The Allied Advisors Podcast

From the shop floor to the boardroom — Kathy Miller has spent 30+ years leading operations at Rolls-Royce, GM, Delphi Delco, and Parker Hannifin, where she ran a $3B+ business with full P&L responsibility and toured 200+ plants across 24 countries. A 2021 Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame inductee and co-author of Steel Toes and Stilettos, she went back to school at Penn for a master's...

In this episode, host Justin sits down with Keith Gammill, Director of Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions (AMS), the state's affiliate of the National MEP Network. Drawing on nearly 30 years in operations, quality, HR, and continuous improvement, Keith makes the case that the MEP is one of the rare government programs that "got it right" — and walks through how mid-market manufacturer...

Episode Summary Most operators run the shop floor as a disciplined, measurable system and treat the sales pipeline as a black box. Bill Bell spent his career proving they are the same thing. A million dollar deal dies at month nine and the only explanation anyone offers is "the customer went a different direction." That answer is not a diagnosis. It is nothing. In this episode, Bill walk...

What if the single biggest lever for unlocking capacity on your shop floor isn't a new piece of equipment, a new ERP system, or a costly consultant — it's a discipline most mid-market manufacturers have never even considered hiring for? In this episode of the Allied Advisors Podcast, Justin sits down with Dr. Thorsten Wuest, full professor of mechanical engineering and founding program d...

Episode Summary Most mid-market manufacturers don't have a quality problem — they have an acceptance problem. Justin sits down with George Pesansky, a 30-year continuous improvement veteran who has trained 10,000+ professionals across six continents, to unpack the formula behind sustained performance: Success = Quality × Acceptance. George shares why airline kiosks won and self-checkout lost,...

Most manufacturers are great at building things. Far fewer are great at understanding whether those things are actually making them money — and that gap is costing them more than they realize. In this episode, Justin sits down with Allen Engstrom, Managing Director of CFO Network, to break down the financial realities that every mid-market manufacturer needs to understand. With over two decades of...

Episode Description Most manufacturers have experienced the same gut punch: a major improvement project goes beautifully, everyone celebrates, and then six months later you walk back out on the shop floor and it's like it never happened. The problem isn't your people. It isn't your culture. It's the absence of a daily discipline to sustain what you built. In this first-ever sol...

In this episode of the Allied Advisors Podcast , host Justin Goethe sits down with Christian Smith , a results-driven operations executive, former US Army captain, and Lean Six Sigma black belt. Christian has transformed operations and increased EBITDA for major organizations like Danaher, Target, and Nestlé. Today, we dive deep into the "front door" signals of a struggling manufacturer,...

Guest: Jay Carney, Co-Founder and President of My Solution Designs Host: The Allied Advisors Podcast  Episode Summary In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of "Product Wellness" with Jay Carney. While most manufacturers focus on immediate crises, Jay argues that products often suffer from a "slow fade" caused by normalized inefficiencies and hidden operational friction...

Episode Summary In this episode, Justin  sits down with Pat Eardley , a seasoned HR expert with over 25 years of experience. They dive into the common "people issues" that prevent mid-market manufacturing firms from scaling, focusing on the gap between creating policy and actually holding teams accountable. Pat shares her perspective on why "being clear is kind," how to handle...

In this episode of the Allied Advisors Podcast , Justin Goethe sits down with Braydon McCormick , C-suite operator, serial entrepreneur, and Co-Founder & Managing Director of Light Forge Works , to cut through the noise surrounding artificial intelligence in manufacturing. Rather than dashboards, chatbots, and “AI for AI’s sake,” Braydon brings an operator-first perspective on how AI should ac...

In this episode of the Allied Advisors Podcast , Justin Goethe is joined by Reid Klosowsky and Bill Moroney , co-founders of Freight Think LLC and former senior leaders at Bed Bath & Beyond. Together, they unpack why freight and transportation spend is one of the most misunderstood — and most powerful — levers for improving profitability in today’s supply chains. With decades of experience spa...

Allied Advisors Podcast – Episode: Building World-Class Manufacturing Companies with Steve Cook of LFM Capital Guest: Steve Cook , Executive Managing Director, LFM Capital MIT LGO (MBA/MSEE) | Former Dell Plant Manager | Private Equity Operator & Educator 🎙️ Episode Overview In this powerhouse conversation, Justin sits down with Steve Cook , Executive Managing Director at LFM Capital , a priva...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , Justin sits down with Rob Tykal—former President, COO, and VP of Global Operations at organizations like Danaher, GM, Daimler, and Superior Industries—for a deep, practical conversation on supply chain, materials management, and leadership. While the video recording unfortunately cuts out around the 29-minute mark (lesson learned on DSLR limits), th...

Show Notes: The Allied Advisors Podcast — ARDA Episode Guests: Kyle Henson , Co-Founder & CEO, ARDA Uriel Eisen , President & Co-Founder, ARDA (Forbes 30 Under 30) Hosted by: Justin Goethe, Allied Advisors Episode Overview In this episode, Justin sits down with two of manufacturing's fastest-rising innovators, Kyle Henson and Uriel Eisen , the founders of ARDA —the software platform r...

Guest: Drew Lawlor, Managing Partner at Global Chain Consulting Host: Justin Goethe, Founder & President of Allied Advisors Audience: Mid-market manufacturers, supply chain leaders, PE operators, CEOs, COOs Episode Theme: Practical, strategic ways manufacturers can navigate today’s tariff volatility, supply chain complexity, and global risk. ⭐ Episode Overview In this episode, Justin sits dow...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , Justin Goethe sits down with Dan Krouse — founder and principal of a leading supply chain analytics consulting firm — to unpack one of the most complex issues facing manufacturers today: tariffs and trade policy. With over 30 years of global supply chain leadership at Hallmark, including time spent in Asia during the early days of China’s industrial...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , I sit down with Chad Bareither , Founder and Principal of Bareither Consulting Group and author of The Improve Less Improvement System . Chad and I dive deep into what it really takes for mid-market manufacturers to transform their operations — not through tools or slogans, but by leading with principles, discipline, and culture. Cha...

Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with Mr. Winfried Rockensteiner , Global Vice President of Logistics for Bosch Powertrain Solutions, to discuss what it takes to lead large-scale transformations in manufacturing. With more than three decades of experience at Bosch, Mr. Rockensteiner shares valuable lessons from guiding global logistics and supply chain operations through digitalization...

AI isn’t here to replace your team—it’s here to amplify them. In this episode, Justin Goethe sits down with Larry Collett, founder of Larry Collett Consulting Group and Automation Captain, to cut through the hype and show how mid-market manufacturers can get real value from AI right now. Larry shares how to start small by automating repetitive, rules-based workflows—like order admin or reporting—w...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , Justin Goethe sits down with Meg Lanza, Head of Technology at BSH , to explore what it really takes to lead teams through continuous improvement. Drawing from her 20+ years at Bosch and now in home appliances, Meg shares practical insights on: How leaders can align projects with customer needs and strategy Why accountability and follow-up are non-ne...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , I sit down with Blair Dorneanu to explore the challenges mid-market manufacturers face when trying to build a culture rooted in standards and continuous improvement. Blair shares her approach to lean conversion training, why cultural buy-in is just as important as process tools, and the key actions leaders must take to make their lean initiatives tr...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , I sit down with Vincent Nelson, Sales Executive at UNEX Manufacturing, to explore how smart storage solutions transform the way manufacturers handle material. Vincent shares how UNEX products not only maximize storage efficiency but also present materials in ways that improve ergonomics, reduce strain, and enhance overall associate productivity. If...

In this episode of The Allied Advisors Podcast , Chris Mennona, Global Supply Chain Manager for AESC, shares how he applies lean principles to optimize supply chain planning on a global scale. Chris also offers his perspective on the current tariff landscape and how manufacturers can adapt to stay competitive. Whether you’re managing a complex supply chain or looking for ways to reduce risk and wa...