Inspiring Innovation: Leaders in Manufacturing

It’s time to dive into important aspects of custom manufacturing in the context of legal contracts and agreements. To cover this adequately, we are joined by Chris Proskey, a partner at BrownWinick Law Firm who specializes in patent, trademark and intellectual property. We will cover the importance of defining who owns the intellectual property during the custom manufacturing process. He also stro...

In this episode of Inspiring Innovation, Sean Frost talks with Carla DeShaw, a leading figure in product development and innovation. They delve into product development strategies for product engineers and technology advancements in manufacturing. Carla shares insights regarding various manufacturing processes including RF sealing, Impulse sealing, ultrasonic sealing, and thermoforming, along with...

It’s a dangerous digital world out there, with many threats facing all businesses. In this episode, host Sean Frost is joined by Rob Ward, Polo's VP of IT, who shares his experiences in the company, on his past projects and the role IT plays in the manufacturing industry. He also provides insights into cybersecurity threats, discussing how bad actors manipulate systems and breach security walls, a...

Exploring Manufacturing Trends in the Defense Industry: A Conversation with Ron Houle The episode of 'Inspiring Innovation' features Ron Huell, the founder and president of Pivot Step Consultants, who shares his extensive experience and insights about the defense industry, procurement process and innovative changes in the sector. Ron discusses his involvement with key players such as the Army Nati...

Things are changing rapidly around hiring and retention of team members in a manufacturing environment.  And so I had to get my dad, Al Frost, (he’s an HR professional) on the show to walk through ways to be effective in developing and maintaining a strong workforce. On this episode we discuss: Al’s 15 minutes of fame at the Home Depot The current hiring environment Creative referral programs Mana...

Polo Custom Products CEO Kent Lammers joins the show.  He shares with host Sean Frost how he views the building of culture and innovation at Polo and how critical those pieces are to success in manufacturing. On this episode we discuss: Kent’s Polo journey A balance of technology and finance The keys to a successful acquisition or divesting The secret sauce of product development Serving the custo...

Host Sean Frost shares some of the experiences he’s seen at Polo Custom Products how the team comes together to deliver on its promises to customers. In doing so, we review some of the conversations we’ve been having with manufacturing experts who operate behind the scenes. On this episode we discuss: Seeing the team come together The criticality of products that are made How the role of supply ch...

Five years ago if you started discussing supply chain to someone their eyes would instantly glaze over.  But in today’s post-COVID world, everyone is struggling to keep up and it’s one of the most challenging aspects of running a successful manufacturing business.  Host Sean Frost speaks with Jennifer Fennell, Director of Supply Chain at Polo Custom Products. On this episode we discuss: Adjusting...

Polo Director of Quality, Dawn Silver, joins Sean Frost to talk about how regulations and requirements drive activity across the manufacturing.  Silver has been with Polo for nine years and has a degree in biology and a master's in science. Before Polo, she worked at a contract sterilization company in the greater Chicago land area and fulfilled multiple quality roles. She now works with a broad s...

Whenever someone offers you the opportunity for a plant tour, you can always learn something.  And in the case of Polo Chief Operating Officer Brian Weber, it led him down an entirely different career path. On this episode we discuss: The tour that led to a job offer Working on and racing motorcycles Learning about the variety of manufacturing processes Brian’s career progression Being the Preside...

As a leader in the sales organization at Polo Custom Products, Lyn Lemke has had a front row seat as ideas and designs have turned into products.  She shares what it’s like to be a part of that process with host Sean Frost. On this episode we discuss: Transitioning from retail into manufacturing Differences between industrial and medical product markets The satisfaction of making products that sav...