Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

As new manufacturers step into ownership, one challenge shows up faster than almost any other: building a team. Before you can scale production, invest in automation, or grow revenue, you need people — and not just any people, but a workforce that can grow with the business. That's where this conversation fits. In this episode,  MakingChips  is sharing a powerful discussion from  Manufacturing Exe...

Kicking off a new year often comes with big goals, bold plans, and fresh momentum. But before chasing what's next, we decided to slow down and focus on something more foundational: our core values. In this episode, we share the behind-the-scenes process of defining the values that will guide  MakingChips  through 2026 and beyond. With the help of Jim Mayer, we took the ideas, behaviors, and instin...

We've kicked off a lot of years on MakingChips , but never quite like this. To start 2026, we decided to try something completely different. Instead of bringing on a shop owner, a technology provider, or an industry expert, Mike and Paul invited three artificial intelligence chatbots to join the conversation. No prep calls. No talking points. Just live questions and real-time answers from  Miles  ...

As we close out 2025, we're wrapping up more than just a year. This episode marks the conclusion of the Machine Shop MBA  series, a collaboration with CLA and  Modern Machine Shop  built around insights from the Top Shops benchmarking program. What started as a practical exploration of shop metrics ends with a much bigger question: what truly separates shops that survive from shops that endure? Fo...

Some episodes are planned. Others are produced. And then there are episodes like this one—where the setting, the people, and the moment all collide into something memorable. For the 500th episode of MakingChips, the team gathered once again  At the Boring Bar  for an unfiltered, bourbon-fueled roundtable with leaders from across the manufacturing ecosystem. Recorded live at Roush Yates Manufacturi...

What happens when a machine shop does everything right operationally but still feels exposed when markets shift, customers pull back, or one industry cools overnight? In this episode of MakingChips, the conversation turns squarely toward one of the most uncomfortable and misunderstood areas of manufacturing leadership: proactive sales and diversification. We're joined by Gabe Draper, founder of Fa...

Some conversations feel scripted. This one… absolutely did not. Larry Robbins walked in ready to talk life, passion, family, culture, workholding, philosophy, and whatever else popped into his head — and somehow it  all  connected back to manufacturing. This episode of MakingChips is one of the most unhinged, hilarious, honest, and wisdom-packed conversations we've ever recorded. Larry has been in...

In this special episode of MakingChips , we broadcast from the EBITDA Growth Systems Double Your Value Planning Event—a gathering designed to pull shop owners out of the day-to-day grind and force intentional thinking about long-term growth. This year's event was hosted at the Sandvik Coromant facility in Mebane, North Carolina, creating a perfect backdrop for conversations about planning, strateg...

In this episode of MakingChips , we sit down with  Charlie Hushek , President of Phoenix Heat Treating, whose family has been in the heat-Treating world for over a century . Charlie is a fifth-generation heat Treatinger—but his leadership story is anything but inherited. When he stepped into the business in 2020, he wasn't handed stability. He was handed a crisis. Within a matter of months, Phoeni...

Top Shops 2025 brought together the most innovative, forward-thinking leaders in manufacturing—and this year's gathering at the NASCAR Hall of Fame felt like stepping directly into the winners' circle. Surrounded by the energy of hundreds of top-tier manufacturers, we sat down with the four shops recognized as the crème de la crème in their categories: Technology, Shopfloor Technology, Business St...

When you walk into IMTS—the International Manufacturing Technology Show—it's easy to be awestruck by the machines, the energy, and the sheer scale. But few people realize just how much planning, logistics, and collaboration go into bringing that experience to life. In this episode of MakingChips , we sit down with  Mark Kennedy , Senior Director of Exhibitions at AMT, to get a behind-the-scenes lo...

We're coming to you once again from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit in Washington, D.C.—the largest gathering of small business owners in U.S. history. This time, we're joined by two inspiring leaders from the Metalworking Nation who prove that the heart of American manufacturing beats strongest in small towns and family-run shops. Our guests,  Jenny Steffensmeier , owner of  Stef...

We're coming to you live from Washington, D.C., at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit —the largest gathering of small business owners in U.S. history. With more than 2,700 entrepreneurs in one place, the energy is electric, and the conversations are powerful. Among them is our guest,  Brandon Dahms , owner of  Innovative Manufacturing & Engineering (IME)  in Des Moines, Iowa. Brandon...

In this powerful installment of the Machine Shop MBA  series, we welcome two guests who embody the heart of continuous improvement:  Noah Goellner , President of AME and Hennig, and  Nick DeGeorgia , Manufacturing Engineer at P1 Industries. What starts as a story of one listener's journey—from cutting chips to becoming a lean champion—evolves into a masterclass on how  lean thinking  transforms no...

Every machine shop relies on outside processes—whether that's heat treating, plating, grinding, or coating. But every time a part leaves your building, your risk profile changes. Quality, timing, and accountability become harder to control. In this episode of  MakingChips , the hosts sit down with  Charlie Hushek , owner of  Phoenix Heat Treating  and a newly minted machine shop owner, to unpack w...

Finance doesn't have to be a mystery—it can be your greatest advantage. In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA  series, we sit down with Jon Hughes, Erik Skie, and Mike Estes from  CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)  to unpack the financial principles that separate high-performing shops from those that just get by. Together, they dig into how manufacturers can transform their accounting systems from mere c...

What happens when two brothers with a racing background decide to start a machine shop—with zero machining experience? You get Olson Custom Designs, a company that's gone from two Haas machines in 2014 to nearly 90 employees today—serving medical, defense, and aerospace industries out of a world-class facility in Indianapolis. In this episode, we sit down with Mitch and Brian Olson to unpack the r...

Recruiting and retaining great people is one of the biggest challenges in manufacturing today—but what if the solution isn't just about wages or benefits, but about building a culture where people thrive? In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA  series, we are joined by guest co-host Jon Franko and special guest  Mike Tamasi , CEO of AccuRounds, a former  Top Shops  award winner for Human Resource...

Leadership is more than a buzzword—it's the backbone of every successful machine shop. In this episode of MakingChips—Machine Shop MBA, hosts Paul Van Metre and Jen Dubose sit down with Kyra Tillman, owner of BTM Industries, to explore what real leadership looks like on the shop floor and in the front office. Kyra inherited a decades-old family shop steeped in tradition and transformed it into a f...

In this special MakingChips Machine Shop MBA episode, we sit down with Peter Doyle—CEO of Hirsh Precision—to unpack what it takes to grow and transform a machine shop with purpose. From his roots as an Air Force officer to leading a former Top Shops award winner, Peter has blended strategy, structure, and heart into a roadmap any shop leader can learn from. Peter shares why strategic vision is mor...

If you've ever lost sleep wondering whether you missed a critical detail in a quote—or felt the adrenaline of winning a job only to realize you underpriced it—this MakingChips  episode is for you. Recorded live at FABTECH 2025, Nick sits down with Jason Ray, founder of Paperless Parts, to unveil a breakthrough tool that promises to transform how shops handle complex RFQs, drawings, and bills of ma...

Every machine shop leader knows you can buy the best equipment, implement cutting-edge automation, and have bulletproof processes—but without the right team and culture, growth will stall. In this episode of  MakingChips Machine Shop MBA , we talk with Matt Wardle, President of JD Machine, about how he transformed a small Utah shop into a 210-person powerhouse by prioritizing people and culture ov...

Every machine shop has a story—and Chad Schmidt has made it his mission to tell them. As a sales engineer + content creator, Chad blends his technical background with a passion for storytelling. He creates authentic shop tour videos that shine a spotlight on the people, culture, and values driving the manufacturing industry. His YouTube channel has quickly gained traction, giving machinists and sh...

Running a machine shop isn't just about cutting chips—it's about managing the numbers that make the whole operation possible. In this Machine Shop MBA episode of  MakingChips , the team sits down with Jon Hughes of CLA to tackle one of the most overlooked yet critical parts of shop ownership: financial strategy. Many shop leaders rise through the ranks of the shop floor without formal financial tr...

At the heart of every successful machine shop isn't just the parts it produces—it's the experience it delivers to its clients. In this episode of MakingChips  (part of our Machine Shop MBA series), we sit down with  Andy Reinwald , President of Ripley Machine, to unpack what it really takes to deliver an excellent client experience in manufacturing. Andy shares his journey of stepping into leaders...