# 300: Chris Luecke’s Friends from High School Interview Him on His Own Podcast, LIVE in St. Louis

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2026-09-01
- Length: 1h 10m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, is interviewed by his high school friends Pat Morris, Rob Garwitz, and John Petra in St. Louis, while also hosting a panel with Michael Eaton of the Missouri Association of Manufacturers, Joe Mazzola of McHenry Automation, and Maria Berra of Maid in Missouri. The episode covers the diverse manufacturing landscape in Missouri, including Apollo 13 battery cells and pepper spray, and discusses Luecke's approach to building a sustainable podcast brand by borrowing best practices from travel bloggers and live music. Luecke shares personal anecdotes about his career, his upcoming fatherhood, and the importance of authentic leadership and regional collaboration in manufacturing.

## Chapters

- [2:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=122) Introduction and Missouri Manufacturing Panel
- [7:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=457) Cool Things Made in St. Louis and Missouri
- [12:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=725) St. Louis Manufacturing Ecosystem and Collaboration
- [19:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=1149) Reverse Interview: Stamina and Best Practices
- [23:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=1417) Fatherhood and Lifestyle Design
- [27:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=1620) High School Stories and Leadership Lessons
- [36:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=2174) Authenticity and Standing Out in Industry
- [39:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=2343) St. Louis Food, Beer, and Lifestyle Recommendations
- [59:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live#t=3591) Future of Manufacturing and Podcast

## Topics

- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Creator business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/creator-business)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (company)
- McHenry Automation (company)
- Missouri Association of Manufacturers (company)
- Maid in Missouri (company)
- Urban Chestnut Brewing (company)
- Asset Watch (company)
- MaintainX (company)
- IMTS (other)
- Carl's Drive-In (other)
- Ted Drew's (other)
- Emo's Pizza (other)
- City Museum (other)
- Little Lager (other)
- Wright's Tavern (other)
- Printerior (company)
- EnviroPAC (company)
- Natoli (company)
- Saber (company)
- Joe's Chemical (company)
- Wilson Manufacturing (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Introducing The Manufacturing Employer Podcast w/ Jon Franko](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-06-20-introducing-the-manufacturing-employer-podcast-w-jon-franko) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Episode 255: AND WE’RE LIVE!!!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2020-04-01-episode-255-and-were-live-8425fa68) (Making It)
- [100 Weeks of Podcasting: The Business Impact](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-05-17-100-weeks-of-podcasting-the-business-impact) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [100 - Celebrating our 100th episode from the Specright Summit with Cory, Matthew, and Megan](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-20-100-celebrating-our-100th-episode-from-the-specright-summit-with-cory-matthew-an) (People of Packaging)
- [Episode 182: Been trying to sell out for years](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-09-07-episode-182-been-trying-to-sell-out-for-years) (Making It)

## 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/2026-09-01-300-chris-lueckes-friends-from-high-school-interview-him-on-his-own-podcast-live. 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.