Manufacturing Advocates Podcast

Stories from the difference makers in the US Manufacturing Industry

SME CEO Jeff Krause EP11

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Jeff grew up around manufacturing in the mid-west. In his youth he had a job that involved delivering milk and refilling vending machines in plants that look nothing like what modern manufacturing plants do. Post college he would go on to spend 30 years in the automotive industry. Today, he is now providing passionate leadership to one of the most important manufacturing oriented organizations in North America. Hear how a childhood job led to Jeff’s illustrious career in manufacturing and his involvement as CEO of SME. In the interview we discussed the status of manufacturing and the role SME plays in addressing the challenges.

Enjoyed the podcast? Don’t forget to subscribe to never miss an episode.

Education and Promotion of Advanced Manufacturing

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When this podcast was just an idea to help manufacturing in the US, many a brainstorm of ideas occurred. During those sessions the foundation of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast was gradually emerging. The resulting notes contained ideas, such as how broadly to classify “manufacturing”, who the possible guests might be and even how long should an episode be. In those “the head of SME”, was written right next to what are arguably the most recognized US manufacturing advocates – Mike Rowe, and John Ratzenberger. This short list should give you an idea of the station that SME holds in US Manufacturing. They are a very significant organization that has done a tremendous amount of effective work to promote advanced manufacturing and develop a skilled work force in North America.

In terms of advocacy efforts for the general public, addressing the economic impact and benefit of manufacturing is a top priority. The SME blog frequently shares insights on the economics of manufacturing, so it was logical to approach them to see about booking one of their editors for an episode. When considering the best way to reach out to SME, I recalled how helpful Josh Cramer had been while discussing educational programs for a high school here in Northern California. After a brief correspondence Josh got us in touch with Oneika Mobley in the SME PR department. Oneika and the PR team put their heads together to decide who would be the best person to interview for the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. It wasn’t long before they had decided it would be best to have the CEO Jeff Krause to be the guest. Jeff is immensely qualified, passionate and knowledgeable about US manufacturing, so he was a perfect choice for Episode 11.

Did you know that SME:

  • is a non profit?
  • has invested, donated and provided $37.9 Million dollars in youth programs, grants, scholarships and awards?
  • has provided more than $345 million in-kind gifts since 2007?
  • provides educational tools to more than 50% of Fortune 500 manufacturers?

Next week learn more about SME in Episode 11 through the voice of CEO Jeff Krause. Never miss an episode, subscribe today.

This is not the first time SME has been featured on this podcast, check out Episode 5 featuring some of the founders of the Sacramento Valley SME chapter.

 

Proud Advocate of the US Made Brand Al Stimac EP10

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This weeks episode showcases a gentleman who has an impressive list of accomplishments. Al Stimac is a champion for the “Made in America” brand, Florida manufacturing, and US manufacturers in general. He possesses a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and unlike some big thinkers he puts what he learns to work rapidly. Listen to hear how he has helped US manufacturing in many ways including inspiring young people to get involved. He also encourages US manufacturers even small ones, to embrace exporting products.

Right: Al standing comfortably at a CNC machine at Metal Essence, Inc.

Read more about Al Stimac right here on Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. Enjoyed the podcast? Don’t forget to subscribe.

Making a Difference in Florida for US Manufacturing

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The story about next week’s guest on the MFA podcast is full of examples of tenacity and flexibility. The former Siemens exec wondered why so many parts were being out sourced off shore, so he did something about it. He started a shop to make those parts in Florida and proudly slap the favorable Made in the USA label on them. He then wondered why Florida was not participating in Manufacturing, so he formed an organization to start addressing it with the government in the state. Then he started to notice the substantial growing skills gap, so he figured out ways to solve that problem and eventually built another business around it. Eventually he wondered what it would take to export his products, and found a way to deliver products to South America, Europe and elsewhere. Al Stimac is not a man you want to bet against, but it’s not just because he asks those ever important “why” questions. It’s because he keeps on asking them and figures out how to solve them. Complacency is a business killer, and Al is among the best examples of how to avoid that trap. He is also the guy you want on your team, and all US Manufacturers, but Florida manufacturers in particular, have just that due to his involvement as a volunteer, consultant and advocate. Next week you will hear his story and why he was interviewed as a difference maker in the US Manufacturing Industry.

This episode is now live!

Catching up with the Difference Makers

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March has been busy over at Managed Solutions thanks to my friends at CIMCO giving me new tools to play with, so I have been a little slow with my episode bookings for the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. I did take a little time today before writing this to reflect back and revisit the 9 episodes we’ve recorded so far and even created a page and menu item to make it easier for people to browse all the episodes.

Updates from Carol, Bill, Mike, Joe, and Harry

One of the things I have grown to appreciate is how many of our past guests have really become essential contacts for the advocacy efforts here. It feels really good to be plugged in to a community that understands the important role Manufacturing plays in our economy. Rarely a day goes by where I don’t communicate with one of them or at the very least see updates about them in the news and on social media. This led me to the idea for this what may be a good ongoing feature here on MFA. Here are some recent highlights:

From Carol Pepper-Kittredge – EP3

I communicated with Carol about my participation in the Mechatronics program at Sierra College and their progress on the Advanced Manufacturing program they are building that will eventually include a number of milling machines, lathes, laser cutters, etc.

From Bill Gaines – EP1

Bill shared this great video with me about Advanced Manufacturing Careers and the role of Community Colleges in preparing people for these vital jobs.

From Mike Betts – EP9

I came across this video of Mike Betts on their Twitter Page, also if you’re able be sure to attend the 2017 Manufacturing Summit in Fresno on April 20th, 2017.

Joe Wernette – EP2

Tri Tool’s Neal Manzano indicated that projects that have been:

mired in political controversy and bureaucratic red tape for years, seem as if they are reaching a conclusion

as a result things are looking up in Rancho Cordova and beyond evidently.

Harry Moser in the news – EP8

The Reshoring Initiative was quoted in an Industry Week article “Reshoring: By the Numbers” that also referenced an infographic that they were cited on. It’s not hard to find Harry Moser in the news, the Reshoring Initiative seems to be quoted on a daily basis somewhere. In the article they shared that:

States that are the biggest winners thus far in terms of job increases are:

  • South Carolina – 7,780
  • Michigan – 6,721
  • California – 6,014
  • Kentucky – 4,612
  • Texas – 3,712

I am pleasantly surprised about California being the third largest recipient, maybe Dorothy Rothrock was right!

 
If these difference makers keep doing what they are doing, the future does indeed look much brighter.

Mr. Bezos, a Simple Request

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Last year I made a plan to start buying and reviewing US made products off Amazon. I was going to post the reviews to my personal blog and “practice what I preach” as a US manufacturing advocate. To get started I was able to find some camouflage  cloth tape for a Halloween project somewhat by chance. I was then starting to look for other practical things and I really struggled to fill the pipeline with US made products that fit my needs. It was a really sad realization, Amazon wasn’t making it easy to determine where the products I was researching were made. In fact, it’s really hard. It wasn’t until recently when I listed something for sale on Amazon that I realized why. You don’t have to state a country of origin for your listings on Amazon. So if you don’t care to state, the buyer won’t know. At this point I was thinking that most US made products would take advantage of this and proudly note the country of origin.

Searching on Amazon for US Made Products

Sometime shortly after my initial realization, I started floating the idea of a filter for the search indicating “made in the USA” on Amazon to anyone who would listen. Of course everyone loved the idea, I mean, why not right? This week I decided to take advantage of a break in recordings of MFA episodes to tackle this subject. So I did what I always do, I wrote it down on a Oxford 3×5″ card the following:

MFA – Amazon by Country of Origin

Then last night when a little free time opened up I proceeded to do a little research. Why assume something can’t be done already, or maybe there is a plugin. Maybe Amazon has an advanced search function. Wow, this could be really easy. First I tested a plugin that purported to flag listings that were made in the USA. Then I visited some websites that had information loosely related to the subject. Finally I found myself reading some incredibly interesting threads on Amazon about why country of origin is complicated, why that person was wrong about it being complicated, how most of the products weren’t made in the USA and other great reasons why origin is not usually included in most listings. I updated my notes on my 3×5 card:

  1. Plugin doesn’t work.
  2. Country of origin not usually included.
  3. Yeah right, good luck!

And in disgust, I put the card back on the top of the Tuesday pile, the day I usually work on web content.

I guess sleeping on it made me a bit cantankerous, I decided to write about it anyway for this Wednesdays update here on MFA.

A more achievable solution

Amusingly, while preparing this update I discovered that the card I had written on, a white Oxford 3×5″ ruled card was actually made in Covington, TN by TOPS Products. That momentarily gave me hope, except when I went and visited the product page. I discovered that they didn’t list the country of origin or made in the USA or anything of the sort. That could be because they aren’t always made here, or TOPS Products didn’t think it would benefit them to list it.

10 Pack of my US Made 3x5 Cards

At this point it occurred to me that perhaps I was looking at this issue the wrong way. Maybe what should be done is an effort to encourage people to more proudly share when a product is made in the USA. We give you a little bit of this here on the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast (especially in Episodes 1, 2 and 9).

US Manufacturers tell us where your products are made. Who made it? Which engineer came up with the design? Who tested it? How did they test it? Show me a picture, a video, and tell me their story. Who could resist that? I bet not even Jeff Bezos. Maybe then Amazon would start to understand the real value of helping enable people to be able to choose where the products they buy are made.

I hope you enjoyed the variation today, next week should be more business as usual introducing our next guest. Let me know if you enjoyed this article, or if you thought it was terrible and irrelevant!

San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance EP9

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If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -John Quincy Adams

There is something extraordinary going on in the San Joaquin Valley. Economic development, education and business interests have gotten together to form the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance. Their upcoming manufacturing summit has already been making waves here in California, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are felt farther and farther out as great ideas tend to spread.

In Episode 9 of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast I go in depth with two impressive gentlemen Mike Dozier and Mike Betts discussing the SJVMA and the Manufacturing Summit. I was really impressed with the work these two and their organization have done to help the community in a number of different ways. Listen in and hear for yourself.

Player not displaying? Listen here.

More about the guests

Mike Betts is currently Chairperson and Champion for SJVMA, He is also CEO of Betts Company. Mike has been incredibly generous with his time to help his community in many ways. This interview was truly the tip of the iceberg. Mike wants to be remembered as someone that always focused on improving the way things moved at Betts and in the community, putting his people and community first. To further build on the successful Betts Company legacy and leave it better. Today his son Bill and the team at Betts are as energized and excited about what the future will bring as at any time in their nearly 150 year history.

Mike Dozier is currently the Vice Chair, Government & Public Policy for SJVA. He is also the Executive Director, Fresno State Office of Community and Economic Development. Mike has a distinguished career in economic development and knows a thing or two about leadership, in fact while I was setting up my gear he was discussing Abraham Lincoln. Mike hopes that his legacy is that he made a positive impact on the world and had fund doing it. Also that he “made his kids proud”.

Another Episode?

I believe another episode of Manufacturing Advocates Podcast is a possibility with these two. I wish I had left the recorder running in my conversation with Mike Betts. After Mike D. had to run off to an appointment Mike Betts hosted me for additional discussion and lunch at Betts HQ. It was a truly memorable experience. What do you say Mike and Mike?

 

Want to interface with Mike, Mike and other past guests? Join the other US Manufacturing Advocates on LinkedIn or just get new episodes delivered to your inbox or via iTunes.

Rising Tide for San Joaquin Valley Manufacturers

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As some of you already know, I moved from the Bay Area to El Dorado Hills in 2014. As a relative newbie to the greater Sacramento area I connected with the Sacramento Valley SME to get involved with other folks interested in precision manufacturing. That connection ultimately led to the creation of this podcast with a little inspiration from Bill Gaines. Then recently when Jeff Briggs (the current fearless leader of the Sacramento Valley SME) told me about a manufacturing summit in Fresno, I could tell he thought it was a big deal. While Jeff is at times easily excited when it comes to manufacturing, I took heed anyway because he has never steered me wrong. Jeff eventually got tired of waiting for me to take the hint and introduced me to Mike Dozier from CSU Fresno, suggesting we get together and talk about the summit on MFA.

I won’t bore you with the back and forth and inter workings of arranging an episode of Manufacturing Advocates. I will say though that during those discussions Mike Dozier suggested we bring another voice in, a gentlemen named Mike Betts. He also broadened the scope of the conversation to include the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance, the organization that hosts the manufacturing summit.

Sound check.... 1.....2.....3........

Road trip to Fresno

Last week I road tripped down highway 99 to Betts Company to record episode 9. Next week you’re going to hear how Mike (Betts), Mike “D.” (Dozier) and the SJVMA have made a difference in the San Joaquin Valley. You’ll hear from two individuals with different ranges of experience in the private and public sectors. Hear how they and their collaborators at SJVMA helped propel an effort that is making huge waves in terms of economic benefit, addressing of skills gap, and much more. At 55 minutes it will be the longest MFA episode yet, but I couldn’t see eliminating a single minute of the interview. In fact I was really impressed before and after the microphones where turned on and off. What I learned about SJVMA, Betts Company, CSU Fresno and the CTE efforts going on in the area. There is enough there to do a whole series of episodes. I hope you will make time to listen to all 55 minutes of episode 9 next week, in the meantime you can head over to iTunes, Awesound or just browse the episodes here to get caught up.

Not subscribed yet? Leave the “Sign me up…” checked and don’t forget to say hi on our contact form.

 

Industry President becomes US Manufacturing Advocate EP8

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At the intersection of experience, intellect and passion you will find Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative. Harry is a strong advocate for US manufacturing. His organization takes this issue head on providing advocacy, data and tools to influence better outcomes. Listen to find out when Harry decided to dedicated his energies to the advocacy effort. Learn what competitive issues US manufacturers face and solutions to them. If you’re a manufacturer who faces overseas competition, the Reshoring Initiative can help you demonstrate to customers the value of ordering from you. I promise you will learn something while listening to this episode regardless of your background. If you’re impressed with what Harry has to say, and know anyone at the Trump Whitehouse team, please tell them that Harry Moser and the Reshoring Initiative would be fantastic advisers to their team!

Player not displaying? Listen here.

Want to interface with Harry and other past guests? Join the other US Manufacturing Advocates on LinkedIn or just get new episodes delivered to your inbox or via iTunes.

Inspired by the Reshoring Initiative

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Many years ago I was sitting in a restaurant in the silicone valley with a contract manufacturer (my client) and their customer. It was a social event, I had been lucky enough to be invited along to join them. As I sat and listened, I noticed that one of the managers from the customer was warning my client, that manufacturing was headed off shore and to plan accordingly. I was very concerned as this customer represented most of my clients business. I immediately thought how catastrophic losing this customer would be to my client, their employees and their families. Luckily, while being right overall, in the case of this customer the jobs stayed here. They were way too dependent on immediacy of their supply chain and containers full of parts crossing the ocean didn’t align well with that demand.

Fast forward to several years ago when my manufacturing advocacy beginning to take shape, I was doing a lot of exploration and research. One of the names that kept popping up was the Reshoring Initiative. They seemed to be tapped in to all the latest content related to bringing manufacturing back from overseas. They curated it so well, that they became my main source of news related to reshoring of manufacturing and a whole lot more. When I did get around to starting the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast, they were already on my list of perspective guests. I know though, that you start with people you know. Why is that? They will believe in your success without a track record. So I left the Reshoring Initiative on the back burner while I got to work churning out the initial 7 episodes. With a track record in place, I reached out to them via their LinkedIn group, and very quickly I was in touch with none other than Harry C. Moser, Founder and President of the Reshoring Initiative. Another member of the group sent me a message almost immediately after Harry, telling me how I will “get a kick out of Harry”. That would end up to be accurate and a lot more.

When I interviewed Harry, we started talking “off the air” and there was already a lot of levity as well as passion about the topic of reshoring jobs, his career in the industry and more. Harry was a natural communicator and fun to converse with, I knew it would be a fun interview to give and full of lots of great information. Needless to say, Harry delivered everything I expected and more. Sadly you’re going to have to wait until next week to hear what he had to say, but great things are worth the wait, right? Don’t worry though, in the meantime hop over to our LinkedIn group so you can be part of the conversation with Harry next week when episode 8 of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast goes live. If you prefer you can also get new episodes delivered to your inbox or via iTunes.

This episode is now live!

California Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Collaborative EP7

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CAMAC is a state-wide collaborative of community colleges and regional partners working to support the creation of Apprenticeship training solutions in the Advanced Manufacturing sector. I recently  sat down with CAMAC Project Director John Dunn to learn more about how he and his partners at CAMAC are working to expand apprenticeships into the advanced manufacturing sector through a federal grant. Apprenticeships are not new, but in recent history in the US they are predominantly in the construction trades. John and CAMAC are working to make apprenticeships an everyday path for students and existing employees to earn while they learn a viable skilled trade in advanced manufacturing.

Want to interface with John and other past guests? Join the other US Manufacturing Advocates on LinkedIn.

Next week you will be introduced to Harry Moser, Founder and President of the Reshoring Initiative.

Creating a Skilled Workforce using Apprenticeships

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When I walked into the office of John Dunn at American River College, I wasn’t quite sure what next weeks episode was going to be like. You see John is one of those animated passionate people that could really blow your socks off depending on his mood. I still remember the time I first met him through the Sacramento Valley SME, I walked away from a meeting feeling “wow this guy is going to get stuff done!”. It’s a good thing too since he is spear heading an important economic and work force development effort out of his office here in Northern California. American River College is part of CAMAC and John is working to expand college education using private/edu partnerships in the form of apprenticeships. The approach is creative, innovative and even a bit entrepreneurial. Among other things John and his team are working on the following initiatives:

  1. Bolstering existing welding apprenticeships, building on success.
  2. Establishing an Innovation Center
  3. Establishing creative and meaningful new programs (using the proven apprenticeship model)

MFA EP7 underway

John would probably share his passion for this program with anyone he encounters, but we sat down and reviewed everything he was doing to share with our listeners here. I think you will enjoy hearing more about apprenticeships from John next week in Episode 7 of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. If you haven’t already please subscribe so we know you are enjoying the Podcast!

This episode is now live!

 

 

Come Network with us on LinkedIn

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LinkedIn has become a valuable tool for many professionals. It’s a place where you can showcase your expertise answering questions. Get help asking questions. Network with your business contacts and even make recommendations or find jobs. Personally I love using it to keep in touch with people who may be transitioning to a new stage in their career. It’s also a place where you can network with past and future guests and people who are interested in the mission of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. While it is a private group as a supporter of US Manufacturing your request will be accepted. We made it a private group to allow control of the membership to people who believe in the mission and to avoid having the members get spammed with self promotional posts that are common in many public LinkedIn groups.

How to join us on LinkedIn

The best way to join us is to give me a heads up you’re interested. If we’re already connected I can send you an invite. If we’re not you can send me one. When you do be sure to mention that you want to join the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast group on LinkedIn so I know why you are connecting with me and that you want to join the group. Alternatively you can access the group directly and request to join. I do recommend if you make a direct request to join that you also give me a heads up using the contact form, that will save us both time.

Future Guests

You might have noticed it’s been a couple weeks since we introduced a new guest for the Podcast. As often happens life and work get in the way of your passions, and I got behind on bookings. That issue is well on the way to being resolved with 4 episodes being scheduled for the next 2 months. In the meantime work is being done to bring more content to the blog here that will be useful to manufacturing advocates like you. As always if you have an idea, please share it.

Manufacturing Advocates Podcast now available on iTunes

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Did you know that you cannot add a podcast to iTunes until you reach a threshold of episodes? While launching Manufacturing Advocates we felt a little incomplete not having our iTunes link for people so inclined. We’ve surpassed the threshold and jumped through a few other hurdles and now our listeners have the ability to use iTunes to download and listen to the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast.

Available on iTunes

More Enhancements on the Way

Some additional planning steps are underway, and additional direction for the advocacy effort here on the blog. Recently while discussing the state and opportunity of US Manufacturing with a number of people from all walks of life I realized that very few people are focused on the easiest and most profound argument for it. I apologize for being vague about this, but I feel so strongly about it that I want to make sure I complete the necessary research before presenting it. When you hear it, I think you will understand why I feel this way. I have several co-collaborators working with me, so you are likely to see some new voices here on the blog when this concept is introduced.

California Manufacturers and Technology Association EP6

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Learn how a business association can perform roles ranging from educating educators and regulators to inexpensive workers compensation insurance under one roof. The CMTA has been in existence for close to 100 years and their role has never been more critical than it is today. Will California step up to the challenge of leading a US Manufacturing renaissance? If CMTA President Dorothy Rothrock and her dedicated team have anything to say about it, we will.

Dorothy Rothrock on Manufacturing Advocates Podcast

Next week we’ll be sharing some special anouncements about the efforts here at Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. Sign up to never miss an update.

California Could Lead Manufacturing Renaissance

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While attending a Sacramento Valley SME event in 2016 I had a conversation with and exchanged business cards with Dorothy Rothrock. I had been drawn to her by her passion about manufacturing. Many months later I went to work getting her to participate in an episode of Manufacturing Advocates. When you have a guest who loves manufacturing it makes for a fabulous interview. Dorothy “Dot” Rothrock is the current president of the California Manufacturing & Technology Association or CMTA and she is a difference maker for California manufacturers. CMTA is a membership based organization and the work that Dot and her team do is critical in addressing the regulatory impact on their members, among other things.


California is a complex state for businesses of any shape, size or type. It gets even more complicated for manufacturing businesses. Regulatory uncertainty makes it extremely challenging when required investment is massive. Informed people want manufacturers in California because they know how much of an impact they have on jobs and our economy. Just a few months ago we established the high economic benefit of a manufacturing job, so we’ve already addressed the economic importance of manufacturing. In my conversation with Dot, we discussed this in some detail with information unique to the largest manufacturing state in the USA, California. As the leader in terms of both jobs and dollars, you’ll hear how it’s “our game to lose”. Perhaps the biggest thing we have to lose is the opportunity to lead with our numerous advantages a US manufacturing renaissance. According to Dot, California while far from perfect in addition to already being the largest manufacturing state in the US is also uniquely positioned due to these strengths:

  • Higher Ed
  • Innovation
  • Capital (Regular and Venture)
  • Access to Pacific Rim for Import/Export activity

Listen next week to hear more about the status of manufacturing in California and what can be done to improve it from the hopeful, passionate and informed CMTA president Dorothy Rothrock. Subscribe now to never miss an episode.

This episode is now live!

Next stop 2017

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Hi everyone, I’ve fallen behind on the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. Last week I was supposed to introduce you to Dorothy Rothrock from the CMTA and this week you were supposed to be able to listen to Episode 6. Neither of which happened. Hopefully this has given you time to catch up on the previous 5 Episodes:

Episode 1 – Bill Gaines / Grow Manufacturing

Episode 2 – Joe Wernette / Tri Tool

Episode 3 – Sierra College / Hacker Lab

Episode 4 – Dale Flood / American Welding Society

Episode 5 – Sacramento Valley SME

Looking at 2017

Now we get to set our sites on 2017, a year that the hard work and efforts of many will continue to have a positive impact on the US Economy and workers. One exciting new effort here on the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast website is the introduction of guest posts. This will provide fresh relevant content from past guests and other industry champions. If you’re interested in sharing your passion for US Manufacturing in the form of a relevant valuable guest post, let me know.

Thank you all for following along and listening and supporting this podcast during the early stages. Wishing you all the best in the new year.

Sacramento Valley SME Manufacturing Advocates EP5

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This weeks episode brings together 3 guys who have volunteered time to serve a great cause, Sacramento Valley Manufacturers. It was a pleasure to interview 3 of the co-founders of the Sacramento Valley SME. They cumulatively with the rest of the chapter bring together a lot of knowledge and resources to manufacturers in the region. Listen to the perspective of Jeff Briggs, Mike Bell and Matt Valine as they describe this vital chapters efforts and learn how you can get involved.

Next week we’ll introduce you to our Episode 6 guest, Dorothy Rothrock the president of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA). Sign up to never miss an episode.

Servicing Sacramento Valley Manufacturers

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When I first met Jeff Briggs from the Sacramento Valley SME, I was excited about his passion for the industry. Jeff was my first point of contact at the organization. At my first SME meeting I met then Mike Bell and Matt Valine, two of the other co-founders of the organization. I sat down with Matt, Mike and Jeff recently to record episode 5 of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. This group and a number of other passionate individuals are volunteering their time and expertise to improve prospects for manufacturers in the Sacramento, CA valley region. Collectively this group is called the Sacramento Valley SME. They are a relatively new SME chapter that has grown rapidly due to the valuable programs they have implemented. The group is also a conduit for access to resources and information, as the large subscribers list will attest. When someone asks a question or is looking for a resource you rarely need to wait long before you start seeing very on point helpful replies. The energy, passion and personality of these leaders makes the entire experience enjoyable and next week you will see what I mean by that. Sign up to never miss an episode.

This episode is now live!

The Role of the American Welding Society EP4

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dale-flood-2015Learn the ins and outs of the American Welding Society or AWS from current VP and long time member Dale Flood. Dale has a distinguished career that at one point took a interesting turn due to his fascination with some of the more advanced welding technology of the time. One thing you will not learn in the episode is that Dale holds 5 U.S. patents on welding processes (source: AWS Bio). You will however get a tour of the various aspects of AWS as well as Dales sobering thoughts on preparing future generations for careers.

Next week we’ll introduce you to our Episode 5 guests, Jeff Briggs, Michael Bell and Matthew Valine, several of the founders of the Sacramento Valley SME. Sign up to never miss an episode.