The TechEd Podcast

Cummins is a global giant in power generation. Their focus on R&D has produced some of the world's most innovative solutions in industries like automotive, rail, marine, mining, construction and agriculture. To design and create the most high-tech products, Cummins has embraced Industry 4.0 in its manufacturing and supply chain operations, deploying technologies like collaborative robots,...

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce ( WMC ) is on a mission to make Wisconsin the best place in the nation to do business.  The state's largest business association was recognized as the State Chamber of the Year in 2020 by the Council of State Chambers (COSC), primarily for its innovative efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In this episode, we talk with WMC's President and CEO Kurt...

The KOHLER brand is recognized worldwide for everything from kitchen and bath appliances to generators and hospitality. But they're also known for their social impact initiatives, which seek to improve the lives of their associates, community members and individuals across the globe. In this episode,  Laura Kohler, the company's Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Stewardship and S...

The University of Wisconsin-Stout prioritizes applied learning, career-focused education and collaboration, leading to a 97%+ placement rate for its students! The model of a polytechnic university is truly unique and is perhaps the best way to prepare our students for today's highly skilled careers. In this episode, we're talking with UW-Stout's Chancellor Dr. Katherine Frank and In...

The Fender brand is synonymous with all things rock n' roll. But what does it actually take to build a Fender guitar? In a fascinating discussion with Ed Magee, Executive Vice President of Operations at Fender, we talk about how the worlds of music and manufacturing collide in more ways than meets the eye. And Ed's role goes beyond the manufacturing process. He's a strong advocate f...

In part two of our series with Chancellor Mark Mone and Provost Johannes Britz of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, we're talking all about research. UWM is one of the few universities in the nation with the R1 distinction - the highest level designation for research activity a university can attain.  In this episode, we talk about what it takes to maintain this distinction and some of t...

How can education meet the needs of diverse student populations, particularly those in urban regions? In this two-part series, we're joined by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone and Provost Johannes Britz to look at how universities can face the socio-economic challenges of their communities while providing top-tier academic experiences to students. In this first episo...

Digitization, Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things...no matter what you call it, our current era is seeing more disruption across every economic sector than ever before, changing the way we produce,  deliver and consume goods. Financial services are no exception. BMO Financial Group has been on the forefront of digital banking for decades, but the last year has prompted exponential innovation in p...

Technical and community colleges are vital to our economic prosperity. They provide skills-based training for students to enter high-demand careers, a pipeline of talent to our businesses, and a resource for reskilling our workforce. As President of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), Dr. Morna Foy is on a mission to optimize the impact of technical colleges in the state. While each col...

Rockwell Automation is a global leader in industrial automation, smart manufacturing and the development of technologies that are revolutionizing the world of work. Leading the organization as Chairman and CEO is Blake Moret, our guest for this episode of the podcast.  In its 118-year history, Rockwell has made itself a household name - not just because they're always on the forefront of tech...

"The upskilling of the American workforce is the seminal issue of our time." This key point is delivered time and again by Mr. Nick Pinchuk, Chairman and CEO of Snap-on, our guest for this episode of The TechEd Podcast.  Nick's message is so important for manufacturers and technical educators alike: skilled workers are the heroes of our time, and our tech ed students will be the her...

Dr. Bryan Albrecht is a name known worldwide in technical education. He leads one of the top technical colleges in the country as its President and CEO. Under his leadership, Gateway Technical College has been called a model school, an innovator, and a leadership college .  Gateway is unparalleled in so many ways - its strength of strategic partnerships with regional employers and educators, its i...

"Kids and grownups love it so...the happy world of HARIBO!" We're all familiar with the famous goldbears from HARIBO, a 100-year-old company that prides itself on crafting every gummy with quality and joy. Wes Saber, Executive Vice President and CFO of HARIBO of America, shares how the company is living out this people-centered mission in its first-ever North American facility. The...

Precision Plus is no stranger to the skilled labor shortage that manufacturers all over the US are facing. While technical education is working hard to train students with the right knowledge and skills for these careers, there's more work that needs to be done.  "It's time to step up," notes Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus, our guest in this episode of The TechEd Podc...

IT isn't just for large corporations anymore. In today's digitized world, every nonprofit, small and medium business must learn to deploy technology to remain competitive. But it's not just the technology that builds a great business.  In this episode, we're talking with Patrick Booth, CEO of CCB Technology, who shares with us the formula for IT success in any organization. His...

Four-time Wisconsin Governor, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Wisconsin icon Tommy Thompson is bringing a fresh perspective to education in his new role as UW System President. In an enlightening conversation, Governor Thompson shares why universities should be the problem-solvers of the future. Our discussion covers new ideas for how this can be accomplished, including: Why bolster...

"Highly-cohesive, highly-trained teams, enabled by advanced technology striving to accomplish outsized objectives." So describes both military special operations and advanced manufacturing operations. Bill Berrien, former SEAL Team Commander, CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Founder of PRODx joins us for a fascinating interview. Listen to hear his insights into: How leading one of the...

There's an orange Ariens snowblower on every continent on the planet. But did you know the Ariens Company is a four-generation family owned manufacturer in the small town of Brillion, Wisconsin? Dan Ariens, Chairman and CEO of the Ariens Company and Executive Board Member of the Green Bay Packers, shares how the company's investment in Brillion, education and lean manufacturing is what m...

As the largest furniture manufacturer in the world, Ashley Furniture Industries is always on the leading edge of business, technology and workforce training. The organization has invested heavily in understanding the changes  Industry 4.0 is bringing to the world of work, adopting those technologies and processes, and preparing a talent pipeline to work in their highly-advanced facilities. In this...

Ashley Furniture Industries is the #1 furniture manufacturer in the world, employing thousands of hard-working individuals across America and worldwide. The organization takes part in the entire furniture-making process - from raw material production to engineering to advanced manufacturing, supply chain and retail. In this episode, we speak with Ron Wanek, Founder and Chairman of Ashley Furniture...

As the world's largest robotics & CNC company, FANUC exists to solve engineering challenges. Whether that's automating a production facility or preparing learners to work in an automated workplace, FANUC has created a solution. As our economy becomes more automated, every high school, college and university should be teaching students on authentic industrial robots and CNC machines.....

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana has innovated an education model like none other. This singly-accredited statewide college has the ability to offer identical programs at any location in perfect synchronicity with the workforce needs of the region.  In this episode, we interview Dr. Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech's President and Chris Lowery, the college's Vice President of Workforce and...

In today's rapidly-advancing economy, having job-ready hard skills is often more valuable than an academic degree. Technical education is the key to producing a workforce that has both the knowledge and the skillset to excel in the workplace. Our guest this week has done incredible work to advance technical education and workforce training in the US. "Work and Learn" is a model of e...

Career and technical education has come a long way in the past four decades. And at this rate, the future for CTE is bright.  In this episode, we talk with Paul Perkins, President and CEO of Amatrol, the world's leading developer of technical education learning systems and curriculum. As an experienced engineer himself, Paul offers some great perspective on how far Tech Ed has come (and just...

How do the core technologies of Industry 4.0 - smart sensors & devices, data analytics, digitization, artificial intelligence - manifest in the world of healthcare? In this episode, we talk with Rick Anderson, CEO of Smart Choice MRI and an expert when it comes to emerging healthcare technology. Rick was in on the ground floor of WebMD and Sharecare and has since been leading companies that ar...