# 227: Are the Challenges Facing Rural vs. Urban Manufacturers Really That Different? Live from the Midwest Manufacturers Trade Show & Conference

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2025-03-18
- Length: 1h 07m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Chris Luecke interviews Krisi Schell of SRC Holdings, Chris Oravec of L&R Industries, and Drew Crowe of New American Manufacturing Renaissance about the distinct yet overlapping talent challenges facing rural and urban manufacturers. Schell details SRC Holdings' open-book management and community engagement strategies to retain staff in rural Missouri, while Oravec explains how L&R Industries attracts talent in Kabul, Missouri, through comprehensive benefits and local school partnerships. Crowe contrasts rural awareness of manufacturing jobs with urban disconnection, advocating for a multi-stakeholder ecosystem involving workforce development, education, and city leaders to bridge the skills gap.

## Chapters

- [0:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different#t=49) Introduction: Rural vs. Urban Manufacturing Challenges
- [4:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different#t=283) Krisi Schell and SRC Holdings: Open-Book Management and Culture
- [23:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different#t=1395) Chris Oravec and L&R Industries: Talent in Small-Town Missouri
- [35:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different#t=2121) Drew Crowe: Awareness, Ecosystems, and Urban vs. Rural Dynamics
- [1:02:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different#t=3744) Episode Summary and Key Takeaways

## Topics

- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- SRC Holdings (company)
- L&R Industries (company)
- New American Manufacturing Renaissance (company)
- Caster Concepts (company)
- Skillwork (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Starting Young: The Next Generation of Manufacturing & Engineering Talent w/ Meaghan Ziemba](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-10-26-starting-young-the-next-generation-of-manufacturing-engineering-talent-w-meaghan) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Perspectives on Finding and Keeping Manufacturing Talent w/ Jon Franko](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2024-09-03-perspectives-on-finding-and-keeping-manufacturing-talent-w-jon-franko) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [The NFL Draft, The NBA Draft and... The Manufacturing Skills Draft? w/ Dr. Jason Scales](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-08-10-the-nfl-draft-the-nba-draft-and-the-manufacturing-skills-draft-w-dr-jason-scales) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Diversity in the Manufacturing Sector w/ Andrew Crowe and Justin Sherman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-07-27-diversity-in-the-manufacturing-sector-w-andrew-crowe-and-justin-sherman) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [How to Solve the Manufacturing Recruitment Puzzle w/ Patrick O'Rahilly](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-01-26-how-to-solve-the-manufacturing-recruitment-puzzle-w-patrick-orahilly) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-03-18-227-are-the-challenges-facing-rural-vs-urban-manufacturers-really-that-different. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.