March has been busy over at Managed Solutions thanks to my friends at CIMCO giving me new tools to play with, so I have been a little slow with my episode bookings for the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast. I did take a little time today before writing this to reflect back and revisit the 9 episodes we’ve recorded so far and even created a page and menu item to make it easier for people to browse all the episodes.
Updates from Carol, Bill, Mike, Joe, and Harry
One of the things I have grown to appreciate is how many of our past guests have really become essential contacts for the advocacy efforts here. It feels really good to be plugged into a community that understands the important role manufacturing plays in our economy. Rarely a day goes by where I don’t communicate with one of them or at the very least see updates about them in the news and on social media. This led me to the idea for this what may be a good ongoing feature here on MFA. Here are some recent highlights:
From Carol Pepper-Kittredge – EP3
I communicated with Carol about my participation in the Mechatronics program at Sierra College and their progress on the Advanced Manufacturing program they are building that will eventually include a number of milling machines, lathes, laser cutters, etc.
From Bill Gaines – EP1
Bill shared this great video with me about Advanced Manufacturing Careers and the role of Community Colleges in preparing people for these vital jobs.
From Mike Betts – EP9
I came across this video of Mike Betts on their Twitter Page, also if you’re able be sure to attend the 2017 Manufacturing Summit in Fresno on April 20th, 2017.
CEO Mike Betts shares a memory with us. #TBT pic.twitter.com/OE3g9t88So
— Betts Company (@BettsCompany) January 27, 2017
Joe Wernette – EP2
Tri Tool’s Neal Manzano indicated that projects that have been:
mired in political controversy and bureaucratic red tape for years, seem as if they are reaching a conclusion
as a result, things are looking up in Rancho Cordova and beyond evidently.
Harry Moser in the news – EP8
The Reshoring Initiative was quoted in an Industry Week article “Reshoring: By the Numbers” that also referenced an infographic that they were cited on. It’s not hard to find Harry Moser in the news, the Reshoring Initiative seems to be quoted on a daily basis somewhere. In the article they shared that:
States that are the biggest winners thus far in terms of job increases are:
- South Carolina – 7,780
- Michigan – 6,721
- California – 6,014
- Kentucky – 4,612
- Texas – 3,712
I am pleasantly surprised about California being the third largest recipient, maybe Dorothy Rothrock was right!
If these difference-makers keep doing what they are doing, the future does indeed look much brighter.