Manufacturing Culture Podcast

Anoosheh Oskouian came to the United States alone at fourteen years old. She had convinced her father to let her leave Iran before she finished high school, the same way she had once convinced her parents to change her birth certificate so she could start school early. She landed in Denver, finished high school at George Washington High, and then the revolution back home turned Iranians into targe...

The Shop Floor Social came to Dallas, and the room was full of people who run the floors. Hosted by Jim Mayer and brought to the community by Hexagon, this live session of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast put three local leaders on the panel: Chase Auker, a quality metrologist at Firefly Aerospace who measures everything from rocket engines to lunar landers; Andy Mears, who leads intelligent fact...

Becca Wolfinger did not set out to run a machine shop. She figured she would cheer her husband on from the sidelines after he left the military, went to school to become a machinist, and got tired of working for people whose only answer was "we've done it this way for twenty years." Then the website needed building, and the LLC, and the logo, and one by one, Becca did all of it herself. Before lon...

Erich Baur could have gone a hundred different directions. Engineering degree from UC Davis. Peace Corps in Guatemala. Fluent in Spanish. Music minor. Instead he swept floors at a Fortune 100 aerospace shop, fell in love with precision machining, and spent the next several years going deeper into every corner of the industry: process engineering, sales, programming, supervision, consulting. Six mo...

Chris Hutson spent 30 years in manufacturing as an industrial engineer, maintenance manager, field service leader, and now VP at MaintainX. He's seen the inside of Fortune 500 operations and developed over 25 people who are now directors or above. In this conversation, Chris and Jim go deep on what drives reliability in manufacturing. It's not the technology. It's the people side: coaching, develo...

Johnny Goode spent a decade as a patrol officer, narcotics detective, and SWAT team member in Bloomington, Indiana. When his dad offered him a seat at the family machine shop six years ago, it made zero sense on paper. Today, MSP is having its best quarter in 83 years. In this conversation, Johnny and Jim cover what law enforcement actually teaches you about leadership, how to dismantle a toxic cu...

Adam Crandall almost became a pediatrician. One afternoon in an OR changed everything. Twenty years later, he's the CRO of Addtronics, a private equity-backed automation platform that's doing something the industry rarely sees: actually protecting the culture of the companies it acquires. In this conversation, Adam's second time on the show, Jim and Adam go deeper than their first episode. They ta...

Steven Gao grew up in a small town in China, taught himself computers, then made a snap decision at 18 to study mechanical engineering instead — a choice that took him from a Chinese university to Germany, to a GM joint venture, and eventually to Tesla's first gigafactory outside the US. Now he's building what he calls an AI manufacturing engineer: software that can do everything from reading cust...

Dustin Bowe grew up in the Bahamas dreaming of becoming a pilot, stumbled into a P&G plant tour in college, and never looked back. Now a manufacturing software founder, Dustin brings a rare combination of electrical engineering, cybersecurity, and frontline leadership experience to one of the industry's oldest problems: we ask people to run faster without giving them the tools to actually do i...

Sam Fritz didn't plan on ending up in manufacturing. He studied mechanical engineering at Texas A&M, took a sales job at Keyence to get out from behind a desk, and started walking into factories across Illinois. Something in those buildings got him. Four years and hundreds of facilities later, he's Area Sales Manager at Banner Engineering, still walking in doors, still paying attention to what...

Jim Mayer interviews Kerry Burns, founder of Mason Road Manufacturing, about his diverse career in manufacturing, the importance of hands-on creation, and the future of manufacturing skills. They explore the value of local manufacturing, DIY innovation, and fostering a culture of safety and creativity. Key Topics Kerry Burns' diverse career path in manufacturing and farming The importance of hands...

In this episode, Aaron Kolosic shares his 25-year journey through manufacturing, leadership, and mentorship. He discusses the importance of culture, resilience, and personal growth in the manufacturing industry, offering valuable insights for leaders and aspiring professionals. Key Topics Manufacturing leadership journey The role of culture and mentorship Resilience and overcoming overwhelm in lea...

In this episode, Jim Mayer interviews Todd Smith, CFO of AMFT, who shares his unconventional journey from banking and law to manufacturing leadership. They discuss company culture, private equity, industry misconceptions, and the future of manufacturing, emphasizing the importance of trust, technology, and investment in people. Key Topics Todd Smith's career journey from law to manufacturing The i...

This bonus episode was recorded live at Hexagon's Shop Floor Social in Nashville — and it did not go the way a typical panel discussion goes. Jim sat down with Kieth Bieger, Global Metrology Specialist and CMM Programmer at Destaco; Todd Prettyman, Director of Global Quality at Gibson; and Michelle Bangert, Managing Editor of Quality Magazine. The room was full of quality professionals, and that s...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, Jim Mayer interviews Kyle Ellis, the leader of Torque Manufacturing. They discuss the transformation of a machining business into a brand that emphasizes craftsmanship, clarity, and strategic thinking. Kyle shares his journey into machining, the importance of culture in the workplace, and how he rebranded his company to reflect authenticity. Th...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture podcast, host Jim Mayer speaks with Steve Shebuski, a seasoned professional in the supply chain and warehousing industry. They discuss the complexities of supply chain management, the importance of workplace culture, and the role of innovation and technology in improving processes. Steve shares his unique journey into the field, the challenges he has fa...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer speaks with Kevin Tamanini, an expert in industrial and organizational psychology, about the critical role of leadership in manufacturing. They discuss the importance of culture, values, and succession planning, as well as the evolving landscape of leadership development in the face of technological advancements like AI. Kevin sh...

Live from Tempe, this Shop Floor Social brings together manufacturing leaders for a straight conversation about what actually changes after technology hits the shop floor. This isn’t about hype or digital buzzwords. It’s about reality. Better data doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them. It changes how people make decisions, how teams communicate, and how work actually gets done. The panel dig...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer speaks with Justin Keskel, a multifaceted expert in CNC machining and modern manufacturing. They explore Justin's journey into the trades, the importance of mentorship, and the evolving culture within manufacturing. The conversation delves into the daily challenges faced by machinists, the significance of processes and attention...

In this episode, Jim Mayer interviews John Albers, a retired Marine Colonel and founder of Albers Aerospace, about the critical importance of rebuilding America's manufacturing base as a national security strategy. John shares his insights on the fragility of the current industrial base, the significance of culture in manufacturing, and the balance between digital engineering and skilled trades. H...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer welcomes Jared Reining, a skilled machinist and entrepreneur, who shares his journey into the world of manufacturing. Jared discusses his early experiences in the trade, starting from a casual job in his uncle's machine shop to becoming a proficient machinist at PharmaMed Automation. He emphasizes the importance of hands-on exper...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer welcomes Daniel Stanphill, a passionate figure in the electronics manufacturing industry. Daniel shares his journey from stumbling into manufacturing to becoming a business owner and eventually finding his niche at Aurora Boardworks. He discusses the transformative moment when work became more than just a job for him, fueled by c...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, host Jim Mayer speaks with Chuck Coxhead about the importance of evolving manufacturing practices and company culture. They discuss the need for leaders to abandon outdated thinking, the significance of differentiation in a commoditized market, and the transformative changes in business practices post-2020. Chuck shares his journey in the RF ca...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture podcast, host Jim Mayer speaks with George Pesansky, a global authority on operational excellence. They discuss the importance of workplace culture, the need for systems over people in problem-solving, and the leadership gaps in manufacturing. George shares insights from his extensive experience in various work cultures and his transition to nonprofit w...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Culture Podcast, Jim Mayer speaks with Andrew Johnson about the intricacies of manufacturing culture, the importance of authenticity in leadership, and lessons learned from early-career failures. They discuss the dynamics of family businesses, the challenges of innovation, and the evolution of ShelfAware as a digital inventory management platform. The conversat...