Hardware Podcasts

212: Manufacturing's Transformative Impact on Rural Economies and Population Growth with Angie Stenger, Executive Director of Northeast Nebraska Growing Together

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 19 Nov 2024 · 39m

What this episode covers

Angie Stenger, Executive Director of Northeast Nebraska Growing Together, explains how the initiative is revitalizing Norfolk, Nebraska, through a collaborative model involving Wayne State College, Northeast Community College, and local manufacturers. The program features the 'Growing Together Scholarship,' which pairs students with housing and internships, resulting in 10 of the first 28 graduates staying in Norfolk, while the new IHub innovation hub provides robotics training and CNC access. Stenger highlights how quality-of-life investments, such as the Whitewater Park and downtown revitalization, are used to attract young professionals and support bedrock employers like Newcore Steel and Lindsay Corporation.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Northeast Nebraska Growing Together, Wayne State College, Northeast Community College, Invest Nebraska, Heartland Robotics Cluster, Exarbin Foundation, Lindsay Corporation, Kawasaki
Products
Grain Weeble, The District, Whitewater Park, IHub

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Lights Out · 52m

    Inside Conexus Indiana: The Industry Network Driving Manufacturing Tech and Talent | Ep. 46

    Bryce Carpenter, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Conexus Indiana, explains how this industry-led nonprofit facilitates collaboration among 126 manufacturing, logistics, academic, and public sector partners to drive workforce development and technology adoption. He details the evolution of the industry from viewing automation as an enemy to embracing it as a necessity, highlighting a specific case where automating hated palletizing jobs improved retention. The episode also covers the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, which has supported over 700 small and midsize shops, and success stories like FiberX and Arcamed, illustrating how strategic peer learning and targeted investments accelerate growth.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    10 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 24m

    Filling the Skills Gap One Student at a Time w/ Matt Guse

    Matt Guse, President of MRS Machining Company, discusses his initiative to launch Cardinal Manufacturing, a student-run job shop inside Alva Strum High School in Wisconsin, to combat the skilled labor shortage. Guse explains how he partnered with teacher Craig Krakowski and secured equipment donations to create a program that teaches soft skills and professional habits alongside technical machining and welding. He highlights the program's success in providing debt-free education for students and reshaping the perception of manufacturing careers among Gen Z.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    6 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive

    Workforce as Critical Infrastructure: Following North Carolina's Model w/ John Loyack

    John Loyack, Vice President of Economic Development for the North Carolina Community College System, explains how North Carolina transformed from a textile and furniture hub into a diversified manufacturing powerhouse by treating its workforce as critical infrastructure. He details the state's strategy of integrating customized training programs like NC Edge and Apprenticeship NC with university and industry partnerships to attract major companies like IBM and Pratt & Whitney. Loyack emphasizes that successful site selection now depends on a state's ability to provide tailored talent assessments, leadership development, and flexible learning models that address specific skills gaps for both new and existing businesses.

    Hiring & workforceScaling production
    6 chapters

  • Additive Snack · 57m

    How to Accelerate and Mature Manufacturing with Barry Hulce of VTMC

    Barry Hulce, Executive Director of the Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative (VTMC), explains how his organization is building a robust advanced manufacturing ecosystem in rural Vermont to address workforce shortages and supply chain resilience. Hulce details VTMC's 'industry project program,' which pays learners to train on industry-standard equipment like EOS metal 3D printers while fulfilling real client needs, effectively creating a paid apprenticeship model. He highlights specific partnerships with companies like Bivo for laser etching and Benchmark Space Systems for qualifying complex rocket thruster components through rapid design-of-experiment iterations.

    Scaling productionHiring & workforce
    8 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive

    MEP Impact: Empowering Small Manufacturers with Training, Partnerships and Advocacy w/ Pete Connolly

    Pete Connolly, CEO of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), explains how the MEP network supports small and mid-sized manufacturers through workforce development, lean manufacturing, and supply chain resilience. He details the 'Future Makers and Creators' mobile training RV program that introduces high school students to modern manufacturing careers and discusses the critical challenges of tariffs and offshoring pharmaceuticals. Connolly also provides an update on the MEP network's recent survival of federal defunding threats and highlights a success story with Mac Products, which gained $3 million in new sales through MEP-led data analysis.

    Hiring & workforcePolicy, trade & tariffs
    8 chapters

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.