Lisa Scanlon has a passion for manufacturing and her journey began in the fluid power world.  After her education in hydraulic and pneumatic engineering she fell in love with industry and found that the voice of the end user was one that matters most.  In her current roles the Services Manager at Rockwell she's 100% focused on delivering cutting edge services to industry all across the country. 

She speaks to her education at Harvard University and how focusing on a disruptive strategy can lead to amazing opportunities.  Solving end user problems is the center of success and her advice on areas to consider here are wonderful.

Lisa gives an inside look at her newest hobby of yoga.  She shares about her wonderful family and many personal insights during the lightning round.  Her why is to inspire her children and no doubt after hearing her amazing story the inspiration will come for them and many others.   

Guest: Lisa Scanlon -
North America Partner Services Manager at Rockwell Automation 
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Resources:
TED Talks
NAED
Drive by Daniel Pink
To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink

What if you could take the coolest part of an industry and make it come to life for others?  This is exactly what Ray Tharpe and Vadim Kovalev have accomplished to showcase the amazing technology and opportunities that exist in the wood industry.  Ray is president at RTM Industrial Maintenance and is a leader in supporting the lumber industry with the most complex modernization projects.  Vadim is a digital marketer that has a passion for the wood industry and set out on a mission to evangelize to show others the excitement that exists.  They connected through a video where Vadim strapped cameras to a log and sent it through a saw at a mill.  Talk about an attention getter!  It was from this video that an amazing partnership formed and they have jointly created content that showcases how RTM supports the industry and also highlights the cool factor for those that may be new to a saw mill.   

They speak to what has changed to the average mill recently and discuss how technology is making such an impact on the how they operate.  Their approach of highlighting the intricacies of the mills themselves is what sets them apart.  Conversation and awareness are occurring because of their efforts and the next generation of mill owners and operators are out there ready to be introduced to this wonderful field.   This was an exciting inside look at the wood industry and how embracing ideas such as digital marketing can take any industry to the next level with the right focus.

Ray Tharpe - Owner/President at RTM Industrial Maintenance Inc.
Vadim Kovalev - CEO & Founder at Koval Digital
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Our hero Tim Pollard likes to say he's always been obsessed with communication.  That obsession has led him through an illustrious career and in which he unpacks in this episode.  Tim unpacks areas that have impacted him and what he's been able to learn and adjust to along the way.  As the CEO of Oratium he's led the company through tremendous adversity and most recently navigated the COVID-19 waters.  As a communication company making the pivot to supporting clients virtually was one that he did not take lightly and they are bringing tremendous value to others daily.

Tim shares about some of his passions outside of his professional life and enjoys time outdoors.  Being in Montana he loves to spend time on the water fly fishing, riding his bike outdoors and enjoys time on the golf course as well.  He is blessed with a wonderful family and shares tons of personal insight during the lightning round.

Tim's "why" is one of the most heartfelt answers of all time.  He shares about his faith and how he longs to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant" at the end of his journey.  We are blessed to have Tim share his journey and hope this conversation sparks the fire inside of others to pursue their passions and serve at the highest level possible!

Guest: Tim Pollard - Founder and CEO at Oratium
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO) is near and dear to EECO Asks Why as it's centered around safety.  Jonathan Fuller unpacks this impactful process and discusses some of the key points to ensuring a successful program.  Out the gate he opens up the idea that LOTO practices impact many field outside of electrical specifically.  He provides wise advice on steps needed to take to get started.  

1. Proper preparation
2. Shut down of equipment
3. Isolation
4. Perform LOTO
5. Stored energy check
6. Isolation and verification

Jonathan reviews the importance of every individual working on equipment to have their own lock and also the steps that must occur if locks are left behind and procedures are not followed as designed.  This is an insightful discussion around a topic that keeps our heroes safe as services are performed to keep industry thriving in the future.

Guest: Jonathan Fuller -
Automation & Power Product Manager at Electrical Equipment Company
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Resources:
Lock Out Tag Out EECO Inspire Blog
How to Safely Rack in a Breaker EECO Inspire Blog

If you want to hear a hero story about the American dream listen to Bobby Cole's story and you will be inspired.  Bobby has an innate nature to help people and has coupled that drive with his love of technology and built an amazing business that supports industry daily.  The advice he shares for others wanting to enter industry is golden.  He shares how important it is to learn skills outside of your field of study, develop your soft skills and always surround yourself with good people.

Bobby has taught at a local community college for years and loves the see the light bulb come on when he's teaching the next generation of industry leaders.  He uses real world experiences to highlight what is possible and how technology really makes an impact in the real world. 

Bobby gives us a peak inside to what he enjoys outside of his career.  He's an avid musician and loves to play the drums whenever he can.  He's an avid motocross rider and loves to suit up and hit the trail to escape it all.   At the end of the day he has a heart for serving others and his passion aligns perfection with his talents which makes for a powerful combination.  Bobby is hands down our hero and after hearing about his amazing journey we know he'll become your hero as well.

Guest: Bobby Cole - President at Think PLC
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Resources:
Green Lights
Death By Meetings
Gift of Struggle
Think PLC LinkedIn Page
Think PLC Website 

In this special idea episode Hussain Al-Khalaf gives us a peek behind the curtain of the fascinating world of the pulp and paper industry.  Hussain is a Capital Electrical Project Manager at International Paper in Savannah, Georgia and is on the front lines of this exciting industry.  For those that may be new to this industry Hussain explains that the focus on projects in the future center around improving efficiencies, environmental friendliness and balancing capacity for future market demands.

He gives a unique perspective on how the industry has embraced technology and looks for ways to utilize data to continue driving improvements.  The industry does a phenomenal job of learning from each other and uses consultation approaches from sister mills to build upon and execute projects with success in the future.  The pulp and paper industry is a science and embracing evolutions in technology keeps it as a frontline leader in the US.

Hussain's advice for those wanting to pursue a career in the pulp/paper industry is golden.  From healthy work life balance to the opportunity to make a difference in the world this industry offers it all.  This is an exclusive look inside a industry that has made and will continue to make a huge impact on peoples lives!   

Guest: Hussain Al-Khalaf -
Capital Electrical Project Manager at International Paper
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

International Paper

Nirpal Sihota has an amazing journey and has impacted so many throughout his career.  He is a first-generation Asian Indian and always embraced the learn on your own mindset.  After time at Cal Poly, he served industry in roles at Siemens as an integrator before coming to Rockwell in 2011.  He speaks to how connected the industry is and the impact that technology is having as companies grow in the future.  Items such as artificial intelligence and analytics are areas that Nirpal expands on as the impact is being felt daily.

How people are getting work done now is something that excites Nirpal greatly.  He gets to see the front line of the most advanced changes in technology in industry and shares some of his passion around helping others solve industries' most complex problems. Learning from others within your organization is advice that he shares and one that he sees getting overlooked regularly.  Companies out there have extremely talented people willing to help others but each person has to take the initiative to ask the questions to learn and grow.

Nirpal shares about his amazing family in California and his passion for sports including basketball and most recently golf.  His "why" hits home as he is driven to help others be the best version of themselves and that shows the heart and character of our hero!

Guest: Nirpal Sihota - Director of Industry Sales at Rockwell Automation
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets

When you think about Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), it's really about creating a digital model to represent physical processes. Brandon Mendoza is an expert in helping manufacturers realize the benefits of cutting edge advances for industry and explores these exciting concepts.  Brandon shares that the end goal for manufacturers is to drive optimization, predict outcomes and prescribe the best action to deliver the best results.  He unpacks how much data is available now for manufacturers and gives practical advice on how to being utilizing available information to improve processes.

Areas such as quality, performance, utilization, workforce production and overall operation agility are all areas that Brandon covers to showcase how ML/AI can be incorporated to drive results.  For those getting started with these initiatives he suggests avoiding common entry areas such as predictive maintenance and focus on performance and quality.

At the end of the day Brandon explains that ML and AI are all about helping teams make better and faster decisions.  The ability to do that is evolving fast and driving tremendous value for industry.   This episode is jammed packed with knowledge and insight to help those in manufacturing realize what is possible with the right team and data behind you!

Guest:  Brandon Mendoza - Director of Sales at Oden Technologies
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Oden Technologies
Smart Manufacturing: Moving from Static to Dynamic Manufacturing Operations

Helping people and solving complex problems drives our hero Jim Wertz.  As the leader of Altavista Instruments and Controls (AIC) he gets to live out this passion every day.  Jim discovered at an early age his passion for engineering and shares about his experiences through industry that is sure to inspire others.  He has am amazing story about a controller at a steel facility.  Imagine getting a call late on Friday with a mill down and in a panic.  He chose to embrace that challenge and through sheer determination was able to fix the equipment and get the mill running on Monday morning. 

It's stories like this and many other examples that makes Jim and the AIC team heroes. Jim also has a passion for helping the next generation of engineers and shares his experience working with his daughters beta team and their success as they won back to back championships! 

Jim is happiest when he's helping others get out of a jam and has been able to lead AIC to achieve tremendous success.  He shares about his passion for family outside of work and how much he enjoys hitting the trails on his horses or jeeps (all weather dependent!).

We are blessed that Jim shared his story with us and encourage those that are in industry or considering such a path to hear the wonderful wisdom that Jim Wertz provides.  He is definitely our hero!

Guest:  Jim Wertz - President / Sr. Electrical Engineer at Altavista Instruments & Controls
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editing: Andi Thrower

Altatvista Instruments & Control

With so much focus on IIoT, Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing sometimes technology such as power monitoring gets left behind.  Mike Rathbun is an expert in this area and unpacks the idea to help envision how a better understanding of power can create more reliable and profitable business operations. Mike walks through how to begin a power monitoring journey and the importance of establishing a solid network infrastructure that will manage the data.

He addresses the question that most industrial users ask - what is the system going to do for me?  He explores the power behind understanding power consumption and loading.  By having a firm grasp of these areas industries have the ability to adjust operations and processes to take greater control of their utility costs!

Power Factor plaguing your plant?  Mike explains ways to understand this concept deeper and action you can take to avoid those penalties.  The advice Mike provides at the end is small.  As in any IIoT or Industry 4.0 project with power monitoring the best plan of action is to start small.  One meter could be all it takes to build the team of advocates at your facility to begin moving towards a full-blown power monitoring system.  Savor each win and stay focused on understanding the exciting world of power that is at your fingertips!

Guest: Mike Rathbun - Power & Control Solution Architecture Manager at EECO.
Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio Engineer: Luke Yntema

Resources:
What is Power Monitoring
How to Start Power Monitoring
Power Terminology