Manufacturing Tomorrow

Nate Strum, executive director of Grow Licking County, joined GROW Licking County Community Improvement Corporation in 2015, three years into the CIC’s existence. As executive director, Nate serves as the primary point of contact for business and industry attraction and expansion inquiries about Licking County.

Prior to Grow Licking County, Nate served as project manager of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Industrial Development Corporation. He also worked as a business development specialist in Allegheny County and as planner/zoning administrator for the City of Zanesville.

In this episode, Nate discusses GROW Licking County Community Improvement Corporation’s recent manufacturing strategic plan and its efforts to develop a supportive ecosystem. We also cover the role of economic development professionals in developing regional business and educational partnerships that can help companies thrive.

Bronson Jones is CEO and owner of Banner Metals Group in Grandview, Ohio. Founded in 1921 as a tool and die company, the firm manufactures metal products for industries throughout the world, including aerospace and automotive.

Stephanie Kovach and Amy Nelson, employee and talent program development specialists at Crown Equipment Corporation, discuss their innovative approaches to workforce development practices. The Employee Talent Development Process is designed to engage, innovate, and empower workers at the world’s fourth largest material handling manufacturer.

As Vice President of Breakthrough Innovation for Stanley Black & Decker’s Innovation Accelerator team, Bob Welsh’s focus is to improve and advance SBD’s global innovation processes and impact.

Dr. Barbara Trautlein, PhD, is a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, host of the Women and Manufacturing Podcast, and founder of Change Catalysts LLC. She is the author of the best-selling book, .

While working for Systems and Materials Research Consultancy, Anjan Contractor, CEO and co-founder of BeeHex, invented NASA’s 3D food printer system for deep space missions.The system can "print" dishes using layers of food powders that will have a shelf life of three decades.For the first time, astronauts may enjoy space pizza while meeting the agency’s strict nutritional and sustainability requirements. He further developed his 3D food printer system to accommodate a variety of food consistencies and developed a no-drip extrusion platform for food printing.

Dan Rockwell is CEO and co-founder of Big Kitty Labs, a rapid prototyping digital agency based in Columbus, Ohio. The company was founded in 2009 on the concept that quick prototypes provide a ready foundation to innovation. Big Kitty serves established businesses and startups in the region looking for rapid innovation.

Sundar Veeraraghavan, PhD, is manager of emerging products at UES Inc., a Dayton-area science and technology firm and an R&D 100 Award winner. At UES, he focuses on helping to mature and bring to market the cutting-edge technologies that his colleagues develop in materials science, surface engineering, power and propulsion, lasers and photonics as well as bio- and nano-materials.

John Brandt, CEO and founder of The MPI Group, is an internationally recognized expert on manufacturing and technology with more than two-decades experience devoted to studying leadership in effective, purpose-driven organizations as well as how companies can adapt themselves to today’s new markets, corporate structures, and customer demands.

Jeff Berrie, PhD, is vice president and division manager at BerrieHill Research, a Division of Applied Research Associates. BerrieHill offers expertise in the design and development of antennas, computational eletromagnetics and RF measurements.