The ReForge Podcast

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ bring back Brian Keith (CMO of Chang Robotics) to talk about what an agentically augmented human can actually do, why every town of 10,000 people should have a factory, and what Chang Robotics is building to make that happen. 

If you care about AI, manufacturing, workforce, community, or the future of American reindustrialization, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• How Brian wrote a 41,000 word book in three days using AI while on a client site, and what that means for every knowledge worker 
• Why the factories coming back to America will look nothing like the ones that left, and why that's a good thing for the American worker 
• The case for a factory in every 10,000 person town: distributed production, local talent pipelines, and the return of single earner families 
• How Chang Robotics is replacing overhead with AI agents so factory workers, not corporate layers, capture the economic upside 
• Chang Factory School: the plan to launch a thousand factories per year, fully supported by Chang engineering and AI, at no cost to the founder 

Chapters 

00:00 Meet Brian Keith, CMO of Chang Robotics  

02:32 Writing a 41,000 Word Book in Three Days  

09:18 The Agentically Augmented Human  

23:49 A Factory in Every Town  

29:44 The Dignity of the American Worker  

36:29 Chang Factory School and What's Next 

Guest: Brian Keith, CMO at Chang Robotics  

 Find Brian Keith:  

https://x.com/BrianKeithAI  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/BrianKeithAI 

Find Chang Robotics: 

https://changrobotics.ai

https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Find Matthew Chang: 

https://x.com/MatthewChang 

https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ 

Find Colin Russ: 

https://x.com/ThaaatColin  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/  

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod  

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

 About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics. 

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ sit down with Shawn Maxwell (Chief Operations Officer of Church of Eleven22) to talk about what it takes to scale a 35,000-person-per-week organization, and why the institutions doing the hardest community work may also be the key to solving America's workforce shortage.

 If you care about community, workforce development, manufacturing, faith, or what it actually takes to build a city, this one is for you.

What we cover

• How Shawn went from pioneering broadband deployment at BellSouth and AT&T to running operations for one of the fastest-growing churches in America
• How Church of Eleven22 scaled to 16 campuses, 35,000 weekly attendees, 60 to 70K live online viewers, and 95 million YouTube sermon views annually 
• How AI is now converting Sunday sermons into Spanish content within days, and what that means for global reach
• Why Jacksonville's military bases and prison ministry programs are two of the most underutilized talent pipelines in the country
• Why strong community institutions are the missing ingredient in every reindustrialization conversation

Chapters

00:00 Global Mission Snapshot 

00:43 Meet Shawn Maxwell 

03:04 From Broadband to Church Ops 

07:11 Scaling Eleven22 With Tech 

19:11 Two Talent Pipelines Nobody Is Using 

28:06 What's Next for Church of Eleven22 

Guest: Shawn Maxwell, Chief Operations Officer at Church of Eleven22 

Find Shawn Maxwell: 

https://x.com/ShawnMaxInJax

[email protected]

Find Church of Eleven22: https://coe22.com

Find Matthew Chang:

https://x.com/MatthewChang

https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/

https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang

Find Colin Russ:

https://x.com/ThaaatColin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/

Find Chang Robotics:

https://www.changrobotics.ai/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/

Follow ReForge

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ 

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod 

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/

Want to be a guest or partner?

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected]

About ReForge

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ.

Produced by Chang Robotics.

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ dig into the questions that flooded in after Episode 6, tackling the real decisions facing students, parents, and employers as the workforce shifts faster than anyone expected. 

If you care about education, workforce development, manufacturing, or what to actually tell a 15-year-old right now, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• The decision matrix every student should run before taking on two more years of debt, and when it makes sense to pivot out of a degree entirely 
• Why the US manufacturing sector is facing a shortage of 1.9 million workers by 2033, and why that number is probably understated 
• How a gap year and a PA school decision led to a better career, more kids, and eight years of ER experience before most med school classmates started practicing 
• Why flex shifts and remote flexibility are the single biggest unlock for attracting women and parents back into the workforce 
• Matt's step-by-step roadmap for a 15-year-old: AI projects, paid internships, and why every 18-year-old needs to be somebody's apprentice 

Chapters 

00:00 Gap Years and Real Jobs 

02:56 Finish Degree or Pivot 

11:14 1.9 Million Manufacturing Jobs Nobody Is Talking About 

22:28 The Smarter Path Nobody Recommends 

26:21 The Secret Weapon for Attracting Talent 

36:23 AI Apprenticeship Roadmap 

Find Matthew Chang: https://x.com/MatthewChang https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ: https://x.com/ThaaatColin https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: https://changrobotics.ai https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ X: https://x.com/thereforgepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

 About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics. 

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ sit down with Adam Rossi (CEO of Total Shield) to talk about what it actually takes to acquire a highly specialized American manufacturer, build a 100% domestic supply chain, and ride the coming wave of space industry growth. 

If you care about manufacturing, aerospace, defense, American supply chains, or what real reindustrialization looks like on the ground, this one is for you. 

What we cover 
- How Adam went from scaling a 250-person software company to acquiring Total Shield, a blast and ballistic shielding manufacturer with 20 years of proprietary testing data 
- Why space is now Total Shield's fastest growing market, and what well-funded space startups are actually building behind closed doors 
- A walkthrough of the shielding rooms protecting satellites, fuel tanks, and high-pressure test environments for customers like SpaceX 
- Why Total Shield runs a 100% American supply chain, and why Adam says the real barrier to doing it isn't cost, it's relationships 
- How to use AI to capture the knowledge of a retiring founder before it walks out the door forever 

Chapters 
0:00 Space Startup Boom 
0:49 Meet Adam Rossi 
2:21 From Software to Manufacturing 
5:14 The Hard Truth About Acquiring a Niche Manufacturer 
11:34 Inside the Shielding Rooms 
23:13 The Retiring Founder Problem and What's Next 

Guest: Adam Rossi, CEO at Total Shield 

Find Adam Rossi: 
https://x.com/RossiAdam 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrossi-indie/ 

Find Total Shield: https://totalshield.com 

Find Matthew Chang: 
https://x.com/MatthewChang
https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/
https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ: 
https://x.com/ThaaatColin 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: 
https://changrobotics.ai 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ X: https://x.com/thereforgepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 
If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 
ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics.

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ sit down with Jason Engelhardt (Founder of Silicon Beach) to talk about what it actually takes to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem from scratch, and why Jacksonville may be one of the most overlooked cities in America for innovation and manufacturing. 

If you care about startups, venture capital, community building, advanced manufacturing, or the future of American cities, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• How Jason went from 20 years on Wall Street to building Jacksonville's most active pitch and networking community 
• Why Silicon Beach now runs three pitch events a month, draws 130 to 150 people per event, and has 10 to 15 institutional investors in the room 
• What real hardware innovation looks like: basalt rebar that won't corrode and robotic surgery accessories made in the USA 
• Why Jason is launching a formal incubator and what's missing in most cities that keeps startups from scaling 
• Silicon Beach Development: advanced manufacturing R&D facilities, FDA clean rooms, and military-facing innovation spaces coming to Jacksonville 

Chapters 

00:00 Pitch Events Take Off  

01:00 Meet Jason and Silicon Beach  

09:07 How Silicon Beach Finds and Builds Winners  

18:56 What They Don't Teach You in Business School  

21:32 How Silicon Beach Gets Startups to Exit  

25:21 Silicon Beach Development Vision 

Guest: Jason Engelhardt, Founder at Silicon Beach  

Find Jason Engelhardt: 

https://siliconbeach.ai 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonengelhardt/ 

Find Matthew Chang: 

https://x.com/MatthewChang 

https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ 

https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ: 

https://x.com/ThaaatColin 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: 

https://changrobotics.ai 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/  

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod  

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics. 

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ go head to head on one of the most debated questions in workforce development: is college still worth it, and what should the next generation of American builders actually do? 

If you care about workforce, education, manufacturing, trades, or the future of American industry, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• Why student loan debt is the core distortion driving the college problem, and what happens when universities have no skin in the game 
• How Jacksonville University cut from 100 degree programs to 43, and why that's the right move 
• Why Google, Palantir, and Hadrian are already telling kids to skip college, and what that signals 
• The case for trades: compressed path to entrepreneurship, real skills, and why Gen Z actually wants to build things 
• Matt's advice for every 16-year-old: build a website, get certifications, and stop waiting on a four-year degree to start 

Chapters 

00:00 College vs. Trades Debate 03:10 Student Loans and Hobby Degrees 08:29 Tech Change and Trade Pathways 19:45 Fixing Incentives in Higher Ed 23:23 Alternative Paths and Career Flexibility 27:48 Advice for Teens and Parents 

Find Matthew Chang: https://x.com/MatthewChang https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ: https://x.com/ThaaatColin https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: https://changrobotics.ai https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ 

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod 

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics. 

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ sit down with Richard Schrade (President and Co-Founder of Automation Intelligence) to talk about digital twins, the gap between where industrial automation is and where it needs to be, and a new AI tool that could change how PLC engineers work. 

If you care about manufacturing, automation, robotics, industrial software, or the future of American production, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• What digital twins actually are, how they work, and why the biggest manufacturers in the country use them before touching the factory floor 
• Why Richard is disappointed with the pace of industrial innovation, and why he thinks we're still at 1% of what's possible 
• How narrowing the gap of uncertainty is the real value proposition for capital allocators looking at automation investments 
• The Auto Intel Cloud: making digital twins accessible without expensive hardware or license headaches 
• PLC Forge: the AI-powered tool for PLC engineers that Automation Intelligence is bringing to market now 

Chapters 

00:00 Why Manufacturing Innovation Can't Wait 

01:00 Meet Richard Schrade and Automation Intelligence 

02:54 How Digital Twins Work and Why They Matter 

12:14 Are We at 1% of What's Possible? 

21:14 The Auto Intel Cloud 

25:21 PLC Forge: AI for the Factory Floor 

Guest: Richard Schrade, President and Co-Founder at Automation Intelligence Find Richard Schrade: https://autointel.io [email protected] 

Find Matthew Chang: https://x.com/MatthewChang https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ: https://x.com/ThaaatColin https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: https://changrobotics.ai https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ 

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod 

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics. 

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ sit down with Dr. Nahshon Nicks (Founder and President of Team Nitro MMA) to talk about building the talent pipeline that American reindustrialization actually needs, starting with the kids everyone else overlooks. 

If you care about workforce development, community, manufacturing, or the next generation of American builders, this one is for you. 

What we cover 

• How Dr. Nicks went from inner city youth who couldn't read in fifth grade to earning two PhDs, three black belts, and running an after-school program serving hundreds of kids across Jacksonville 
• Why Team Nitro uses martial arts, mentorship, and exposure to technology to build confidence, discipline, and real workforce skills 
• Students placed in the U.S. Marines, Merchant Marines, colleges, and trade programs, and what it actually took to get them there 
• Why "kids don't want to work" is the wrong diagnosis, and what's really missing in underserved communities 
• Matt's story coaching inner city robotics students at Matthew Gilbert Middle School, and what presence alone can do for kids who have none 

Chapters 

00:00 Exposure Broadens Perspective  

01:08 Meet Dr. Nahshon Nicks  

03:09 Team Nitro Mission and Method  

05:48 From Hardship to Mentorship  

11:12 Success Stories and Robotics Field Trips  

23:11 Civic Leadership and Closing Thoughts 

Guest: Dr. Nahshon Nicks, Founder and President at Team Nitro MMA 

Find Dr. Nahshon Nicks: 

https://teamnitromma.com 

https://www.instagram.com/nahshonnicks/  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nahshon-nicks-6610702a/  

https://x.com/NahshonNicks  

https://www.facebook.com/nahshon.lamir.nicks

Find Matthew Chang: 

https://x.com/MatthewChang 

https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ 

https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ:  

https://x.com/ThaaatColin 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics:  

https://changrobotics.ai 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/ 

Follow ReForge 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/  

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod  

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrial

In this episode, Matthew Chang sits down with co-host Colin Russ to trace his path from a Texas dairy farm to Erie, Pennsylvania, through presidential campaigns, SAP implementations at Boeing and beyond, and into his current mission: building a fully autonomous lights-out factory with Next Industries. 

If you care about manufacturing, ERPs, reindustrialization, workforce development, or small-town America, this one is for you. 

What we cover 
- How Erie represents the opportunity and challenge facing post-industrial American cities 
- Colin's winding path from dairy farming and the Romney campaign to consulting at Capgemini and PwC 
- The real cost of ERP implementations and why a single SAP rollout can run $50M+ in consulting alone 
- Why regulations are a solvable engineering problem, not an excuse 
- Next Industries and the case for fully autonomous, lights-out precision CNC production 

Chapters 
0:00 Meet Colin and Erie  
4:42 Community Impact and Reindustrialization  
8:38 From Dairy Farm to ERP Consulting  
24:26 Making Peace With Regulations  
32:14 Why ERP Projects Cost So Much  
38:14 Next Industries: Lights Out Factories  

Find Matthew Chang: 
https://x.com/MatthewChang 
https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang  
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ 
https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang 

Find Colin Russ:  
https://x.com/ThaaatColin 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ 

Find Chang Robotics: 
https://changrobotics.ai 

Follow ReForge 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/  
X: https://x.com/thereforgepod  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/  
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod  
Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ 

Want to be a guest or partner? 
If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected] 

About ReForge 
ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. 

Produced by Chang Robotics.

In this episode, Colin Russ sits down with Matthew Chang (Founder & CEO of Chang Robotics) to trace the path from building factories across five continents to launching a Christian VC and betting everything on American reindustrialization.

If you care about manufacturing, robotics, automation, venture capital, or the future of American industry, this one is for you.

What we cover

• From ROTC to building factories on five continents before launching Chang Robotics
• AI adoption inside a real engineering firm, and why an internal AI policy is coming
• Why VC has a vintage problem and whether hyperscale data centers are already obsolete
• The Give to Give philosophy: Christian VC, tithing carry, and keeping founders in control
• Why Matt believes we're entering a 10-year manufacturing supercycle

Chapters

00:00 Reindustrialization Kickoff 

01:36 From ROTC to Factory Builder 

15:12 Chang Robotics and AI Tools 

27:25 AI Adoption and Policy 

31:26 Give to Give Venture 

47:57 Manufacturing Bull Run Ahead

Find Matthew Chang: https://x.com/MatthewChang | https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang | https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ | https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang

Find Colin Russ: https://x.com/ThaaatColin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/

Find Chang Robotics: https://changrobotics.ai | https://www.linkedin.com/company/changrobotics/

Follow ReForge

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ 

X: https://x.com/thereforgepod 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod 

Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/

Want to be a guest or partner?

If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected]

About ReForge

ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America. This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing. Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ.

Produced by Chang Robotics.