Sportswriter, radio host, emcee, trade publisher – and even a Jeopardy contestant, Bob Vavra's seen it all. But at the heart of everything he is – and always will be – a storyteller. These days, he is senior content director for Machine Design and Power & Motion where he uses his 18 years covering manufacturing to find smart people and give them a forum.

Hear how he has ridden the wave of digital transformation in publishing and what trends he sees in his unique position as a conduit for the industry in this episode of Talking Industrial Automation.

Leading a team of more than 500 people over two continents and four different brands, SAGE Group Managing Director and CEO Adrian Fahey built a resilient company that offers a comprehensive suite of industrial digitalization solutions.

In this episode of Talking Industrial Automation, you'll hear how Adrian and the company founder, Andrew Dunst, built this Australian powerhouse and where he thinks the company is headed next.

A passionate controls system integrator with more than 25 years of industrial automation experience, Sam Cafferata has specific experience in recycling, food processing, bulk material handling, wood products, aerospace and plastics. In this episode of Talking Industrial Automation, you'll hear why Sam's favorite part of his job is helping his team at Concept Systems and partnering with his customers to have fun and succeed.

This episode is sponsored by Xometry.

Hear how Steve March leveraged his 15 years managing marketing, sales and business development efforts for engineering design and system integration firms, to manage Schneider Electrics program and strategy in the U.S. for partnering with companies like those he used to work for in this episode.

Steve also dives into the trends and challenges facing the industry right now -- and what opportunities are cropping up in industrial automation.

Having worked in various capacities within the industrial automation market for nearly 25 years, Brandon Ellis, founder and president of elliTek, funnels his experience into developing elliTek's data commander MES Gateway Appliance and Industrial Internet of Things Appliance, which are designed to simplify secure data movement between plant floor machines at enterprise level databases.

Brandon also founded elliTek University's Training Center where he builds workforce development programs because he is passionate about both teaching and learning from others. And if that's not enough, Brandon is also co-host of elliTek's podcast, Industrial Automation – It Doesn't Have To…

Hear all about it in this episode of Talking Industrial Automation.

Find a need and fill it, goes the old saw, and that's exactly what John Weber did more than 25 years ago when he booted up Software Toolbox.

Hear how he did it -- and a little bit of history -- in this episode of Talking Industrial Automation. Plus, you'll get his advice for selecting vendors and building a career in industrial automation.

You don't often think of unicorns when it comes to industrial automation, but Enterprise Automation just might be the one to change that. With two top-tier, invitation-only certification partnerships -- Aveva and Schneider Electric -- EA is the only integrator in the world that has earned this unique, combo endorsement.

In this bonus episode, EA's Principal Joshua Riley and Business Manager Luke Stephenson recount their origin story as well as what they forecast for the next 24 months.

This episode is brought to you by Aveva.

After starting Thermo Systems in New Jersey in 1998, CEO and President David Musto and his co-founder Gregory Smith have grown the full-service control systems integration firm into a team of 180 plus engineers and controls professionals based in more than 16 locations globally.

In this episode of Talking Industrial Automation, he shares his growth story -- as well as his philosophies about customer service, team building and keeping the talent pipeline flowing.

Digital transformation is not just happening on the plant floor. All areas of a business are getting a digital makeover. Bryan Powrozek of Clayton & McKervey reveals some of the ways the back office can achieve efficiencies -- and even increase revenues -- in this episode of Talking Industrial Automation.

Plus, you'll hear how, after 12 years in the auto industry doing product development and systems engineering for a supplier and then in 2011, he changed careers, and is now a manager in the firm's system integrators practice.