EMS@C-Level 2022 Season, episode 6 - Nicole Russo, Microboard

EMS@C-LEVEL · 22 Jun 2022 · 22m

What this episode covers

Nicole Russo, founder and owner of Microboard, explains her strategy of maintaining a small, curated customer base of fewer than 20 clients to ensure high service levels and cultural alignment. She details how Microboard navigates supply chain disruptions and talent shortages through strong liquidity, debt-free operations, and strategic automation in their Connecticut facility. The conversation highlights their focus on complex military, medical, and industrial sectors, including radar systems and defibrillators, while leveraging a humanitarian mission to attract diverse talent.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 40m

    Building for Long-Term Success w/ Ron Speicher and David Craft

    Ron Speicher and David Craft of Davron Technologies, Inc. (DTI) explain how a small mechanical contractor evolved into a top U.S. industrial oven manufacturer by maintaining in-house operations to ensure supply chain resilience and quality. They discuss the challenges of component shortages during the pandemic, which forced them to pivot scheduling and communicate transparently with customers about extended lead times. The founders emphasize their strategy of hiring people of character, investing in their workforce, and fostering a culture where employees feel valued enough to want to retire at the company.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 38m

    Breaking Out of the Manufacturing Echo Chamber

    Nikki Gonzales, Head of Partnerships at Quotebeam and co-host of the Automation Ladies podcast, discusses breaking out of the manufacturing industry's echo chamber. She explains the origins of her podcast to support women in industrial automation and analyzes why the sector remains male-dominated due to visibility and historical representation. Gonzales also details Quotebeam's mission to modernize the sourcing of industrial automation parts through a collaborative marketplace, addressing the severe supply chain and chip shortage crises by advocating for interoperability and diverse supplier relationships.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 56m

    245: A Grassroots Approach to Shaping the Future of American Industry with Bret Boyd, CEO of Sustainment

    Bret Boyd, CEO and co-founder of Sustainment, discusses the current state of American manufacturing based on early findings from a survey conducted with the New American Industrial Alliance (NAIA). He reveals that access to capital, rather than the workforce gap, is the primary concern for mid-market manufacturers, and explains how his military background informs his mission-oriented approach to building supplier networks. Boyd details the complexities of reshoring, the impact of tariffs, and the strategic need for US manufacturers to diversify into defense and semiconductor supply chains to survive the transition from globalization to localization.

  • The Electromaker Show · 28m

    Electromaker Interview: Eben Upton - Raspberry Pi creator!

    Eben Upton, creator and CEO of Raspberry Pi, discusses the strategic success of the RP2040 microcontroller and the recent launch of the Pi Pico W and Pi Pico H. He explains how the chip shortage created an opportunity for Raspberry Pi to provide supply stability to OEMs and hobbyists, leading to the rapid adoption of the Compute Module 4 and the Pi 400. Upton details the company's shift from sales generation to supply chain management and qualification of alternate parts during the crisis. He also highlights the Raspberry Pi Foundation's educational initiatives, such as PiDrop, which address the digital divide by providing hardware to disadvantaged students.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 11m

    Vertically Integrated Design Engineering

    Dave Jones of EEV Blog and Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics discuss hardware design challenges, including Jones's complex USB and power delivery implementation for the Micro Supply and Gammell's exploration of low-cost components like the three-cent microcontroller. They analyze the strategic value of sticking to familiar microcontrollers versus selecting parts based on technical merit, and discuss the impact of tariffs and supply chain shifts on small-scale manufacturers. The episode concludes with Jones sharing insights from his visit to the Apollo 11 tracking stations and the making of the documentary 'Apollo 11'.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by EMS@C-LEVEL. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.