Curt Anderson, author of the fantastic book “Stop Being the Best-Kept Secret: Manufacturing eCommerce Strategies,” and eCommerce Evangelist for Manufacturers at Ecommerce MGMT, is an eCommerce whizz with some great tips to share. In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Curt shares how he first dived into the world of eCommerce. He explains why he wants to help manufacturers get on that path too. He discusses the common mistakes that custom manufacturers make and why they should “niche down”...
Dec 15, 2020•36 min•Ep. 32
Lisa Ryan has one of the most unique trajectories that you’ve ever seen in the industrial sector. She’s gone from welding to med device sales to where she is now as an author and keynote speaker that helps manufacturers solve their employee engagement and retention challenges. In addition to writing books like Manufacturing Engagement , she’s the Founder of Grategy, a training & coaching business dedicated to helping leaders keep their top talent from becoming someone else’s. In this episode...
Dec 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 31
Chris goes solo in this episode to share a podcast version of a keynote he recently gave at Content Marketing World 2020. While the majority of podcasts have less than 1,000 listeners per episode (and that's okay!), today you're going to learn how to make tens of thousands of impressions with every episode you release. Whether you're a brand or an individual that's considered adding a podcast to your content strategy - or maybe you already have one within your content repertoire - today's show c...
Nov 24, 2020•27 min•Ep. 30
We have a short episode for you this week folks, and it's because there are some exciting updates coming to Manufacturing Happy Hour! Tune in to hear all the details on Chris' latest career move, a new partnership, and an honest reflection on 11 years spent working for Rockwell Automation.
Nov 03, 2020•18 min
We have another security episode in store for you this week. We’re talking to Mark Carrigan, the COO of PAS Global, a company that reduces process safety risks and delivers software solutions that prevent, detect, and remediate cyber threats. In this episode, we kick things off by defining what “OT integrity” means while taking on some misconceptions about cybersecurity. We also discuss establishing a culture of safety and security in the process industry before covering the impact that digitali...
Oct 27, 2020•32 min•Ep. 29
Andrew Johnson is a supply chain innovator, speaker, and the CEO of ShelfAware. After being raised in and working for his family’s industrial business O-Ring Sales and Services, ShelfAware developed out of that company and now provides an RFID-powered solution that gives wireless traceability to a manufacturers’ inventory. In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Andrew takes us behind the scenes to look at ShelfAware’s origin story. We hear how much he learned growing up in a family busines...
Oct 13, 2020•48 min•Ep. 28
Kiley Summers is a manufacturing leader turned financial services entrepreneur. He’s the Founder of SpenDebt, a financial technology company that helps people payoff debt through micropayments in every day transactions. But prior to that, he came up through the ranks in engineering, operations, and business unit leadership at PepsiCo. In this episode, Kiley takes us through his journey to becoming an engineer, a leader in manufacturing, and ultimately, an entrepreneur. Kiley shares stories about...
Oct 06, 2020•44 min•Ep. 27
It’s the final episode of our Sales & Marketing Game Changers mini-series! Chris is responsible for hosting duties this week, and he’ll be joined one last time by 5 other sales & marketing experts to take on the topic of leadership in 2020. In this last installment of our 4-part series, we’ll be sharing our observations about leadership since the world changed in March 2020. Our panelists will each boil leadership down to a single word, share stories of where they’ve seen leaders emerge,...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 4 min
What are the top solutions for manufacturers that we’ve come across in our first year of this podcast? This week, we’ll be sharing the best technologies and companies we’ve come across through our podcast interviews and virtual events since we started the show last summer. From technologies that address the workforce skills gap to those that reduce your bottom line without sacrificing new business and revenue, these companies are taking on the biggest issues facing manufacturers in 2020. Make su...
Sep 29, 2020•13 min
Welcome back to another episode of our Sales & Marketing Game Changers mini-series! The third edition of our 4-part panel discussion features Chris and 5 other sales & marketing gurus sharing their thoughts on the most pressing topics for B2B business leaders in 2020 and beyond. Are there things getting in the way for you and your organization to make sales? Part three is all about identifying and eliminating those roadblocks impacting sales and marketing. We share our perspectives on th...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 8 min
We’re moving right along in our Sales & Marketing Game Changers mini-series! In the second edition of our 4-part panel discussion, Chris is once again joined by 5 other sales & marketing experts to take on some of the most pressing topics for B2B business leaders in 2020. In part two, we’re shifting the focus from marketing to sales as we discuss the importance of listening, tracking outcomes, and creating a marketing strategy that is all about the customer. Said another way, it’s not ab...
Sep 18, 2020•58 min
Jason Ray is the CEO of Paperless Parts, a company on a mission to make manufacturing more accessible. After spending 8 years in the Navy in leadership roles ranging from Supply Corps Officer to Additive Manufacturing Lead, Jason co-founded Paperless Parts, and through their cloud-based sales and quoting software solutions, he's helping job shop manufacturers quote faster, win new customers, and increase revenues. In this episode, Jason takes us through his story as a military leader and how it ...
Sep 15, 2020•52 min•Ep. 26
Welcome to the Sales & Marketing Game Changers mini-series, a 4-part bonus edition of Manufacturing Happy Hour where we’ll be tackling the most pressing topics facing B2B business leaders through weekly panel discussions. Your host Chris Luecke is joined by 5 other B2B sales & marketing experts to take on some of the most pressing topics for business leaders in 2020. In our first edition of the Game Changers, we’ll be focusing on authentic, modern marketing. We start by debunking some of...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Wendy Covey from TREW Marketing rejoins us for a bonus episode where we get into the details of content marketing to a technical audience. In this short episode, we’ll cover the specifics of both publishing and promoting content. We start by focusing on a company’s website as the primary publishing platform and why it needs to be an effective marketing tool, from responsiveness to frequency of updates, even to the code behind it. We also cover why having a marketing automation platform and an in...
Sep 04, 2020•16 min
Wendy Covey is a maven of technical marketing. She is the CEO & Founder of TREW Marketing, an agency that educates middle-market engineering companies on technical buyer behavior and how to utilize inbound marketing and sales methodologies to generate more demand. She is also the creator of Content Marketing, Engineered, a podcast, book, and now a digital training course focused on building trust and converting technical buyers with compelling content. In this episode, Wendy shares plenty of...
Sep 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 25
Joe Sullivan has been making his mark on B2B marketing for well over a decade. He's the Founder of Gorilla76 , an industrial marketing agency that helps mid-sized B2B manufacturers identify, attract, engage, and drive sales opportunities with ideal-fit customers. Most recently, he launched The Manufacturing Executive Podcast , a show focused on conversations with passionate manufacturing leaders who have compelling stories to share about their successes and struggles. In this episode, Joe gives ...
Aug 25, 2020•54 min•Ep. 24
We’re back with the Q&A segment of our live fireside chat in this bonus episode on the brewing industry. This time, the attendees from one of our recent “virtual happy hours” with our Manufacturing Happy Hour Industry Community get to ask the questions. We discuss why people, process, and technology are so critical to digital transformation in brewing, while tackling recent events and their impact on brewers. From COVID-19 & remote work to flexibility in markets like Germany where purity...
Aug 11, 2020•35 min
We invited a panel of industrial brewing experts onto one of our recent “virtual happy hours” with our Manufacturing Happy Hour Industry Community , and the conversation was too good not to turn it into a podcast! This episode features a fireside chat that we co-hosted with Steve Grundy, the Founder & CEO of Top 5 Solutions , who assembled a rockstar cast of beer industry leaders, including: Connor MacDonald, a Brewing Automation and Controls Expert at McRae Integration Stephen Rich, Brewmas...
Aug 04, 2020•31 min•Ep. 23
Jim Quinn knows a thing or two about successfully scaling companies. Throughout his long career as an operations leader, Jim has optimized supply chains for profitable growth at companies like Apple, FitBit, and Applied Materials, just to name a few. Jim is now the CEO at Plethora , a company that provides flexible Manufacturing as a Service options for making custom parts in as fast as 3 days. In this episode, we discuss how Plethora’s novel software automates the quoting, DFM, and CAM processe...
Jul 28, 2020•52 min•Ep. 22
When it comes to digital transformation in manufacturing, no one has more experience and passion than Bob Murphy. Bob is the Sr. VP of Connected Enterprise Consulting at Rockwell Automation and one of the organization’s leaders that led Rockwell through their own digital transformation across their global manufacturing facilities. In this episode, Bob links up with Scott Feldmann from Accenture’s Industry X.0 team to share the strategies and stories of a successful enterprise-wide MES implementa...
Jul 14, 2020•40 min•Ep. 21
Galina Antova is a security savant and the Co-Founder of Claroty , a leader in cybersecurity for operations technology for critical infrastructure. But, we cover a whole lot more than attack vectors and the current security threat landscape on today’s show. In this episode, we kick off our interview discussing OT security strategies before moving to discussions on startups, managing rapid growth, and taking on unconscious bias in the workplace. Galina has thrived as a leader in a male-dominated ...
Jun 30, 2020•49 min•Ep. 20
How do you rebrand an iconic St. Louis beer that’s 169-years-old? You need to understand the cultures it connects with, create a customer base that drives the brand forward on your behalf, and have passion that allows you to make courageous decisions. No one knows this better than master marketer and “conductor of creativity” Corey Smale. Corey is the Brand Manager for Stag Beer , one of Pabst Brewing’s regional beers. Over the past year, Corey has reshaped the brand while still respecting its h...
Jun 23, 2020•51 min•Ep. 19
In this last episode of our cybersecurity mini-series with Rockwell Automation, we’re switching our focus to industrial control system product security. This includes an overview of security standards like ISA/IEC 62443 and how they apply to ICS providers of products and services. Seasoned security experts Megan Samford and Shoshana Wodzisz jump on the show this week to walk us through our topic. With their focus on global product security, we’ll dive into how ICS security fits into critical inf...
Jun 19, 2020•32 min
We probably all remember where we were when news started to break about COVID-19 shutting down the world around us. Dan Stutterheim was at the NCAA Big 12 Tournament when he got word that sports – and everything else – were going on hiatus. As it became clear that life as we know was about to change, he quickly doubled-down on protecting his team and his business. Dan is the CEO of Kasa , a Salina, KS-based controls and automation company that is known just as much for their resilient culture as...
Jun 09, 2020•42 min•Ep. 18
We just finished discussing what manufacturers can learn about operations and customer experience from the amusement park industry, so now let’s have some fun. Josh Liebman from the AttractionPros podcast is back for another episode, only this time, it’s all about roller coasters. Josh and I have each ridden our fair share of coasters around the world and it’s a wonder that we kept this episode to less than an hour. We’ll be sharing some of our favorite rides, trips, and stories about some of th...
May 29, 2020•56 min
Do you love roller coasters? Great! Then you’ll love this episode! Once you look behind the curtain, amusement parks are basically one giant industrial operation. Today, we’re going to be pulling some manufacturing lessons from the world of attractions and entertainment. From ride operations to consulting, Josh Liebman has made a career out of having a fun. He’s the co-host of the AttractionPros podcast and has worked in the amusement industry for over a decade. Having picked up a thing or two a...
May 26, 2020•54 min•Ep. 17
Asset inventory. Anti-malware strategy. Risk assessments to look at your overall OT readiness. There are more than a few investments that need to be made to have a robust industrial cybersecurity program. But it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing, let alone a massive capex investment. In this episode, Rockwell Automation’s Global Services Portfolio Commercial Team Lead Kamil Karmali returns to Manufacturing Happy Hour for the 3rd installment of our cybersecurity mini-series. Kamil first takes us ...
May 15, 2020•43 min
Tim Shope and his team at Avid Solutions are redefining what it means to be a systems integrator. While they specialize in process control and integrated solutions, they’re taking their craft a step further and offering true industrial IoT solutions, from wearables to remote access. In this episode, Tim and I discuss smart manufacturing in the context of the collaborative work Avid has been doing with CESMII : The Smart Manufacturing Institute. We’ll discuss the impacts of AI on controls program...
May 12, 2020•27 min•Ep. 16
“Shiny Object Syndrome” is a big issue when it comes to cybersecurity investments. That last thing you want to do is invest a lot of money into cybersecurity solutions before having a grasp on the fundamentals. In this second installment of our cybersecurity mini-series, we’ll cover the basic steps all enterprises should take to improve cybersecurity. Umair Masud – Rockwell’s Director of Technical Security Oversight to the CISO – will walk us through the the fundamentals of cybersecurity, focusi...
Apr 28, 2020•33 min
Welcome to the first ever Manufacturing Happy Hour mini-series. For the course of this 4-part series, we’ll be teaming up with Rockwell Automation’s cybersecurity team to bring you actionable security advice for industrial manufacturers. Steve Ludwig – Program Manager for Safety & Security at Rockwell Automation – joins us for our first episode. We start off with the basics as Steve shares why cybersecurity matters and why it’s a vital piece of a digital transformation journey; security isn’...
Apr 17, 2020•38 min
