SmartCert tackles the complex world of manufacturing documentation - every bolt that goes into an airplane needs a complete "birth certificate" proving its origins, manufacturing process, and compliance standards. For decades, this critical process has been manual and paper-based, creating bottlenecks and errors throughout supply chains from small manufacturers to Boeing and Airbus.

🔻 Key Topics Covered

→ Digitizing decades-old manufacturing documentation processes

→ Building a network of 3,000+ companies across supply chains

→ The strategic decision to relocate from Phoenix to Wisconsin

→ Change management when transforming traditional industries

→ AI integration in document processing and compliance checking

→ TitletownTech partnership and Green Bay's manufacturing ecosystem

→ Scaling from individual companies to enterprise supply chain solutions

🔻 Segments

00:00 - Introduction

00:22 - SmartCert's Mission: From Paper Chaos to Digital Efficiency

02:56 - Multi-Departmental Workflows and Implementation Challenges

07:30 - Origin Story: Living the Problem in Sales

10:00 - Building the Right Team and Finding Talent

12:52 - Phoenix to Green Bay: The Reverse Migration Story

15:54 - Work-Life Balance and Midwest Advantages

19:49 - Titletown Tech Partnership and Ecosystem Support

24:23 - Manufacturing Proximity and Customer Relationships

28:23 - AI Implementation and Industry Education

33:16 - Customer Success Stories and Paper Savings

36:45 - The Future: Enterprise Adoption and Supply Chain Transformation

38:00 - Advice for Founders Considering Smaller Tech Hubs

🔻 About Lonni Kieffer

As Co-Founder and COO of Aramid Technologies, Lonni is focused on transforming traceability, documentation, and collaboration for every company across critical supply chains. She leads operations and the customer experience, ensuring that SmartCert — the company’s flagship platform — delivers measurable value and solves real-world challenges. With expertise spanning data analytics, onboarding, support, and strategic growth, Lonni is committed to building seamless, scalable solutions that help businesses thrive in a complex and competitive landscape.

🔻 Connect with Lonni on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonni-kieffer/

🔻 About SmartCert

SmartCert is a SaaS platform that digitizes and automates supply chain documentation for manufacturing industries. The company creates networks that eliminate bottlenecks, reduce errors, and automate critical compliance processes for aerospace, electronics, and manufacturing companies.

https://smartcert.tech/

🔻 Resources Mentioned

Titletown Tech
https://titletowntech.com/

Microsoft Co-Innovation Lab
https://news.microsoft.com/2023/11/15/microsoft-announces-new-co-innovation-lab-in-milwaukee/

Wisconsin Economic Summit
https://www.wedc.org/programs-and-resources/business-development/wisconsin-economic-summit/

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Startup Wisconsin's mission is to connect, educate, inspire, and grow tech startup communities across the state, not just during events, but year-round. This podcast is part of that vision, creating deeper connections and sharing the knowledge that helps Wisconsin's startup ecosystem thrive.