Rust Belt Rundown

Our guest this week is Hector Hernandez, Inside Sales Specialist at Xaloy!

Xaloy is a global leader in screw, barrel, and front-end component manufacturing. Headquartered in Austintown, Ohio, they have been a long-time partner of Rust Belt Recruiting. (Listen to Episode 71 featuring Trudy Cheney of Xaloy)

Hector was recently placed in his new role with Xaloy through Rust Belt Recruiting. We are thrilled to have him join us to share more about his candidate experience and his career in the manufacturing industry.

In this energetic conversation, Paul and Hector discuss Hector’s foray into podcasting, how he uses positive thinking to motivate himself, and how he has utilized that perspective in his past management roles. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with a career in manufacturing. 
Hector’s food recommendations are TownHall and Sol. Connect with Hector on LinkedIn.

This week our guest is Rosemary Mudry, Executive Director of the Cleveland Public Market Corporation (CPMC), a non-profit focused on Cleveland’s iconic West Side Market. 

In this episode, we learn about the roots of the West Side Market, what makes it so unique, and how CPMC is working to preserve that. 

Rosemary offers us insight into why the shift to a non-profit happened and how it allows CPMC to be more nimble in approaching challenges and opportunities. She also shares with us the long-term vision of the market and the efforts they are taking to implement new programs. 

Residing on the East Side, Rosemary’s restaurant recommendations include L'Albatros for drinks on the patio and Tommy’s for a family-friendly option.

Connect with Rosemary on LinkedIn to stay up to date with CPMC’s efforts and check out westsidemarket.org for more information on the market. 

Our guest this week is Terrence Southern, Founder & CEO of Robotopia, an Advanced Automation Systems Integrator and Workforce Development company. 

Terrence is a nationally recognized thought leader, strategist, and consultant in the manufacturing automation industry and we are thrilled to have him on the podcast! 

In this episode, Terrence shares his career journey, his dedication to making STEM education accessible and exciting for the next generation of our workforce, and what the future looks like for his various endeavors. 

Connect with Terrence on LinkedIn to stay up to date with all things robotics!

Other Links:

This week our guest is Jason Therrien, the President & CEO of thunder::tech, an integrated marketing agency. 

In this episode, Jason shares how thunder::tech has expanded over the past 25 years, including how he’s evolved as an entrepreneur and leader. 

He shares his expert insight into the dynamic world of modern marketing with us, focusing on employer branding. He offers actionable advice for small to mid-size manufacturers on developing and leveraging a strong employer brand. 

Jason’s restaurant recommendations include Momocho, a modern Mexican spot in Ohio City, and Mendoza’s in Port Clinton, a hole in the wall with unbeatable burritos.

Follow Jason on LinkedIn to stay up to date on marketing trends.
Check out thunder::tech and their employer branding resources here.

Our guest this week is Lindsay Fleuriet, the Creative Director of Postindustrial Media. We are thrilled to have our second guest from Postindustrial Media join us to give an update on all things Postindustrial. (Listen to Episode 64 featuring Carmen Gentile of Postindustrial Media) 

In this episode, Lindsay offers us insight into her role as Creative Director and how she helps to shape the artistic direction of the publication’s narrative and their other efforts.

We also learn about her childhood growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, and how her family’s background lends itself to helping tell stories about postindustrial communities, the throughline of them being optimism about reclamation, shown through art. 

Lindsay’s restaurant picks are in Youngstown where you can find the best Italian food in Ohio! Avalon, Wedgewood and Elmton are her top picks for pizza.

Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn and learn more about Postindustrial Media at postindustrial.com.

In celebration of National Skilled Trades Day (May 1st, 2024), we are joined by Neftali “Nef” Sanchez of Martindale Electric Co.!

Nef was placed by Rust Belt Recruiting at Martindale in 2019. He shares with us how that opportunity came to be and what his experience working with Rust Belt was like.

He has found great success in his time at Martindale and he shares with us the positive relationship he has maintained with his employer and the opportunities that a career in the skilled trades has afforded him such as a college degree and his journeyman title. 

This week we are joined by Scott Paul, the President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM). 

AAM is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership formed in 2007 by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. Scott shares with us how the AAM was formed and what they are currently doing to advance their mission of strengthening American manufacturing. 

Scott and Paul discuss the renaissance of skilled trades and other manufacturing trends such as reshoring and electric vehicles. Scott provides insight into the stories he helps to tell on AAM’s podcast, The Manufacturing Report. He also shares with us the experience of making AAM’s first documentary, Relighting the Flame, which tells the story of how a new generation of workers at Cleveland-Cliffs facilities are defying enormous odds to rebuild and grow America’s steel industry, right in the Industrial Heartland.

Scott is a Penn State grad so he cites The Tavern in State College, Pennsylvania as his favorite restaurant. (“For the nostalgia more so than the food!”) 
Connect with Scott Paul on LinkedIn or follow him on X, @ScottPaulAAM.

Our guest this week is Bob Businger, the Chief Financial Officer of Ramco Specialites Inc.! 

In this episode, Bob shares what Ramco does and how they have grown in recent years, aided in part by their partnership with Rust Belt Recruiting. 

He gives us insight into how he operates as their CFO and we get his take on AI in the finance industry, along with other manufacturing trends such as investing in automation and reshoring.

His favorite restaurant picks are Barrio, Kasai Sushi in Wadsworth, and Angelo’s Pizza in Lakewood. 
Connect with Bob Businger on LinkedIn.

This week we are joined by Trudy Cheney, the Vice President of Global Human Resources at Xaloy.

In this episode, we hear from Trudy about her career journey and how she ended up in HR, specifically HR for industrial businesses. Trudy and Paul discuss all things HR - what HR really is, how to strategically work with partners to achieve your HR goals, HR trends, and more. 

We also hear about Trudy’s involvement with the Mahoning Valley Manufacturer’s Coalition (MVMC) and her upcoming involvement with Ashland University’s Women In Leadership Program.

Trudy’s restaurant recommendations in the Youngstown area include YOSTERIA and The Elmton. 

Connect with Trudy Cheney on LinkedIn. 

Our guest this week is Brendan Anderson, the Founding and Managing Partner of ScaleCo Capital. ScaleCo Capital is a Cleveland-based lower middle market private equity firm that focuses on control-oriented leveraged buyout and growth equity investments in fast-growing companies based primarily in the Great Lakes region.

In this episode, we heard from Brendan about how he got his start in private equity, lessons in entrepreneurship through acquisition, and his personal and professional journey with EOS.

Brendan’s Cleveland restaurant recommendation is Pizazz Pizza in Shaker Heights for its family-friendly vibe.

Connect with Brendan Anderson on LinkedIn or click here to learn more about ScaleCo.