Material Handling Masters Podcast

How Companies Preserve Expertise While Preparing the Next Generation In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards speaks with Lisa Ryan, founder and Chief Appreciation Officer of Grategy to explore how companies can preserve critical knowledge as experienced employees retire and technology reshapes the workplace. As longtime employees approach retirement, some of an organization’s most valu...

How Courage, Optimism and Honest Feedback Drive Better Decisions In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards speaks with Kristen Ziman, former Chief of Police for Aurora, Illinois, about leading through uncertainty, challenging traditional leadership expectations and finding the courage to act. Kristen reflects on entering a profession where she was frequently underestimated and eventually...

The MHEDA Quarterly Economic Advisory Report, published by ITR Economics, provides an in-depth look into the latest economic data and forecasts specifically focused on the material handling industry. Topics discussed in this episode include 2027 economic outlook, K-shaped economy, Inflation and interest rates, Material handling industry outlook, the MHEDA markets dashboard and more.

How to Evolve a Business Without Losing What Made it Successful In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards speaks with Nate Andrews, President of Morse Manufacturing, about leadership, business continuity and guiding an established organization into its next chapter. Nate reflects on his path into the family business and the experiences that prepared him to lead. He shares why future lead...

Explore the Skills, Mindset, and Leadership Habits Every Emerging Leader Needs to Succeed In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards speaks with Brittany Neish, founder of What You Do Matters and host of MHEDA’s NextGen Virtual Series, about building stronger leadership skills through care, compassion and self-awareness. Brittany explains why leaders don’t need to have all the answers, ex...

Introducing the Quarterly Industry Sentiment Analysis In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards welcomes Tim Dawson, Chief Research Officer at Interact Analysis, to discuss MHEDA’s new partnership with Interact Analysis and the value of industry sentiment data. Tim shares how sentiment reports help capture the industry’s collective outlook by measuring trends in areas such as new orders,...

In the July 2026 Economic Advisory Report, MHEDA presents insights from ITR Economics specifically focused on the material handling industry. The MHEDA Quarterly Economic Report, published by ITR Economics, provides an in-depth look into the latest economic data and forecasts. This report is designed to equip MHEDA members with critical insights to help navigate market trends, understand economic...

Building a Workplace People Want to Be Part Of In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards sits down with Meredith Shay, Owner & CEO of InCord, and Robin Ritz, Owner & VP of Sales and Marketing at InCord, to discuss what it takes to create a workplace culture employees genuinely want to be part of. Recognized as a top workplace year after year, InCord shares how intentional leaders...

What to Expect at MODEX 2026: Insights from MHI In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards sits down with Daniel McKinnon, Chief Exhibitions Officer at MHI, to explore what attendees can expect at MODEX 2026—one of the largest and most influential trade shows in the material handling industry. Daniel shares a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s event, highlighting new show floor feature...

In the April 2026 Economic Advisory Report, MHEDA presents insights from ITR Economics specifically focused on the material handling industry. The MHEDA Quarterly Economic Report, published by ITR Economics, provides an in-depth look into the latest economic data and forecasts. This report is designed to equip MHEDA members with critical insights to help navigate market trends, understand economic...

How Leaders Build Teams People Don’t Want to Leave In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Katie Richards sits down with Joe Mull, author, founder of Boss Hero School, and speaker at the 2026 MHEDA Convention, to explore what it truly takes to build a workplace where employees want to stay. Joe shares insights from his research and experience in leadership development, challenging common assumptions...

Consolidation, Competition, and Opportunity Industry consolidation continues to reshape the material handling landscape as private equity investment, acquisitions, and strategic mergers accelerate across the market. In this episode of Table Trends, CEO Lauren Reed joins MHEDA board members to discuss how consolidation is influencing competition, customer relationships, and long-term business strat...

AI as a Business Tool, Not a Buzzword As artificial intelligence rapidly evolves, material handling companies are moving beyond curiosity and into practical application. In this episode of Table Trends, CEO Lauren Reed is joined by MHEDA board members to explore how AI is reshaping operations, decision-making, and customer experience across the industry. From contract reviews to service automation...

Workforce Dynamics and the Next Generation of Leadership As workforce expectations continue to evolve across the material handling industry, companies are navigating new challenges around engagement, accountability, and leadership development. This episode of Table Trends brings together CEO, Lauren Reed and MHEDA board members to discuss how shifting workforce dynamics are influencing the way org...

In the January 2026 Economic Advisory Report, MHEDA presents insights from ITR Economics specifically focused on the material handling industry. The MHEDA Quarterly Economic Report, published by ITR Economics, provides an in-depth look into the latest economic data and forecasts. This report is designed to equip MHEDA members with critical insights to help navigate market trends, understand econom...

Experience, Execution, and the Future of Competition As the material handling industry looks toward 2026, competitive pressure is intensifying—particularly in the storage & handling and systems integrator space. New entrants, adjacent industries, and acquisition-driven expansion are reshaping the landscape, raising important questions about differentiation, execution, and long-term customer tr...

Raising the Bar on Customer Expectations As customer expectations continue to evolve across the material handling industry, speed, transparency, and partnership are becoming critical differentiators. In this episode of Table Trends, industry leaders discuss how dealers, integrators, and suppliers are adapting to these changes while maintaining healthy margins. The conversation explores the shift f...

Navigating Uncertainty and Opportunity As the material handling industry looks ahead to 2026, uncertainty around geopolitics, tariffs, and supply chain volatility continues to shape customer behavior and business strategy. This episode of Table Trends brings together MHEDA leadership and board members to discuss how these external forces are influencing pricing, purchasing decisions, and long-term...

Building an Intentional Culture That Drives Performance Company culture doesn’t happen by accident — and when it’s done right, it can transform everything from employee engagement to business performance. In this episode, host Katie Richards sits down with Al Curnow, Vice President of CultureWise, to explore why culture matters, how leaders can shape it intentionally, and what consistent reinforce...

In the October 2025 Economic Advisory Report, MHEDA presents insights from ITR Economics specifically focused on the material handling industry. The MHEDA Quarterly Economic Report, published by ITR Economics, provides an in-depth look into the latest economic data and forecasts. This report is designed to equip MHEDA members with critical insights to help navigate market trends, understand econom...

Leading with Passion and Purpose In this episode, Katie Richards sits down with Lauren Reed, MHEDA’s newly appointed CEO, to discuss her journey from cold calling in the material handling industry to leading the association into an exciting new chapter. Lauren shares how her early experiences at Concept and Storage Solutions shaped her leadership style, the mentors who encouraged her to “dream big...

The Art of Negotiation In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Shari Altergott, CEO of  The CX Edge , sits down with Fotini Iconomopoulos, negotiation and communication expert, author, and keynote speaker, to discuss how to confidently navigate difficult conversations, from salary discussions to high-stakes boardroom meetings. Fotini, a featured speaker at MHEDA’s upcoming 2025 Women in Industry Conf...

Century Strong: Adams Inc’s Journey In this episode, Katie Richards chats with Tim Hager, President and Owner of Adams, Inc., headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Adams, Inc. is celebrating an incredible milestone — 100 years in business — and Tim shares what it means to carry that legacy forward while preparing for the next century. From a team of six making a lasting impact, to celebrating a ce...

Master Manager Program In this episode of MHEDA Talks, host Shari Altergott, CEO of The CX Edge , continues the conversation on MHEDA’s Master Manager Program . Returning guest Jeremy Wall, President of GoalMakers and program facilitator, is joined by Jim Ripkey, President of Hy-Tek Intralogistics and long-time MHEDA member and contributor. Together, they explore the critical skills of goal settin...

Master Manager Program In part 1 of this 2-part episode of MHEDA Talks, host Shari Altergott, CEO of The CX Edge , is joined by Mike Vaughan, CFO at Thompson & Johnson Equipment, and Jeremy Wall, co-founder and CEO at GoalMakers, to discuss MHEDA’s Master Manager Program . Now entering its fifth year, this 10-week hybrid program blends self-paced online learning with live biweekly Zoom session...