Advertise on podcast: NEW Manufacturing Insights

This fall the announced merger between Scott's Industrial Coatings of Green Bay and Arizona-based Perfection Industrial Finishing made headlines as the era of new brand, UltiCoat, dawned under the leadership of president JQ Salas. On this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, JQ joins Kate and Ann for a quick chat about the industrial coatings industry, what the future holds for UltiCoat, and of course what he considers his best leadership insight. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all 2026 episodes of the podcast. Learn more about how Stoke RGA is supporting Midwest manufacturers at stokerga.com.

Manufacturing Month 2026 kicked off with a bang Oct. 1 at the Robinson headquarters in De Pere, as training and development manager Jeff Engelbrecht and training and development specialist Ryan Gibbons joined co-hosts Kate and Ann on a special talent-focused episode recorded before a live audience. This marks the third year NEW Manufacturing Insights has recorded a show live as a special Manufacturing First pre-event.  Jeff was also our guest on episode 87 on NEW Manufacturing Insights more than a year ago, when he talked about standing up the Robinson Training Academy, which is a somewhat unique model in the manufacturing world. Two years in, he gives an update on RTA and the enhancements the company has made, including technology, youth apprenticeship and an expanded staff. Thank you to Robinson for hosting the event and Stoke RGA as always for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more at stokerga.com.

The 16th annual Manufacturing First Expo and Conference is just about a month away, and first-time participant Spherion Staffing joins this week's episode to give a preview of their breakout session and sponsorship with Senior Manager of Regional Risk & Safety Chad De Santo, who will be presenting Oct. 28 at Resch Expo, as well as Director of Revenue Operations Natalie Walsh. Speaking on this week's episode with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns, Chad and Natalie talk about the importance of Safety 2.0 in the manufacturing workplace and the impact of the multigenerational workforce on the movement; the role contingent workers play in workforce safety planning; and why Spherion sees Northeast Wisconsin as a growth area for the agency's future. Learn more about Spherion at spherion.com, and register to attend Manufacturing First at manufacturingfirst.com. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights. You can learn more at stokerga.com.  Next week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, kicking off Manufacturing Month, will be recorded in front of a live audience at Robinson, Inc. in De Pere.

Dean Nemecek is a veteran, entrepreneur and founder of the organization Veteran Bridge Solutions, which is working to close the gap between the military talent pipeline and the organizations that need it most. On this week's episode, Dean outlines for co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz the characteristics most define veteran-ready employers, offers advice on translating job descriptions into language that matches military experience, and previews his forthcoming book "Ground Truth," which will be released this year on Veterans Day. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights. Stoke RGA helps manufacturers design and launch revenue strategies that work in the real world; explore more at stokerga.com.

Raisa Ramos is the founder of Find Joy Off the Path, a Neenah-based HR consultancy that specializes in employee retention, which has been a hot topic among NEW Manufacturing Alliance members as well as the subject of the organization's most recent "Future of Work" Summit, at which Raisa was a featured speaker. On this week's episode, sponsored by Stoke RGA, hear Raisa's insights on pre-boarding new employees, including six touch points she considers critical for retaining an employee before they even start on the job, as well as her insights on knowlege capture and working with tenured employees before they retire -- another topic on which she has presented to the NEWMA membership. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights throughout 2026. Learn more at stokerga.com.

We're going back to school on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights with Jason Johnson, principal of the N.E.W. School of Innovation, and Jennifer Flatt, provost of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Jason and Jennifer join Ann and Kate in the studio to talk about the new fifth location for the rapidly-growing Green Bay charter school, which was initially formed to reach students who were struggling academically and today is available to all Green Bay students in grades 6-12 who are seeking an alternative learning environment and robust career exploration opportunities as part of the NWTC campus. Learn more about the N.E.W. School and its success stories on this week's episode, sponsored by Stoke RGA. (stokerga.com)

Mike Kilgore, vice president of marketing and design at Wisconsin Plastics, has seen a lot in his 26 years with the Green Bay-based company. When he first joined, Wisconsin Plastics was in the process of transitioning from just a manufacturer into a product development and manufacturing firm. He details his personal career journey as well as the past, present and future of the company in a conversation with Insight’s Kate Bruns and the NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s Ann Franz on this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Stoke RGA. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights all season long. Stoke RGA is a revenue growth accelerator built for manufacturers. Learn more at stokerga.com.

Chief Operating Officer Brian Lakari of Alwin Manufacturing in Green Bay has racked up more than three decades of experience in the manufacturing industry. For his sit-down this week with NEW Manufacturing Insights, he shares a number of stories and pieces of advice from throughout his career — including how his leadership style has evolved, what he thinks about artificial intelligence and the evolution of automation since he built his first robot in 1995, and what he considers his absolute best leadership insight. NEW Manufacturing Insights is sponsored each week by Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

Walt Melcher, the CEO of Bold Value Partners and a guest lecturer at UW-Green Bay since 2018, is later this year coming out with a new book, Bold Value Selling. On this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, he and longtime manufacturing industry leader Hans Bachmeier give their insights on manufacturing sales paint points and possibilities. All episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights are sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping Midwest manufacturers at stokerga.com.

On this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, Ann and Kate chat with two Fox Valley natives who are working on the cutting edge of innovation in the manufacturing industry: Arzana founder Marshall Kools, whose AI startup focuses on helping manufacturing companies eliminate tedious data entry tasks, and Trent Duerr, president of MillTown Paper in Neenah and a client of Arzana who says before partnering with Kools and his team, MillTown sales staff members were spending 75 to 90% of their time doing data entry. In a world where, Duerr estimates, he receives a dozen AI solution pitches a day, partnering with another Wisconsinite has been a welcome opportunity to leverage AI in a real, problem-solving way that allows his team to focus on the work that is most meaningful to them and to MillTown.  Listen to our conversation with these two young professionals, sponsored by Stoke RGA (stokerga.com), on this week's episode and find out more about Arzana at arzana.com.

On this week’s episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, Kate and Ann visit with Ahmik Hindman, a senior network and security solutions consultant at Rockwell Automation, about the challenges of implementing CISA's recommended zero trust for OT guidance in the manufacturing environment, as well as other hot automation topics such as AI, secure data management, and the benefits of automation in addressing workforce shortages. Hindman walks listeners through the latest CISA guidance and offers practical advice for dealing with legacy equipment on the shop floor. This episode, like all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights, is sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping Midwest manufacturers at stokerga.com.

Jeff Anderson, president of Precision Paper Converters in Kaukauna, is Kate's and Ann's guest on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Precision, a contract manufacturer, is the only manufacturer in North America that specializes in the niche category of facial tissues. On the podcast, Jeff tells Kate and Ann about the challenges and opportunities he sees ahead for his industry and why he has been committed to remaining active as NEWMA's longest-serving board member.  Learn more about Precision Paper Converters at precisionpaperconverters.com. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights throughout 2026. Learn more and connect at stokerga.com.

Jody Graetz, vice president and owner of Graetz Manufacturing in Pound, Wisconsin, joins Ann and Kate on this week's episode to talk about the past, present, and future of the manufacturing company with a history that dates back to a blacksmith shop in 1936.  Jody, who married into the Graetz family, is now part of the firm's fifth-generation leadership. Graetz's first patent was on a barn cleaner chain that Jody says is still manufactured and purchased today. But in the last nine years, the company has experienced explosive growth as it has ventured into sectors outside of agriculture, including aerospace, marine, industrial and more. "If it's made of metal, chances are we probably make it," she tells the co-hosts on this week's show. To learn more about Graetz Manufacturing, visit www.graetzmfg.com. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more about the company at www.stokerga.com.

Stoke RGA's Jen Fietz returns to NEW Manufacturing Insights this week to offer her insights on the economic challenges and opportunities facing Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers at the year's midpoint. Among the topics covered on the episode include Wisconsin's recent manufacturing job losses; economic uncertainty and inflation; tariff refunds; rising petroleum costs; hidden opportunities for manufacturers in data literacy, upskilling, and customer intimacy; and the impact of the data center boom on manufacturing in Wisconsin.  Stoke RGA is the yearlong sponsor of NEW Manufacturing Insights and is proud to help Midwest manufacturers achieve long-term growth. Learn more about the company at www.stokerga.com.

This week we're re-releasing Insight's and NEWMA's conversation with Oshkosh Door leader Chris Calawerts, which recently was honored with a "Best Podcast" award by the Alliance for Area Business Publishers. Check it out if you missed it the first time! NEW Manufacturing Insights is taking a break for the upcoming holiday, but we will be back again July 9 with another episode, sponsored as always by Stoke RGA: stokerga.com