NEW Manufacturing Insights

Hosted by Kate Bruns

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Episodes

126

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

NEW Manufacturing Insights is a collaboration between the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) and Insight on Manufacturing (IOM) magazine, highlighting issues and opportunities for manufacturers in the 18-county New North region in Northeast Wisconsin. Hosted by NEWMA Executive Director Ann Franz and IOM Editor Kate Bruns featuring guests from across the region, new episodes will be released on Thursdays. Get a quick overview of the latest NEWMA and Insight programs and events, take a behind-the-scenes look at IOM cover stories and features, and enjoy leadership tips and fun facts you can use to strengthen your manufacturing business, grow your network and advance your career.

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June 11, 2026Episode 12619 min

Ep. 126: How Aspiro is helping Wisconsinites "live your way"

Ryan Ruzziconi is president of Aspiro, a Green Bay-based nonprofit providing life and employment services to individuals of all ages living with disabilities in Northeast Wisconsin, operating with the motto "live your way." On this week's episode, he shares with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns what he has learned and appreciated in his first year-and-a-half on the job, both about the reach of the organization and the need for more visibility and awareness of the disability community.Ruzziconi shares more about Aspiro's services, which include early intervention (birth to age 3), adult day services, and Project SEARCH -- an immersive job training and placement program. Aspiro also provides group supported employment services, with its clients often being the muscle behind the scenes of popular entertainment venues like the EPIC Event Center and Kress Event Center for UW-Green Bay basketball.Ruzziconi says Aspiro currently has 100-plus business partners but is always looking for more. Connect with this organization online at aspiroinc.org.This week's episode is sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

June 3, 2026Episode 12529 min

Ep. 125: Happy 20th, NEWMA!

This Saturday marks the 20-year anniversary of the creation of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance, and this week's episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast marks the occasion by having two people in the room who have been in the room from day one: co-host Ann Franz, executive director of NEWMA for 20 years, and Lindquist Machine's Mark Kaiser, who was one of 12 manufacturing leaders to found the organization.Mark joins Ann and Kate in the studio to look back on the organization's impact -- from writing its first four $1,000 scholarship checks and being afraid they would bounce to the more than $60K the President's Cup Scholarship Golf Outing brings in annually today. Ann tears up a little this week talking about the impact Mark has made on NEWMA: "I just value this person so much," she says. "Our organization is what it is because of his leadership. He can never say no to me. His fingerprints are all over the success of NEWMA."Take a look back at 20 years, and look at what Mark Kaiser sees as the imperatives of NEWMA going forward, by listening to this week's episode. Mark also shares a little bit of his personal story, including the sale of his company, Lindquist Machine, and his best leadership insight.Insight journalist Nikki Kallio wrote about NEWMA's 20th anniversary in the June issue of Insight magazine, out now here: Insight On Business: June 2026Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring the show. Learn more at stokerga.com.

May 21, 2026Episode 12420 min

Ep. 124: Brett Chittum talks hacks and cyberattacks

The episode features a discussion on cybersecurity threats in manufacturing with guest Brett Chittum of Sprinter Business Solutions. Brett shares with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns some real-world examples of cyberattacks, such as a logistics company compromised through email and Stryker's infamous incident that wiped out 200,000 devices. He emphasizes the importance of identity as the new perimeter, network segmentation, email defense, patch management, backups, and incident response planning, as well as highlights the critical role of human error in cybersecurity breaches and the need for operational thinking in IT budgeting. Learn more about Sprinter Business at https://sprinterit.com/.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this episode! Learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping Midwest manufacturers drive measurable growth at stokerga.com.

May 14, 2026Episode 12318 min

Ep. 123: Manufacturing First keynote Phil Gwoke

Registration opened this week for Insight's 16th annual Manufacturing First Expo & Conference, for which BridgeWorks CEO Phil Gwoke, a Wisconsin native, has been announced as keynote speaker. On this week's episode, Kate and Ann chat virtually with Phil about his planned visit to Green Bay Oct. 28 and about his extensive experience studying generational difference, which will be the topic of his keynote address at Resch Expo.Among the topics tackled on this week's episode and keynote preview are information about Phil's background with generational research, what has most surprised him about how generations view one another, how to bridge the knowledge gap, and what employers get wrong when trying to manage "across generations." Listen to the end to hear what Phil considers his best leadership insight.Register for Manufacturing First at the early-bird rate by going online to manufacturingfirst.com.Learn more about Phil Gwoke and his work with BridgeWorks at generations.com.Thank you to this week's podcast sponsor, Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

May 7, 2026Episode 12226 min

Ep. 122: Looking forward with WMEP CEO Chris Baichoo

Following a year of federal funding uncertainty, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) led by executive director and CEO Chris Baichoo is ready to move forward. On this week's episode, Chris joins Kate and Ann in the studio to talk more about the past, present and future of WMEP. He says the yearlong period of uncertainty was difficult, but also clarifying in that it helped WMEP right-size its programs, focus on its mission and appreciate its partnerships.One area where WMEP has identified a fairly obvious gap for Wisconsin's small and medium-sized manufacturers is artificial intelligence. Next week on May 13, WMEP will launch its new AI Navigator program, which is a partnership with MKE Tech Hub. (Learn more at wmep.org/ai-in-manufacturing/.)Chris also shares what he learned over the course of a challenging year, what changes have been implemented at WMEP -- including its new coordinating entity, UW-Stout, and of course his best leadership insight.Connect with WMEP online at wmep.org.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all 2026 episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more at stokerga.com.

April 30, 2026Episode 12118 min

Ep. 121: Wisconsin Drives Manufacturing Summit is June 1-2

Oliver Schmitz, associate dean for corporate engagement and entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joins Kate and Ann on this episode to preview a new event: the Wisconsin Drives Manufacturing Summit he's helping organize for June 1-2 at Lambeau Field.The first day of the event will feature an innovation showcase, and the second day will be filled with programming -- all of it, Schmitz says, is designed to help inspire collaboration within the state and help bridge the gap between industry and academia. Learn more about the summit online at widrivesmanufacturing.com. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring the podcast throughout the year. Learn more at stokerga.com.

April 23, 2026Episode 12021 min

Ep. 120: Demystifying SBA programs for small manufacturers

Keith Schlegel of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Manufacturing and Trade and Tammie Clendenning, a Wisconsin-based USSBA economic development specialist, join Kate and Ann on this week's episode to help small manufacturers understand the federal resources that may be available to them as they navigate lending, supply chain and exporting challenges. Listen as Keith and Tammie give a brief overview of programs like the Working Capital Pilot Program, the MARC (manufacturers access to revolving credit) Loan Program, the Express program and more. They also highlight special incentives for manufacturers and military-connected families and partnerships with programs like Exim Bank, SCORE mentoring, and Small Business Development Centers, which in Wisconsin are connected to the UW System."At the end of the day, there are a lot of free, available resources out there for small businesses," Keith tells the co-hosts. "Part of navigating those resources is just knowing who to reach out to."Learn more about the U.S. SBA at sba.gov/district/wisconsin and sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-manufacturing-trade.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights each week! Learn more at stokerga.com.

April 16, 2026Episode 11917 min

Ep. 119: Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Robinson Inc.

Sam Thomas, president of De Pere-based Robinson, Inc., joins Insight's Kate Bruns and NEWMA's Ann Franz on this week's episode to talk more about his company's history and future, including its recent recognition as Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year in the "large" manufacturer category. Thomas, who is also featured in this month's issue of Insight on Business with fellow Northeast Wisconsin MOTY award recipient Spark Ops Metalworks, says 2026 is likely the last year Robinson will be in the "large" manufacturer category as it quickly approaches 1,000 employees and prepares to open its fifth manufacturing facility -- in Altoona, Iowa, marking Robinson's first presence outside the state of Wisconsin.Read the Insight story here: Two New North companies earn Manufacturer of the Year honors | Manufacturing | insightonbusiness.comHear more from Thomas, including what he believes has been key to his company's growth and what he considers his best leadership insight, by listening to this week's full episode. Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all 2026 episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more about our sponsor at stokerga.com.

April 9, 2026Episode 11816 min

Ep. 118: The unstoppable Jackie Anderson

Jackie Anderson, head of talent acquisition for Ornua USA in Hilbert, will be a panelist at next week's NEW Manufacturing Alliance "Future of Work" Summit focused on employee retention (April 16 at Fox Valley Technical College). This week she joins Ann and Kate on the podcast to give a preview of her insights on the critical topic, as well as share the history of her career journey, which has also included 11 years in child care and 5 1/2 years at Fincantieri Marine Group. While Jackie has a diverse background, she says talent acquisition is the field where she plans to spend the rest of her career. Her career path wasn't always well defined, though. Jackie is a contributing author to the best-selling anthology "Voices of the 21st Century: Unstoppable Women Standing Strong," in which she shares her personal story of growing up poor, dealing with bullying and mental health issues and eventually taking her own power and achieving resiliency in her personal life and career. She is proud to share more about her story and her personal rebrand on this week's episode.

April 2, 2026Episode 11722 min

Ep. 117: New North, Inc. CEO Patti Habeck

In December Patti Habeck became the third-ever president and CEO of New North, Inc. -- the 18-county economic development organization serving Northeast Wisconsin -- after 14 years with the nonprofit Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. A few months into her new role, she sits down with Ann and Kate on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights to discuss the challenges ahead for New North, Inc., what it has been like taking over a "small but mighty" organization, and what it has felt like to shift gears. She tells the co-hosts that collaborations are key, including those New North has with NEWMA and Insight, going forward. She also describes her priorities leading New North, including as they relate to manufacturers and technology, and provides a preview of the upcoming New North Summit, which will be held June 9 at Lambeau Field.To learn more about New North, Inc., visit thenewnorth.com.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this episode. To learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping manufacturers, visit stokerga.com.