Most of our guests to-date have been from small to mid-sized manufacturing companies that are family or local owned. But, what happens to a family business when it can no longer stay "in the family". David Philbrick from MW Industries/Economy Spring discovered first-hand and tells the tale! This is a great success story about family, culture, growth, and investments. It's a different story than most, but then again, so is Dave's story! Dave Philbrick started in Manufacturing completely by accide...
Nov 12, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast What's a "Marc-ism"? On this episode of the Made in America podcast, Ari talks to Marc Nemeth, President of Jonal Laboratories and we get a glimpse into his list of "Marc-isms" - fantastic sayings and euphemisms that he uses regularly to guide his business! With years of manufacturing experience in his 2nd generation family business, Marc has an incredible depth of knowledge in working with OEMS, adopting his customers problems, making big decisions, and staying in front of the wave. But there w...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode focuses on one of CT's greatest manufacturing dilemmas, workforce development, with a member of the community who is working to help find solutions, Bill Villano, President of Workforce Alliance. Workforce Alliance's "Skill Up for Manufacturing" program is a 5-week solution designed to quickly channel people into entry-level manufacturing jobs by providing the fundamentals that employers need. Ari and Bill discuss all about workforce development in CT: where we've been, where we are...
Oct 29, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is why we started the Made in America podcast…episodes like this that provide incredible value to anyone who listens! Westminster Tool has quickly become known throughout CT for their incredibly forward thinking solution to workforce development and business in general: focus on growing your people and the rest will take care of itself! Ray Coombs, President of Westminster Tool, describes how this change started, what they've done, the investments they've made, and how it has made and conti...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is not much we don't cover in this interview with Jamison Scott, VP of Air Handling Systems and Executive Director of the New Haven Manufacturer's Association. Jamie talks about Air Handling Systems as a family business - where they came from and where they're going. He talks about some of the great things they've done with their technology and marketing, the importance they place on customer service, and how they retain a younger workforce. Jamie has so much respect and belief in the incr...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast This incredible interview covers so much manufacturing ground! Glenn Ford, President of Phoenix Manufacturing has an incredible background in and knowledge of the aerospace industry. Ari and Glenn talk about the history of precision machining, the capabilities of CT's aerospace valley, and the importance of globalization to small aerospace. Then they move on to ways to improve your company, from uncovering your core values, to developing company culture, to recruiting and training talent. Ari an...
Oct 08, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Willington Nameplate has done incredible work changing with the times to keep their business in the forefront of manufacturing. In this episode, Brett Greene, President of Willington Nameplate, talks to Ari about their successful efforts to rebrand the company and modernize its marketing. They also discuss the company's search for continuous growth in areas like recruitment, employee growth, and communication. Brett discusses his own unique career development and how he began to focus on working...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Severine Zygmont, President of OPM Biomedical, has the passion, curiosity and patience required to be a great leader. In today's episode of Made in America with Ari Santiago, Severine dives into her own background, the history of Oxford Performance Materials (OPM), and the innovations that have brought OPM to the forefront of medical manufacturing technology. On top of that, Severine shares her clear excitement and passion for the technology and manufacturing communities in CT. She talks to Ari ...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Har-Conn is in the enviable position of being at the top of their game in the aerospace industry in CT! But it hasn't always been that way. Tim Backus, President/CEO of Har-Conn, talks about how they have developed, changed, and continued to not only rise, but thrive, over the years. Har-Conn has seen tremendous growth in workload that also necessitates tremendous growth in workforce. Tim talks about hiring and retention strategies; leadership development programs; the open book policy that help...
Sep 17, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Darius Kania, VP of Lynn Welding, has amazing clarity of purpose in everything he does. This episode is chock full of great ideas that he has successfully implemented in his own company. From Marketing to Sales to employee growth and development, Darius talks about so many lessons he's learned and improvements he's made. Learn about the risks his family has taken and the rewards they have achieved. As an immigrant, Darius still truly believes we live in the land of opportunity. His focus is to c...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is an inspiring podcast episode that you don't want to miss! On this episode of the Made in America podcast, we've got Marty Guay, Vice President of Business Development at Stanley Black & Decker. Marty talks about Stanley's vision of Hartford as a world epicenter of advanced manufacturing. Stanley's Manufactory 4.0 recently opened in Hartford is meant to be a hub of manufacturing technology innovation - Industry 4.0 - as well as the location of their Techstars startup accelerator. Marty an...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lynda Prigodich, CEO of Atlas Stamping and Manufacturing Co, loves her work and her industry and it shows in everything she does. In this interview, Lynda shares some of the lessons she has learned while discovering how to lead her company through the ups and downs of the aerospace industry. Lynda and Ari discuss a wide range of topics from women in manufacturing to robots to recruitment and retention. Discover the programs that helped guide her, the decisions that helped shape Atlas and the pri...
Aug 27, 2019•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast According to the Harvard Business Review, only about 10% of all family businesses survive to the 3rd generation. So how did Chris Jewell, CFO and Principal of Collins and Jewell beat the statistic to not only survive but thrive? Listen to Chris's story of the growth and development of Collins and Jewell from a small boiler company in 1946 to today's 35,000 sq. ft facility for custom steel fabricating and industrial installations providing services for the likes of Electric Boat. Chris talks to A...
Aug 20, 2019•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're going to learn a lot from this incredible interview! This episode's guest, Jason Howey, CEO of Okay Industries, explains how everything they do is really focused on the relationship with their customers. He describes the "Okay Way", a set of pillars that help define the values, behavior, mission and vision of Okay industries. This approach to workplace culture, as well as building a "blameless culture" permeates every action and decision. In addition, Jason and Ari discuss research and de...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this podcast, Ari's guest is Paul Lavoie from Carey Manufacturing. Ari and Paul talk about so many topics including: Paul's incredible journey to manufacturing Reshoring from China Manufacturer's recruitment secrets Growth in the "Amazon era" And so much more! You can watch this podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/itdirect151/ Follow the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MadeinAmericaPodcast/ Carey Manufacturing: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carey-man...
Aug 06, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the first episode of Made in America, Ari welcomes manufacturing leader, Jeff Whittaker, President of American Cladding Technologies (ACT) in East Granby, CT. Jeff talks to Ari about his leadership journey, his love of solving problems and how ACT has worked past its initial growing pains to develop and grow after spinning off from their parent company. You can watch this podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/itdirect151/ Follow the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/...
Jul 30, 2019•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are so excited to introduce the Made in America podcast - the only podcast for manufacturers in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Join Ari Santiago every week as he speaks to manufacturing leaders that are thriving in their industry. Learn the secrets of their success in video or audio format! You can also watch this podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/itdirect151/ Ari Santiago is the President/CEO of IT Direct - www.gettingyouconnected.com Podcast produced by Miceli Producti...
Jul 24, 2019•43 sec•Transcript available on Metacast 
