Manufacturing Happy Hour

Curiosity is at the heart of this guest’s leadership style, and it manifests in the projects he is involved in.  

But what does it mean to “let curiosity lead”? And how can manufacturing leaders take this advice on board? 

Joining this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour is Walker Mattox, CEO of Gray Solutions, one of the top 20 largest full-service systems integrators in the U.S. He shares why curiosity shapes how he manages his team and explains why leadership is a journey, not a destination.  

It’s important to remember, the leaders you look up to are still working on themselves. 

Hear his advice on rebrands, workplace challenges, innovation and so much more in this jam-packed episode. 

In this episode, find out: 

• How Walker founded Gray Solutions 
• What it means to be a recovering serial entrepreneur 
• How Walker helped Gray become one of the top 20 largest systems integrators 
• Why leadership is a journey, not a destination 
• The top workplace challenges in 2023 
• How curiosity manifests itself in Walker’s projects 
• Why you should embrace, not fear, innovation 
• How to know when it’s time to adjust your story 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Curiosity leads to a lot of interesting ideas.” 
• “The most important thing is to like what you do every day. Follow the path that feels right.” 
• “If you’re not staying on top of things and innovating, your competitor is.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Kaluz Restaurant, an upscale New American restaurant and bar with three locations in Florida, serving premium food, desserts, wine and cocktails 
• Visit the Gray Solutions website 
• Connect with Walker on LinkedIn 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

Our guest this week is Robert Goldsmith, the Founder and President of Northern Edge Advisors, a boutique investment bank offering M&A expertise and advising for owners of private businesses. As the US experiences a manufacturing renaissance and the next generation starts to enter the manufacturing workforce, buying and selling manufacturing companies is an in vogue topic.

In this episode, Bob discusses what what it means to "build to sell" your business. He covers what makes a business attractive to a buyer, best practices for preparing to sell a manufacturing business, and when to start thinking about selling your business.

Whether or not you’re thinking about buying or selling a company, this conversation touches a lot of topics that we typically discuss on this show, like productivity, automation and robotics technology, and even new business models in manufacturing.

Finally, Bob shares both internal and external factors to be aware when building a business that could one day become a sellable asset.

Make sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Today, we're exploring the future of skilled trades and we're doing this largely by speaking to the next generation of skilled tradespeople and the folks that our training and enabling them. From students to instructors, this episode includes a series of 5 interviews with folks that are part of 3M's upcoming series Clash of the Grinders: Student Edition, a high-stakes grinding and welding competition that pits soon-to-be pros against each other to find the most talented up-and-comers in the skilled trades.

Throughout the series, you'll get to see the competition first hand as these trades leaders face off in welding and cutting challenges, but it's more than just the competition. You'll see emerging trends that these folks will face in their careers, and how new innovations are helping them work more efficiently and sustainably. Plus, the winner receives a game changing $10,000 scholarship sponsored by FANUC.

In this podcast, you're going to get to know a couple of the students that are part of this competition and you'll hear how their careers took them to these new roles as tradespeople that they're stoked to move into. You'll also hear from an instructor, how they're continuing to evolve their curriculum for the modern student and skilled worker, and not to mention the folks that are creating the certifications for emerging technology skills. And finally, you'll hear from a global robotics & automation leader at 3M and learn how they're inspiring curiosity and improving educational outcomes for everyone that wants an opportunity to pursue skilled trades and STEM education.

Overall, this episode is a showcase of many of the different parties involved in developing our future workforce, from educators, to corporations, to - most importantly - the students themselves.

Here's an oldie but a goodie! While Chris was on holiday in Munich for this year's Oktoberfest, that was no excuse not to give you an episode this week. We're diving back in the archives for this episode with Craig Francisco where he shares some of his best mindset, productivity, and podcasting tips from one of his old podcasts: 8 Keys of Sales Excellence. Enjoy the throwback!

Spending time on the plant floor gives you direct communication with your customers. But what’s the best way to gather their feedback and bring it to market quickly? 

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we are joined by Vatsal Shah, Founder and CEO of Litmus, a unified platform for industrial IoT. Vatsal provides down-to-earth digital transformation advice, tips on how to bring customer feedback to life and insights into how companies can contextualize their data. 

Plus, he shares some stories on the history of Litmus, why scale is more important than ever and why the Cloud is no longer just an option. 

In this episode, find out: 

• About Vatsal’s work before Litmus 
• What led him to start and persevere with Litmus 
• How Litmus’ solution works on the plant floor 
• Whether companies are identifying problems themselves 
• Why the Cloud is no longer just an option 
• Why scale is more important than ever 
• How to bring customer feedback to market quickly 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “There are some foundational challenges in manufacturing. The whole journey to overcome them has to be unified. Our platform takes care of the complete journey for manufacturing or industrial customers.” 
• “There was always a fear of the Cloud, but it’s not optional anymore.” 
• “We go on quarterly business reviews with customers to understand where we are hitting limits for our products or ROI restrictions. Understanding is critical.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Connect with Vatsal on LinkedIn 
• Litmus, the only Industrial Edge Data Platform that unifies device connectivity, data intelligence and data integration in a complete Industry 4.0 solution 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

Women have been advancing in the manufacturing workforce for some time, but what actions can leaders in the industry take to continue that trend? 

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we are joined by Allison Grealis, President and Founder of Women in Manufacturing (WIM), a 20,000+ member global trade association that is committed to supporting, promoting and inspiring women who choose to enter the industry. 

Allison discusses what motivated her to launch WIM, how the organization has evolved since and how manufacturing companies can meaningfully attract more women into the workforce. 

Plus, she shares her personal story and how her unique background has helped her make her mark in manufacturing. 

In this episode, find out: 

• What Women in Manufacturing (WIM) do 
• How Allison’s unique background has helped her  
• How her organization has evolved 
• Advice for manufacturing pros addressing gaps in the industry 
• How WIM has contributed to the shift toward more women in the industry 
• Why the organization have three leadership tracks (with potential for more) 
• How leaders can meaningfully encourage more women into the industry 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Manufacturing leaders - as you see gaps in the industry, do your due diligence, see if your company could be the right provider of a solution for that gap, and then take action.” 
• “I quickly realized I could create a community that can be inclusive of all people in all facets of manufacturing.” 
• “Over time, we have worked very closely with our manufacturing members to help design programs that match the challenges they have within their workforce.”  

Links & mentions: 

• Connect with Allison on LinkedIn 
• Follow Women in Manufacturing on LinkedIn 
• Follow Women in Manufacturing on Twitter/X 
• Follow Women in Manufacturing on Instagram 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

Why don’t more young people want to get into manufacturing? 

This week’s Manufacturing Happy Hour guest, Terry Iverson, President & CEO of Iverson & Company, is the author of two fantastic books on the subject. His latest one, Inspiring Champions in Advanced Manufacturing, aims to encourage both students and their parents to give manufacturing a shot. 

We had a great in-person conversation at The Vanguard in Milwaukee to talk about his mission to elevate manufacturing as a career path and to encourage more people into the industry. Terry explains why he thinks manufacturing leaders could be doing more to reach out to young people and bridge the awareness gap.  

While the U.S. manufacturing industry is getting better, we still have a long way to go to finding the next generation of manufacturers. Terry shares some stats on college education and why he believes a European-style rethink on apprenticeships is long overdue.  

Make sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.   

In this episode, find out: 

• Why Terry decided to write a second book  
• What Terry learned from growing up in a manufacturing family 
• Why his mission to get the word out about manufacturing has evolved 
• How the apprenticeship culture is different in Europe 
• Why there needs to be more engagement between schools and the trades 
• Why the “learn and earn” route is a great alternative to college 
• How children’s “maker spaces” work 
• Why the industry still has a long way to go to appeal to younger people 
• How we can get the industry and education system on the same page 
• What the statistics say about reshoring and workforce needs 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “We need the industry and education on the same page. Just like I'm trying to do with the book. I'm trying to connect parents and the child to have conversations more like they do in Europe when they're 14-15 years old about all the different things you could do in manufacturing.” 
• “Parents need to be more informed and more focused on what every given child shines in or is passionate about or has the natural ability to do.” 
• “How many times have you heard a parent say, “I'd give them a toy and they'd have it all apart and then try to put it back together.” That's an engineer or a manufacturer in the making.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Inspiring Champions in Advanced Manufacturing: Discover the Path to a Debt-Free Career, by Terry Iverson (student and parent edition both available) 
• Finding America's Greatest Champion: Building Prosperity Through Manufacturing, Mentoring and the Awesome Responsibility of Parenting, Terry’s first book written in 2018 
• The Vanguard, a locally-owned bar and restaurant located in the heart of Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood serving up house-made sausages and a great whiskey selection 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

In the Navy, every minute of every day is measured and that measurement is called Speed of Advance. In layman’s terms, it means, “I've got a plan and where am I at in that plan?” But how does that relate to manufacturing?  

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we’re joined by Marty Groover, operational technology expert, partner at C5MI and the author of Speed of Advance. He talks about his background in the US Navy and how that experience helped him make a smooth transition into the manufacturing world, which wasn’t exactly as he expected!  

He also touches on why military life is a great introduction to the industrial world and shares his uncanny similarities with Marty McFly! 

In this episode, find out: 

• Marty’s background in the US Navy 
• What he learned from those experiences 
• Marty’s transition to civilian life and entry into the manufacturing world 
• The big differences he had to get used to  
• Why military life is such a great path into the industrial world 
• How Industry 4.0 is evolving  
• What Marty has in common with one Marty McFly!  

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Every minute of every day we're getting measured on this measurement called Speed of Advance. In simplest terms it means, I've got a plan, where am I at in that plan, and how do I maintain my speed as efficiently as possible?” 
• “I learned troubleshooting, solving problems, making sure that system was ready to serve 100% of the time. ‘Cause you never want to go to the Captain and say, I don't know why it didn't shoot, sir.” 
• “If COVID didn't provide a wake up call, it should have. Going to stores and seeing things not in stores, not being able to get what we're used to getting. That just shows you that these supply chains are not resilient.” 

Links & mentions: 

• C5MI, a business transformation firm specialized in the processes and technology that power world-class manufacturing and supply chain operations 
• Speed of Advance: How the U.S. Navy's Convergence of People, Process, and Technology Can Help Your Business Win in the 4th Industrial Revolution, by Marty Groover 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

There’s no escaping AI and automation! But what’s the best way to integrate them into technical college curriculums and provide the next generation of manufacturing professionals with the education they need? 

Who better to answer that question than Richard Barnhouse, President of Waukesha County Technical College? 

Richard joins this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour to share his insights, why he believes Wisconsin is the hub of higher ed transformation and why he strives to provide high-quality AI and automation programs and certificates. 

Plus, he gives advice on getting feedback from the community and tells us why 2023 is the “good old days” of hiring humans.  

In this episode, find out: 

• Richard’s roots in the industry 
• Why he joined Waukesha County Technical College 
• Why he believes industry has been organically evolving at an unbelievable pace 
• The best ways to get feedback from the community 
• How the Wisconsin technical college system can transform higher ed across the country 
• Why it’s Richard’s role to keep manufacturing going in Wisconsin 
• Why WCTC have created AI and automation programs 
• Why 2023 is the ‘good old days’ of hiring humans 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “If you're going to lead an organization that responds to the community, get out there, throw on some boots and get under a machine to see what the real needs are.” 
• “We’re going to see higher education get better. It’s going to become more streamlined, more efficient. It will be forced to improve dramatically in order to stay in business.” 
• “If there are demands for specific programs in our industry, then I’ve got a responsibility to deliver it.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), a public community college featuring forward-thinking programs in automation, AI, and systems integration 
• Artisan 179, a trendy Pewaukee lakeside haunt filled with local art offering organic, select new American bites, and creative cocktails 
• 5 O’clock Club, a storied tavern with a homestyle feel serving American classics, locally sourced produce, and drinks in Pewaukee, WI 
• Follow Waukesha County Technical College on Twitter 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. 

Manufacturing professionals have been talking about the skills gap for a long time now – but when will it finally close? While we don’t have a crystal ball on Manufacturing Happy Hour, we have a guest who comes close.  

Ann Wyatt, President and Agency Owner of Ann Wyatt Recruiting joins the show to share some great insights, advice, and predictions for the future of the industry. Ann’s a long-time listener of the show and has been part of the Manufacturing Happy Hour community for a while now. So, this conversation is long overdue! 

Ann dives into the skills shortage problem, what manufacturers can do to compete for talent, how to remove friction from the recruitment process, and why we need to rethink how we advertise jobs. She also explains why companies need to do more brand awareness and not just rely on job boards to find talent.  

Aside from recruitment and the skills gap problem, we also have some great chats about karaoke, punk rock, and glass blowing. So tune in for a very informative and varied conversation this week! 

In this episode, find out: 

• How manufacturing skill needs have evolved 
• Why we need to look at transferable skills from other industries 
• Why job boards alone won’t attract top talent 
• How to reduce friction in the recruitment process 
• Why company branding is key for advertising roles 
• How manufacturing companies can attract more talent 
• Predictions for the industry in 2-5 years 
• Why Industry 4.0 is important for closing the skills gap 
• How to retain great talent  

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Making sure that you have a short hiring process right now is super imperative.” 
• “We were looking at industrial maintenance individuals from a mechanical perspective. Now we are looking at them from a mechatronics perspective.” 
• “The candidate experience doesn't stop once you go through the onboarding process. I think that you've got to really commit yourself to your culture on a daily basis.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Ann Wyatt Recruiting, providing manufacturing clients with the candidates they need 
• COVID-1985, a great parody cover of Bowling For Soup’s 1985 that your host wrote and recorded in 2020 
• Lipz Lounge, karaoke bar located in Straight to Ale in Huntsville, AL’s Campus 805 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.