What role do technology and automation play in shaping the future of manufacturing? Recorded live at ACM Aerospace Alley, the latest episode of the Made in America Podcast features insights from Brian Montanari (Hapco Industries), Jackie Garafano (CCAT), and Nick Delick (New England Airfoil Products). Together, they explore how technology roadmaps and partnerships like the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) are driving innovation in aerospace and beyond.
Dec 09, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Recorded live from ACM Aerospace Alley, we bring you an insightful panel discussion on Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Join Ari Santiago, CompassMSP CEO and Made in America Host, alongside industry leaders Michael Polo, President of ACMT Inc., and Carleton Birk, President of Birk Manufacturing, as they explore why CMMC is crucial for manufacturers and how to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.
Nov 25, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Monique Iken from PMC-STS, Inc. sits with Ari Santiago to talk about her career journey, off-shoring and fostering the next generation workforce in Manufacturing.
Nov 12, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Randy Hauser, President of Chicago Metal Fabricators, discusses the turnaround and growth of this metal fabricator company with roots dating back to 1908. Randy shares his journey from joining the company as a turnaround specialist to leading it through transformative changes in sales, marketing, and operations. Discover how Chicago Metal Fabricators differentiated itself in a competitive market by investing in large-scale equipment and building a culture of professionalism. Ran...
Sep 09, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Charlie Radcliff, President of Radcliff Wire, shares the impressive journey of his family-owned business. Radcliff Wire specializes in custom-shaped wire, serving diverse industries such as aerospace, medical, and electronics. Charlie talks to Ari about the company's diversification strategy, which came down from his father, and continues today as a mainstay. He also discusses the importance of continuous innovation to stay competitive. Learn how the company leveraged state gran...
Aug 26, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week's episode is not only entertaining, it's also so educational. Aneesa Muthana is a fantastic storyteller with a unique road into her roles. Aneesa is the CEO of both Pioneer Service and M&M Quality Grinding, companies she took over from multiple family members and built to the successful organizations they are today. M&M produces precision centerless ground bar stock and Pioneer Services provides precision machining. Aneesa tells the stories of how she took over each company more than 2...
Aug 12, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we welcome Rick Skidmore, Founder and CEO of Timberlane. Timberlane hand-crafts beautiful, high quality wooden shutters. They have also crafted an incredible company culture thanks to implementing some of the best current business theories on continuous improvement and organizational structure. On this episode, Rick shares how he puts theory into practice building a continuous improvement mindset into the company culture. He talks about scalability, goal setting, and chunking down thos...
Jul 29, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are so many fascinating niche businesses in manufacturing, and this week's episode is one of them. Park City Packaging manufactures specialty packaging for vital, large, and/or dimensionally complex aerospace parts so they can be safely and securely shipped across the country or across the world. Owen Polzello, the next generation leader and current VP of Operations, talks to Ari about the risks and rewards the company has taken over the years. They discuss Owen's background and passion fo...
Jul 15, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In sectors of manufacturing that remain "dirty jobs", like foundries and casting, it's even more important to have a fantastic company culture, where word of mouth brings in new employees and liking what you do is paramount. On this episode, Ari talks to Chris deGruchy, Principal and General Manager of Cast Rite Metal, about his company culture that keeps people engaged with transparency and care. Chris tells Ari about his business journey and they talk about the puzzle pieces that make up a gre...
Jul 01, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Discover how AtmosAir's groundbreaking bipolar ionization technology has been a game-changer for indoor environments. President and CEO, Steve Levine, delves into the challenges of proving the technology's efficacy and its eventual adoption by professional sports teams. Steve discusses the technology's significant impact on energy costs, absenteeism in schools, and improvements to work environments. With 300% growth in three years and successful tests against viruses, AtmosAir is making a substa...
Jun 17, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's episode, discover how the multifaceted company, Virginia Industries - consisting of Hartford Technologies' (balls and bearings) and Bingham and Taylor (access solutions for water and gas) - has navigated nearly 100 years of twists and turns to stay relevant. Laura and Ari discuss many tough decisions the company had to make along the way. They talk about a strategic shift to overseas production and shutting down segments of the business to stay competitive. On the flip-side, they ...
Jun 03, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode, Kate Hampford Donahue, CEO of Hampford Research, discusses the transformative journey of taking over her father's specialty chemical company. Without a background in the chemical industry, Kate embraced a new kind of leadership, using skills gained throughout her early career. She recounts the pivotal support of Vistage, a CEO peer-to-peer group, that provided her with invaluable insights and support. Kate shares her initial challenges from discovering the company was in a poore...
May 20, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adapting and thriving through uncertainty and change is one thing that Jack Birtwell, President and Owner of Porter Preston, knows well! On this episode, Jack shares his journey and how he turned a career setback into a successful enterprise. He and Ari delve into the importance of supportive partnerships - both his business partner and his wife have been instrumental to the company's start and success. They talk about what makes a successful partnership. Jack also talks about the fun and positi...
May 06, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Learn how you can save money on your electricity or even make money from it, while also making your power infrastructure more reliable and sustainable! In this episode of Made in America, Ari talks to Christina Lampe-Onnerud, CEO of Cadenza Innovation, about the transformative potential of battery storage technology. Christina discusses how Cadenza Innovation's approach to battery storage can significantly increase safety, reduce electricity costs, enhance grid resilience, and promote sustainabl...
Apr 22, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wanna be inspired by the next generation of manufacturers? Watch this episode! This week's guest discovered a passion for manufacturing that led not only to her current role at Accuturn Manufacturing, but also to designing programs that teach the next generation about manufacturing. Rani Viroja, Quality Engineer and a 2nd generation leader at Accuturn talks about her company, her story, and the Advanced Manufacturing Employee Partnership (AMEP). Rani tells Ari about Accuturn's focus on being mor...
Apr 08, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast A company that values good culture values its employees. In this episode we learn all about Dymotek, specialists in plastic molding, from their CEO, Shelley Fasano. Shelley talks to Ari about the history of the company - how their entrepreneurial founders believed in finding the right people for the right job and continue that tradition today. We learn about Shelley's manufacturing journey - a great women in manufacturing story. And we discover how she aligns the company's Core Values with every...
Mar 25, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sustainability, customer focus, core values, and relationships are what this episode is all about. This is a compelling conversation with Jaclyn Epstein, COO of MICA Corporation, a pioneer in water-based primers for sustainable flexible packaging solutions. Discover how Mica Corporation is revolutionizing the industry with a customer-focused approach and a commitment to environmental stewardship ingrained in the company's DNA. Jaclyn also shares insights into documenting the company's core value...
Mar 11, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast As technology like Augmented (AR), Virtual (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) as well as AI become better and better, the use cases for business continue to grow. In this week's fascinating episode, Ted Dinsmore from SphereGen Technologies explains what these technologies are and how they can be used to solve complex business challenges. After initially serving the medical industry, Ted realized that AR/VR/MR and AI could make a big impact on manufacturing as well. In this episode, Ted walks Ari throug...
Jan 15, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Farrel Pomini is a 175 year old company that has been through multiple iterations of their manufacturing journey - and still survives! In their latest iteration, they are a leader in research, design and manufacture of compounding systems for the polymer processing industry. In this episode, Ari talks to Paul Lloyd, President of Farrel Pomini, about the history of the company and Paul's role for the past 30+ years. They dive into the sustainability of the plastics industry and the innovation tha...
Jan 08, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast CCATs technology adoption programs and funding opportunities for small and medium sized manufacturers keep growing and developing, so we are always happy to hear from Ron Angelo, President & CEO about their latest and greatest programs. Ron tells Ari about continuous improvement over the years at CCAT and how they are focusing in on areas like training and technology adoption. They discuss programs like the Digital Thread Lab, Additive Adoption Program, and Digital Transformation Program - which...
Jan 02, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast The manufacturing industry is constantly talking about workforce recruitment and retention. It's been a big topic on the podcast for several years, as well, and approaches are changing. This week, we're sharing some of the recruitment and retention secrets that you may have missed during this year's episodes. We've pulled together some of the best tactics from great leaders across the state to help you make some additions or changes to your recruitment and retention strategy. We also threw in so...
Dec 26, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Medical device reprocessing is a fascinating niche of medical manufacturing that we haven't yet discussed on the podcast! In this episode, Craig Allmendinger, CEO of Northeast Scientific (NES), shares the remarkable journey of NES. This a story of some serious perseverance! Discover how NES navigated substantial early challenges, overcame massive regulatory hurdles, and established credibility in a tough market. Ari and Craig talk about the innovation needed to continue and to compete, as well a...
Dec 18, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does it mean to make mechanical watches the traditional way? Think made-by-hand, incredibly tight tolerances, and exceptional attention to detail! That's what you get with Love Hunter Watches, an exclusive luxury watch manufacturer bringing back American watch manufacturing. On this episode, we welcome Love Hunter owner of Love Hunter Watches and learn about his fascinating journey and his obsession with watchmaking. Love talks about his unique road to entrepreneurship, the inspiration his ...
Dec 11, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Carey Manufacturing is a 2nd generation manufacturing company specializing in latches, catches, and handles. With 10-15000 unique parts, their catalog is massive! On this episode, Ari and talks to Alison Carey-Lynch about coming into manufacturing and learning her way through the company. Alison talks about her time working with Paul Lavoie, CT's Chief Manufacturing Officer, and how his leadership helped move Carey forward and inspired her. Ari and Alison talk about the value of manufacturing co...
Dec 04, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you combine entrepreneurial spirit, customer collaboration, and technology, you get a well-run company that leans into technological advancements. That's what we're learning about in this episode with Sam Simons, President of OEM Controls On this episode, Ari and Sam talk about OEM Controls, which specializes in industrial joystick controllers as well as Internet of Things (IOT) hardware that allows data from the customers' machines to be collected and analyzed. Ari and Sam talk about what ...
Nov 27, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, join us for two more excellent interviews recorded live at the Aerospace Components Manufacturers Aerospace Alley tradeshow on November 1. Dorothy Carlone, General Machine and John Bau, Quinnipiac University steal the show with their great positive energy! Dorothy Carlone, VP of General Machine, talks to Ari about coming into her families company after her father's sudden passing 13 years ago and falling in love with manufacturing. She discusses her involvement with ACM as well as her...
Nov 20, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, join us for 3 fantastic interviews recorded live at the Aerospace Components Manufacturers Aerospace Alley tradeshow on November 1. Chris Kielb from Advance Welding, Amy Thompson from CCAT and Jim Reeser from Production Metals share their views on the value of the event, as well as what their organizations are involved in. Chris Kielb, President of Advance Welding, talks about the value of getting involved in the ACM, his background, and Advance Welding. He shares some secrets to gett...
Nov 13, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Designing a flat roof that can stay on during high winds is no small feat, but Tom Kelly has done it using basic science principles and a new kind of sustainable construction board called Kelly Green Board. On this episode, Ari talks to Tom Kelly, Owner of 2001 Company and Kelly Green Products about his roof design that vacuum seals onto a building. Then they discuss the new board (like plywood) that Kelly Green Board is manufacturing out of recycled and unused plastics that is changing the face...
Nov 06, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The only constant in life is change! What would you do if your product or service was made obsolete by new technology? Throw in the towel or take a deep look at the business to pull together an entirely new business idea? In this week's episode, Ari speaks with Ryan Bower of Verico Technology about the history and future of this company that took an innovative look at their capabilities to discover they have untapped and unique expertise to bring to the market. This is a story of discovery, inno...
Oct 30, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Architectural lighting may not be something you think about often- but most people notice when it's really great or really bad! In this episode, Allie Schieffelin, Owner and CEO of The Lighting Quotient, talks about lighting design and engineering and how this 100+ year old company has shifted with the times and trends. Did you know that LEDs made a HUGE shift in the world of lighting? Neither did we…but the pendulum swings both ways and the direct lighting sources which dominated early LED ligh...
Oct 24, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
