Ann Franz, executive director of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA), discusses the results of NEWMA’s 2024 Industry 4.0 Talent & Technology Survey. Find out to what extent Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers are using Industry 4.0 digital technologies and what it means for companies’ ability to compete in a global market.

When it comes to protecting your business from cyber attacks, it’s not a matter of if but when. While you may never avoid a cyber attack, there are steps you can take mitigate fallout of such an attack. Hear from Moraine Park Cybersecurity Instructor Matthew Kelly, who outlines the top five ways to protect your data and your company. He also includes bonus content about cybersecurity insurance.

Safety Consultant and Trainer Peter Ullmer talked with us on a potpourri of OSHA topics, including discussion of the top safety violations during fiscal year 2023, how to prepare for an OSHA audit, and details on important 2024 updates to the OSHA rules. It’s a podcast, safety leaders won’t want to miss!

When leaders at Whisker’s Juneau, WI, facility noticed team members were coming in late to work and not caring for themselves, difficult conversations revealed some team members were experiencing financial hardship. Listen to learn how leaders took action and why this company is an innovator in a people-first culture.

What is ALICE? How does poverty affect our workforce? Jo Ann Hall, dean of Economic and Workforce Development, joined us to discuss the extent of poverty in the Moraine Park district and how it impacts our local businesses and the workforce.  Our discussion focused around the ALICE report, a United Way study on the “the working poor”,  or people who are above the federal poverty line and working, but still can’t make it day-to-day on their household budget.

If you were to form a city of all Wisconsinites who live in poverty, the city would be the largest in the State, even surpassing Milwaukee. In addition to the approximately 600,000 people who fit the official definition of impoverished are those who struggle financially, despite having incomes above the poverty level. Chad Dull, principal consultant and CEO of Poverty Informed Practice LLC, joined our Talent Talk to discuss how all of us can better serve individuals living in poverty. He also provides tips for employers looking for the “secret sauce” in reaching and retaining this talent pool. The conversation with Dull is the first in a series about how poverty affects our communities and workplaces.

Stress, burn-out, labor shortages, COVID pandemic, and financial concerns are all factors that are contributing to the perfect storm manifesting mental health issues in the workplace. Max Radcliffe of Aurora Health Care joins us to talk about this timely concern within many businesses, as well as how company and HR leaders can recognize symptoms, take action and destigmatize mental health in the workplace.

Bonnie Baerwald, President of Moraine Park Technical College, celebrated her 30th year at the college in spring 2023. As Bonnie reflected on the past 30 years, she talked about how the college has evolved over the past few decades, the college’s most significant points of pride during her tenure, the college’s opportunities and challenges, and what the future holds for MPTC and technical college education.

Adam Rupp, Co-founder and President of Fond du Lac’s Wisconsin Lighting Lab, Inc, (WiLL), has been doing his part to help change the face of manufacturing. If you walk through the modern WiLL facility, you’ll not only see production of its core product—high-output LED lighting, light poles and wireless lighting controls—but also the passions of Rupp and his team members: a garage for race cars, home brew equipment and musical instruments. MPTC sat down with Rupp for a candid discussion about his company, manufacturing’s reputation and the future of manufacturing. We also discussed how an idea to document the knowledge of long-time employees while Rupp was interning in his dad’s shop grew years later into WiLL’s podcast, WiLLcast™, which keeps listeners up to date on WiLL, as well as Wisconsin happenings and innovations.

In the midst of the Great Resignation, a Gallup poll showed over 47 million people have quit their jobs. Plus, during this time, there are those who didn’t leave but could definitely relate to the term – quiet quitting. Marla Stilwill, MPTC Human Resources Instructor, joined us to talk about this new workplace trend.