Industry Edge

Michelle Boykin is the Chief Operating Officer at Rackley Roofing Company, Inc., a full-service commercial and industrial roofing contractor. In her role, she has scaled the company's service division. As a leader in the roofing industry, she serves as a Secretary on the Executive Committee of National Women in Roofing, the Director of Member Services at CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Nashville, and a member of RT3 (Roofing Technology Think Tank).

The roofing and construction industry is traditionally male-dominated, so women leaders often face prejudice and discrimination from clients. How can leaders create an inclusive and empowering culture to lead their company into the future?

As a champion of mentorship and diversity, Michelle Boykin emphasizes aligning employees with specific roles to enable them to harness their strengths. Effective leaders empower teams to grow, adapt to challenges, and promote inclusive environments that break industry stereotypes. By listening, supporting, and challenging team members, you can drive innovation and growth in any organization.

In this week's episode of Industry Edge, Danielle Neely sits down with Michelle Boykin, the Chief Operating Officer at Rackley Roofing Company, Inc., to discuss her leadership strategies for creating inclusive environments. Michelle explains how she's transformed Rackley Roofing into an industry leader, how she leverages her leadership style to create an engaging culture, and how she has navigated a male-dominated industry.

Nick Newman is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD), which provides technical, legal, and operational support to over 500 utilities and businesses in Tennessee. Nick has 37 years of experience in leadership positions and hands-on experience in the utility industry. Before his current role at TAUD, he served as a utility and committee member and a Board Director and President. He is also the Vice President of Engineering and Operations at Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW).

Utilities are facing an industry-wide work shortage, with businesses struggling to acquire and retain employees long-term due to strict industry regulations and deteriorating infrastructure. How can leaders in this space foster a supportive and growth-driven environment to increase retention?

As a servant leader focused on impacting younger generations, Nick Newman maintains that leaders must remain agile and adapt to evolving employee needs. High-impact leaders are supportive, approachable, and service-oriented, customizing their leadership style for each employee's growth goals and career aspirations. By challenging employees to seize new opportunities and roles, you can build a robust team that can overcome industry setbacks.

In today's episode of Industry Edge, Danielle Neely welcomes Nick Newman, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD), to discuss servant leadership in the utility industry. Nick shares his approach to leadership, advice for aspiring utility professionals, and how servant leadership can tackle industry challenges.

Ginger Duncan is a Leadership Coach who specializes in empowering and developing leaders to gain a competitive edge in their industries. With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, she has worked with startups, existing and merging teams, and Fortune 500 companies to align their values and behaviors with organizational growth. Ginger helps leaders align with their purpose and strengths to lead with confidence.

High-performing leaders and entrepreneurs are often visionaries, yet they struggle to communicate and execute their visions effectively. This creates tension within the organization, compromising growth and relationships with the team. How can visionary entrepreneurs gain clarity on their goals and values?

Leadership coach Ginger Duncan fosters intimate relationships with leaders to help them identify conflicts and frustrations and maintain accountability for their progress. She notes that gaining clarity on your personal values promotes meaningful relationships and connections with your team. When communicating their vision and values, leaders should be receptive to diverse perspectives and curious about alternative ideas rather than judging their teams for not following their personal style.

In this week's episode of Industry Edge, Danielle Neely welcomes executive leadership coach Ginger Duncan to discuss cultivating value-driven leadership to boost organizational performance. Ginger shares the benefits of leadership coaching, advice for burned-out leaders, and her proprietary process for coaching high-performing executives.

Dave Bertino is the Owner and President of David M. Bertino Manufacturing, which specializes in commercial casework for public works projects. Since 1988, he has installed and manufactured institutional casework for schools, colleges, hospitals, and labs. Dave delivers reliable and functional solutions for some of the most demanding work environments.

What does it take to leave a lasting legacy while remaining competitive? How can industrial companies scale while staying true to their values?

Experienced manufacturing entrepreneur Dave Bertino attributes his company's lasting growth and legacy to loyal employees and customers. He advocates for creating a supportive environment for employees and providing them benefits, including profit-sharing for retirement, health insurance, and paid leave. Dave even offers personal development support to guide them through challenges. Additionally, building a reputation for customer trust is crucial, so Dave recommends being transparent and consistently delivering on commitments.

In this week's episode of Industry Edge, Danielle Neely sits down with Dave Bertino, the Owner and President of David M. Bertino Manufacturing, to discuss his 35-year legacy in manufacturing. Dave shares advice for high school graduates entering the workforce, how he maintains the company's values under new leadership, and how he stays relevant.

Shawn Jones is the President of Toyota Material Handling Midsouth, a premier provider of material handling equipment, warehouse solutions, rentals, parts, and service. With over 25 years of experience in material handling, he steers TMH Midsouth's strategy and direction. Shawn empowers employees, delivers value to customers, and fosters a culture of intentional leadership.

With the B2B industry constantly shifting, it's detrimental for businesses and their leaders to remain in their comfort zones. Instead, companies must foster a productive culture by rallying their employees to work toward a common goal. How can you catalyze radical change in your organization?

Material handling leader Shawn Jones differentiates his organization in the market by relentlessly pursuing change and creating a culture that empowers employees in their personal and professional lives. He advocates for defiant leadership, which challenges the status quo and opposes market standards by creating proprietary change management methods. These leaders must partner with other members of the organization to spearhead strategies and support subordinate employees.

In the latest episode of Industry Edge, Michelle Keckler sits down with Shawn Jones, the President of Toyota Material Handling Midsouth, to discuss creating a culture of defiant leadership. Shawn explains the qualities of an intentional leader, how large organizations can foster a cohesive culture, and his daily leadership rituals.

Michelle Keckler is the Co-founder of KNC Marketing, an agency helping B2B industrial companies build their brands. With 15 years of experience in marketing and brand strategy, she has worked for globally recognized brands like Bridgestone Tires and Franke Coffee Systems. Michelle is passionate about building strong brands and helping companies achieve their growth goals.

B2B industrial companies possess strong analytical skills but often lack creative expertise and the resources to execute marketing strategies. How can these businesses communicate their value effectively?

Creative strategist Michelle Keckler emphasizes blending strategic insights with creative designs. Building strong brands requires implementing foundational elements like your company's mission, vision, and values. From there, you can develop tailored marketing plans that include website design, SEO-driven content, and targeted digital campaigns. To ensure ROI, Michelle recommends tracking metrics such as web traffic, social media engagement, and sales conversions, using data to adjust strategies and maximize impact.

In this episode of Industry Edge, Chad Franzen of Rise25 joins Michelle Keckler to discuss KNC Marketing's branding strategies for B2B industrial companies. Michelle also shares the latest B2B marketing trends, how B2B companies can retain top talent, and her experience with Bridgestone's intrapreneur team.

Dustin Dowdy is the CEO of Southeastern Tank, a manufacturer and distributor of water storage tanks and related installation systems. He is also the President of Custom Pump & Controls, which distributes and repairs pump stations and equipment for storm and wastewater applications. As a 20-year water and wastewater industry veteran, Dustin has experience in water storage and distribution, water quality management, and waste and stormwater collection and treatment.

Most entrepreneurs don't start a business knowing how to lead a team. This is especially true for multi-generational business owners who are accustomed to working with family members rather than outside employees. What can you learn from a family business owner who honed his leadership style to leave a lasting legacy?

Industrial-grade entrepreneur Dustin Dowdy never envisioned taking over his father's business. Yet after his father fell ill, he was forced to take the reins and steer the business in a new direction, including hiring employees outside his family unit. Initially, Dustin limited his team by confining them to tasks based on their skill sets. He learned that effective leadership requires investing in your team and allowing them to apply their skills to other disciplines. Leaders must also coach, mentor, and develop individual relationships with each team member based on their unique learning styles, paving a path for them to achieve their career goals.

In today's episode of Industry Edge, Danielle Neely chats with Dustin Dowdy, the CEO of Southeastern Tank and President of Custom Pump & Controls, about cultivating a leadership legacy. Dustin shares stories of investing in employees, his companies' lasting legacies, and how he retains his team for the long term.

Danielle Neely is the Co-founder of KNC Marketing, where she creates custom marketing plans to help businesses increase sales. As a seasoned digital marketer, she has worked in the food service, manufacturing, automotive, finance, and nonprofit spaces. Danielle specializes in content creation, social media marketing, and digital advertising.

In rugged industries like manufacturing, entrepreneurs and other professionals often wonder how to execute strong marketing strategies while balancing operational tasks. How can you develop a customized marketing plan to achieve your growth goals?

Creative marketer Danielle Neely's approach to industrial marketing is comprehensive and innovative, emphasizing rudimentary marketing tactics before leveraging more visible, creative-focused elements. By focusing on brand-building components like web development and developing a solid Google business profile, you can capture initial leads. Once you've established basic awareness and recognition, Danielle says to create consistent messaging and positioning across relevant social channels.

Tune in to this episode of Industry Edge as Rise25's Chad Franzen interviews Danielle Neely, the Co-founder of KNC Marketing, about marketing basics for industrial companies. Danielle talks about founding a marketing agency with her cousin, how she executes internal branding strategies, and her approach to creative marketing in technical industries.

Michelle Keckler is the Co-founder of KNC Marketing, an agency helping B2B industrial companies build their brands. With 15 years of experience in marketing and brand strategy, she has worked for globally recognized brands like Bridgestone Tires and Franke Coffee Systems. Michelle is passionate about building strong brands and helping companies achieve their growth goals.

Danielle Neely is the Co-founder of KNC Marketing, where she creates custom marketing plans to help businesses increase sales. As a seasoned digital marketer, she has worked in the food service, manufacturing, automotive, finance, and nonprofit spaces. Danielle specializes in content creation, social media marketing, and digital advertising.

With seemingly endless strategies to implement, marketing can be intimidating. Businesses often find themselves at a crossroads, deciding whether to invest in the latest digital trends or stick to traditional methods. How can you decide where to focus your efforts and resources to achieve substantial growth and visibility?

As marketers in some of the most foundational industries, cousins and business partners Michelle Keckler and Danielle Neely blend traditional and digital marketing to achieve results for their clients. They recommend starting with the basics, like branding and logo design, to position yourself in the market. A cohesive logo, website design, and brand allows you to promote your business and amplify your message by investing in digital channels with your target audience. These may include Google Ads or social media platforms that can drive leads and revenue.

In the first episode of Industry Edge, Michelle Keckler and Danielle Neely, Co-founders of KNC Marketing, are interviewed by Chad Franzen of Rise25 about marketing strategies for the industrial space. Together, they share their company's mission statement, how they create custom marketing strategies, and what listeners can expect from the podcast's upcoming episodes.