From eCommerce to Side Hustles with GenAlpha President & COO Kristina Harrington

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 5 Jan 2021 · 51m

What this episode covers

Kristina Harrington, President and COO of GenAlpha, discusses the company's Equip platform, a B2B e-commerce solution for industrial equipment manufacturers, distributors, and dealers. She explains how the platform leverages existing engineering data, 2D/3D models, and analytics to help manufacturers overcome the common objection that their data isn't ready for online sales. Harrington also shares insights from her career at Bucyrus and Caterpillar, emphasizing the importance of listening and data-driven decision-making, before detailing her agricultural side hustle, Two Girls and a Farm.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 46m

    Removing Buyer Friction With a Digital Commerce Environment w/ Kris Harrington

    Kris Harrington, CEO and Co-Founder of Gen Alpha Technologies, explains how B2B manufacturers can eliminate buyer friction by implementing digital commerce environments that go beyond simple transactions. She details ten specific customer service burdens—such as checking product availability, order status, and accessing technical manuals—that can be alleviated through self-service tools. Harrington also discusses the role of product configurators in simplifying the sales process for complex, custom-engineered equipment and outlines three primary barriers to adoption: fear of channel conflict, data quality issues, and legacy ERP limitations.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 38m

    E-Commerce for CapEx Equipment and Contract Manufacturers w/ Curt Anderson

    Curt Anderson, founder of B2BTail, redefines e-commerce as 'easy commerce' for manufacturers, arguing that even complex CapEx equipment and contract manufacturers can leverage online sales. He illustrates this with examples of a contract manufacturer selling heavy-duty power strips and a wire harness maker selling ground straps by productizing their existing processes. Anderson emphasizes using SEO data to identify niche demand and implementing customer portals or product configurators to streamline the buying journey for high-value industrial goods.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 23m

    The Incredible Shrinking Pie: Why the Future Lies in E-Commerce w/ Kevin Haar

    Kevin Haar, Chief Operating Officer at Super Bright LEDs, discusses the strategic imperative for mid-sized manufacturers to adopt e-commerce, arguing that it is an operational shift rather than just a new sales channel. He highlights how the pandemic accelerated buyer behavior changes and how companies like Adobe acquiring Magento are making platforms more accessible. Haar warns that manufacturers ignoring this trend risk being disrupted by direct-to-consumer competitors, citing Jeff Bezos's vision of global supply chain transparency.

  • Product Startup · 26m

    123: Selling A Hardware Product on B2B Platforms

    Gil Bar-Lev, founder of the B2B marketplace HomeRoots, explains how hardware startups can scale by leveraging online business-to-business platforms to reach furniture stores and distributors. He emphasizes that success requires passion, product differentiation, and a willingness to pivot based on critical customer feedback rather than just chasing direct-to-consumer hype. Bar-Lev advises against pricing too low to preserve margins for big buyers and stresses the importance of maintaining high quality to protect brand reputation in a competitive market.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 38m

    Leveraging Ecommerce for Manufacturing’s Digital Immigrants w/ Curt Anderson

    Curt Anderson, Ecommerce Evangelist for Manufacturers at Ecommerce MGMT and author of 'Stop Being the Best Kept Secret', joins host Joe Sullivan of Gorilla 76 to discuss why manufacturers must adopt ecommerce strategies to survive in a digital-first landscape. Anderson outlines a three-pronged approach: simplifying RFQs, leveraging online marketplaces for commodity items, and using configurators to automate complex sales. The conversation emphasizes niche SEO strategies, such as targeting specific 'pink running shoes with purple shoelaces' keywords, and argues for transparent pricing to qualify buyers and reduce sales friction. They highlight how manufacturers can use ecommerce not just for direct sales, but as a lead generation tool to drive high-value custom contracts.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.