

Emily Honor Hubbard is the owner of Empathic Engineering, where she coaches people in manufacturing to reduce stressful misunderstandings with improved communication. She is a Spanish-bilingual mechanical engineer, has published research on the development of empathy in engineers, and served in several international manufacturing roles, including Ford Motor Company in Mexico. Now, she is grateful

to identify opportunities for manufacturing teams and individuals to build new skills so their work becomes more impactful and enjoyable.

Connect with Emily!

Empathic Engineering

(608)239-2738 

LinkedIn

Meet Erica Case

Erica Case is currently the Head of Human Resources at LiveWire Group, LLC. Ms. Case joined LiveWire from Harley-Davidson where she was most recently Director Human Resources, Global Manufacturing and Product Development. Prior to that Ms. Case held multiple Human Resources roles in her 16 years at Harley-Davidson. Prior to joining Harley-Davidson, Ms. Case held various positions at Kraft Foods, AT&T (formerly SBC), and owned and operated The Alchemist Theatre. Ms. Case also serves on the Board of Director for Milwaukee Area Technical College and the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council. Ms. Case holds an...

Meet Pam Buckley

Pam Buckley is a CPA and senior manager of the Outsourced Accounting & Advisory practice at Chortek. She started her career at Chortek 26 years ago as an auditor and business process consultant. She left public accounting for 17 years and worked as a controller and CFO at various manufacturing firms. This experience gave her valuable first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day challenges manufacturers face. In 2021, she returned to Chortek to apply her expertise, helping build a new Outsourced Accounting & Advisory practice specializing in manufacturing.

Links

MIT Pirate Certificate

Serviceberry

<...

Meet Nirav Shah and Peter Nicholson

Nirav Shah has been working in the ERP space for the past 20 years. During those years, he has worked primarily to help customers of all various sizes and industries implement advanced warehousing and manufacturing processes. He also has an MBA in Accounting which helps him work closely with finance teams to melt proper finance rules and guidelines to manufacturing/distribution processes. Recently, he started a VAR to help companies realize the benefits of cloud ERP solutions specifically in the B2B manufacturing and distribution industries.

Peter Nicholson has long...

Meet Ken Fanger

Ken has 30 years' experience, he's an MBA, a CMMC-RP and is part of the Cyber Reserve and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs' 10KSB Program. He is working on an Interational project to help AI increase voter engagement. He has started the movement towards Humanizing Security - to make allies of all of us.

Resources

See Something, Say Something

CyberAB.org 

Connect with Ken!

On Technology Partners

info@ontechnologypartners.com 

kennethfanger.com

Facebook

Li...

Meet Chantel Soumis

Chantel Soumis is an accomplished international speaker and LinkedIn influencer in digital marketing, Chantel shares cutting-edge news, articles, and insights aimed at propelling companies to new heights of success through innovative marketing practices. With a global reach, she has graced stages from London to LA, captivating audiences with her expertise and passion for revolutionizing marketing strategies in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Links

Keystone Click AI Ethics Policy

Connect with Chantel!

LinkedIn

Highlights

00:00 Introduction and Icebreaker

02:12 Guest...

A Special Video Episode

In this engaging episode recorded live at the Podcast Town Festival, the hosts delve into the increasing career satisfaction experienced by women in the manufacturing sector. Inspired by an article from Supply and Demand Chain Executive, the discussion highlights how training, opportunities, and innovative benefits are attracting female talent. The conversation examines companies' roles in breaking cultural barriers, the transformative impact women have in manufacturing, and strategies like on-site clinics and educational support. Additionally, the hosts share insights on networking, community involvement, and educational initiatives aimed at young girls to foster interest in...

Meet Moustafa Moursy

Moustafa Moursy is a deeply experienced entrepreneur who empowers business owners to scale rapidly by rationalizing and mastering processes specific to their circumstances. Moustafa leads Push Analytics, a top consultancy firm helping businesses grow and optimize their business processes. His strong technical foundation and expertise in B2B sales and sales leadership allow him to combine complex processes and technology stacks to deliver custom, hyper-focused systems that maximize efficiency, profits, and market share. By observing functions, conversing with principals, and creating elegant structures, Moustafa and Push generate rapid growth and help businesses more powerfully...

Meet Chris Czarnik

Chris Czarnik, a former military officer and HR manager, revolutionized job search approaches with "The Human Search Engine," endorsed by US Congress as a standard. He later innovated talent acquisition processes to reduce turnover and authored "Winning the War for Talent," influencing over 3,500 organizations worldwide. As a coach and strategist, Chris offers customized solutions to enhance talent

management, helping CEOs and leaders cultivate environments where employees excel. As a top speaker for Vistage for five consecutive years, he empowers organizations to adapt to modern challenges and rethink success in talent development.

Meet Terry Tuttle

Terry Tuttle is President of HellermannTyton North America, the leading supplier of cable management products to the automotive, heavy truck and equipment, renewable energy and other industrial markets. Previously, Tuttle held various marketing positions with HellermannTyton and had been VP of Sales and Marketing in 2009 before her current appointment. She has held advisory positions with the Federal Reserve of Chicago and a board position with Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast. Tuttle also is a keynote speaker and panelist. She is a wife and mom (currently of a high school senior) and also enjoys traveling...

Meet Whitney Jennings

Whitney started working for an automotive gasket manufacturer in 1994, and has worked in the aftermarket ever since. She’s been a pricing specialist, a sales administrator, customer service manager, sales manager, and today, president of her own company. She’s married and has two daughters. One is a senior in HS and the other started college last year. I also have 4 stepchildren who are all grown, 2 pugs and a beabull (beagle/bulldog mix).

QXHD is a woman owned / woman-controlled business based in Phoenix, AZ.

Connect with Whitney!

QX Heav...

Meet Stacia Hobson

Stacia Hobson, co-owner of Image Industries Inc, began her career in the family business upon graduating college. Although her plan was never to work for the business let alone own it, she was the key driver in transforming the business from 100% distribution to 100% manufacturing.

Today, she runs operations for her family’s multimillion-dollar manufacturing business serving nine distinct vertical markets.

Stacia is acutely aware of what it takes to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated, blue-collar industry. She is passionate and proud to be in manufacturing as she feels th...

Meet Prashanth Sharma

Prashanth Sharma is the CTO at ThoughtFocus and leads the technology function across all business lines and customer engagements. With over 22 years of industry experience, Prashanth is spearheading the next wave of technology growth at ThoughtFocus, motivating teams to exceed customer expectations.

Connect with Prashanth!

www.thoughtfocus.com

LinkedIn

Highlights

00:00 National Donut Day Fun

01:49 Introducing Our Guest: Prashanthh Sharma

03:02 Hardware vs. Software Evolution in Manufacturing

05:43 The Role of Robotics in Manufacturing

08:20 Sustainability and Technology

11:13...

Meet Trevor Blondeel

Trevor Blondeel founded Manufacturing Greatness. He has 25 years of experience leading manufacturing plants and is the host of the podcast Mindfulness Manufacturing.

He works with organizations as a speaker, advisor, and coach to connect the top to the shop. In his spare time, he serves as the president for the Kentucky/Indiana National Speakers Association chapter.

Connect with Trevor!

Manufacturing Greatness

trevorblondeel.com

LinkedIn

Instagram

Mindfulness Manufacturing Podcast

Highlights

00:36 Introduction and Recent TV...

Meet Jaclyn Kolodziej

Jaclyn Kolodziej, Client Growth Services Specialist at the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), has worked on over 220 marketing projects over the past two years.

With a diverse background in various manufacturing sectors, Jaclyn has amassed a wealth of experience driving progress and innovation through marketing. Her unwavering goal has always been to propel momentum by executing marketing projects and crafting strategic growth plans for manufacturers.

Jaclyn blends her passion for achieving tangible results with her expertise in marketing playing a pivotal role in assisting manufacturers across Illinois to enhance their...

Meet Rachel Slade

Rachel is an author and journalist (trained as an architect) with more than 15 years of publishing experience. Her first book, "Into the Raging Sea," about the 2015 sinking of the American cargo ship El Faro, was a NYT Notable Book and winner of the Maine Literary Award. Her second book, "Making It in America," about the American manufacturing revival, came out in January 2024.

She has a passion for uncovering and developing compelling tales about politics, work, design, and urban planning that engage and inspire audiences across different mediums and genres. She has produced...

Meet Barbara Pennell Jaynes

In 2013, Barbara founded Positively-Funded. She has engaged with manufacturers, facilitating their strategic growth planning: beta testing, opening new markets, product launches, and creating key industry partnerships. 

Highlights

00:00 Travel Stories and Favorite Destinations

03:28 Introducing Barbara Pennell Jaynes

04:56 Business Development vs. Traditional Marketing

06:04 The Importance of Real-World Feedback

08:44 Beta Testing and Storytelling in Manufacturing

12:08 The Value of Manufacturing Facility Tours

14:14 LinkedIn Strategies and Weird Facts

21:23 Conclusion and Contact Information

Connect with Barbara!

This special episode, partially recorded live at the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Southern Wisconsin Chapter event 'From Mic to Merlot' on May 15, 2024, at Wollersheim Winery, delves into the experiences and impact of WiM. The hosts share their excitement about the event and interview Andrea Virsnieks, President of WiM Southern Wisconsin, who provides insights into the organization’s mission, history, and her personal journey in reviving the chapter. The episode also features interviews with several WiM members discussing the importance of networking, the unique challenges and opportunities for women in the manufacturing industry, and the sense of community within WiM. Li...

Meet Chris Peer

Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in B2B digital marketing strategy, lead generation, and marketing consultancy for manufacturing firms. An author and entrepreneur, Chris is the founder and CEO of G8P and SyncShow.

Having witnessed the pain and frustration caused by ineffective marketing, Chris and his team developed the Great 8 Pillars to transform the marketing department from a corporate expense into a profit center. He has helped hundreds of companies scale through world-class marketing best practices.

Chris’ perspective on marketing operations transcends tactical methodologies and focuses on pe...

In this special 50th episode, Erin, Lori and Kris reflect on their podcast journey, celebrating the diverse and enlightening conversations they've had with various guests from the manufacturing industry. They reminisce about starting the podcast, how it's evolved, and the personal growth and gratification they've experienced along the way. Highlighting their favorite episodes, they discuss poignant moments with guests like Nicole Donnelly and Nicki Vo, share valuable insights on manufacturing, digital transformation, women in STEM, and the importance of veterans in the workforce. The episode emphasizes the value of authenticity, diverse opinions, and the unique perspectives each host brings...

Meet Jeff Beyle

Jeff started out writing software and then went to law school because he played softball with a bunch of lawyers and thought their work was interesting.

Then he got lucky and joined Coca-Cola and had the opportunity to move to Hong Kong. He spent 7 years there, focusing mainly on China and Korea. Jeff moved to Seattle to join Getty Images. Eventually, he had the opportunity to set up Getty Images’ business in Latin America. After he and his then-biz-partner sold that company to Getty Images, his current business partner convinced him to co...

Meet Retired LtCol Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz

Retired LtCol Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz is an award-winning businesswoman with first-hand experience hiring Veterans who coaches employers how to boost productivity and reduce turnover by hiring and retaining Veterans. She helps companies become “Veteran-Ready” through the creation of a Veteran Talent Strategy. Her “Veteran Talent Academy” equips employers to find, hire and leverage Veterans’ skillsets. She is the Founder & CEO of Vanguard Veteran, LLC, author of “Beyond ‘Thank You For your Service,’ The Veteran Champion Handbook” for Civilians and has Masters degrees in Nursing and Political Science. She grew up as a Navy ‘brat,’ ser...

Meet Holly Whitcomb

Holly Whitcomb’s passion for helping people be their best drives her every day. Holly is the CEO and Founder of Novel Leadership, focused on the development of individuals and teams through coaching, workshop facilitation and consulting. Holly is well versed in working with front-line level leaders in manufacturing organizations as well as senior leaders in highly matrixed organizations.

Prior to founding Novel Leadership, Holly led 3M Company’s North America Learning & Development team where she worked directly with senior leaders to increase their leadership team effectiveness and leadership development needs across 3M’s...

Meet Jim Bohn

Jim Bohn PhD, is a researcher-practitioner focused on improving organizations one person at a time. He is a change management expert with decades of experience across multiple business markets and has spoken throughout the United States on topics of leadership, organizational performance and people development. He is currently coaching doctoral students at Concordia University. Dr. Bohn's focus is helping businesses throughout SE Wisconsin to overcome challenges and improve productivity. His primary research interest is Organizational Engagement, a complimentary approach to Employee Engagement. Dr. Bohn has multiple publications on Amazon.

How does your...

Meet Scott Seroka

Scott is the president of Seroka Industrial Branding, providing fractional CMO services to small to medium-sized industrial companies. Scott’s approach to creating effective marketing strategies is centered on building strong, compelling, and well-differentiated brands and activating brands within organizations through organizing and mobilizing continuous improvement cultures. He is a certified brand strategist and also a Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Professional.

Let's talk about brands. What is a brand? I feel like a lot of people assume it's exactly the same as marketing. And I hear a lot of people think br...

Meet Nicole Donnelly

Nicole is a fourth generation entrepreneur and the owner of DMG Digital - a content marketing agency for manufacturers. Nicole is the host of the Tales of Misadventure podcast where she invites successful entrepreneurs to share their stories of failure and how they turned lemons into lemonade.

You have two different cultures attempting to make something totally new together. Do you mind speaking to that challenge a little bit? And then what were the things that you did to navigate those two different cultures working together? 

They're to the point o...

Meet Craig Lowder

Craig Lowder, author of Smooth Selling ForeverTM and co-author of the soon to be released Trusted Advisor Confidential, is a lead conversion/sales-effectiveness expert with a forty-year track record of helping both business owners and independent trusted advisors achieve their sales growth goals. He is the founder and president of MainSpring Sales Group. Lowder has worked with over sixty companies and independent trusted advisors increase first-year annual sales from 21 to 142 percent.

He speaks extensively on the topics “The Star Guide for Smooth Selling ForeverTM, “Smooth Selling ForeverTM ... Charting your Company’s Course for Pr...

Meet Dave Crysler

Dave Crysler is the principal operations consultant at the Crysler Club and host of the Everyday Business Problems Podcast. Entering entrepreneurship after having spent nearly 20 years working for a publicly traded corporation, Dave quickly realized there was a tremendous need within mid-market manufacturing and distributions businesses to leverage systems that optimize planning, people, processes, and technology. Dave developed his operations framework to create systems that reduce friction and free up resources to maximize profitability.

Given all of your experiences and in so many different environments, what have you seen lights people up...

Meet Amy Franko

Amy Franko is the leader in modern sales strategies. She helps mid-market organizations to grow sales results, through sales strategy, advisory, and skill development programs. Her book, The Modern Seller, is an Amazon best seller and she is recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Sales Voice. amyfranko.com

Sometimes we believe if we bring an experienced salesperson in, they're just naturally going to know how to do things and we leave it up to chance. It does open it up for risk, right?  

Absolutely. And and if it's helpful for th...

Read the article here: Empowering women in the construction equipment sector

Lori: Improving Economies for Stronger Communities is what the acronym stands for. So it's a non-profit organization that focuses on creating economic opportunity for people in communities, especially around like developing countries and whatnot. So I think that's fascinating and I love that mission.

So Komatsu India went with to this company to help get more women trained to operate excavators, and I thought that was interesting. So I thought, let's let's talk about that on the show because, you know, manufacturing and ladies.<...

Meet Dotty Posto

Dotty started out as a business analyst and project manager. In these roles she repeatedly got 'Does Not Play Well with Others'. It wasn't until she was introduced to Change Management and Organizational Development work and received transformational coaching that her career and life shifted. Dotty has worked with iconic brands like The Chicago Tribune, KPMG Peat Marwick, Hewitt Associates, Harley Davidson, and Molson Coors. 

Dotty is a Leadership Consultant and Coach specializing in helping leaders and teams turn around the Curse of Cordial Hypocrisy where bullies have created a 'nice' organization a...