WAM

Today’s guest is an IT project manager at Oro, a business that builds customer-driven, powerful, and connected open-source software for B2B digital transformation. She is also a woman and a Ukrainian refugee. In this episode, Kate Yanshyna joins us to discuss all that she’s been through and how the company culture at Oro has supported her throughout. Tuning in, you’ll hear how she came to work for Oro, how the company evacuated Ukrainian employees when the war broke out, and how much support Kate received from the management, her team, and her customers in the terrible situation she found herself in. She goes on to shed light on what it has been like for her to be a woman in IT, the growth in the number of female employees at Oro that she has witnessed over the years, and the continuing growth opportunities she sees for women in IT. You’ll also hear about the importance of digitalization and automation for the future of business and how Oro can help you future-proof your company. For all this, and so much more, tune in today!

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While manufacturers are increasingly engaged in at least some level of social media participation, many are not optimizing it to reach their fullest potential! Today, Fran Brunelle sits down with Lauren LaDell, a.k.a. The Spindle Chick, to talk about why social media matters for manufacturing companies. Lauren is the National Sales Manager at Motor City Spindle Repair, a 25,000 square-foot spindle remanufacturing and ball screw manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Michigan, that specializes in motorized CNC spindle repair for HMC/VMCs, turning centers, grinding machines, and other precision spindle applications. With over 20,000 followers on Instagram and more than 14,000 on TikTok, Lauren sure knows how to leverage the power of social media! In this episode, she outlines some of the benefits manufacturers can get from social media, from LinkedIn to TikTok, and we touch on finding the right balance between relatable and professional content, how to boost your engagement, and more. Lauren also shares her top tips and ideas for the types of content that manufacturers can post, so make sure not to miss this thought-provoking discussion with The Spindle Chick, Lauren LaDell!

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Manufacturing is an amazing career choice and people seem not to understand that they can have a wonderful life taking up a career in this industry. Our guest today is passionate about informing kids and their parents that just because you go into a trade and start working right out of high school, does not mean that you lose the opportunity to go to college. More often than not, employers like herself want to invest in their employees and companies. Today, we welcome to the show, Kristin Carlson, who is President of Peerless Precision, Inc. in Westfield, Massachusetts. Peerless is a small, precision machine shop specializing in the manufacturing of complex mechanical components, mainly for the aerospace and defense industries. Kristin is the previous president of the Western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association. She also currently serves as trustee, a member of the board, and sits on advisory/steering committees for Westfield Technical Academy’s Manufacturing Program, West Springfield High School’s Pathways to Prosperity Program, Agawam High School’s Manufacturing Program, and Forge. Kristin has extensive experience in purchasing, sales, supply chain management, and operations management. She is extremely passionate when it comes to changing the outdated narrative that encompasses manufacturing, bringing more women into manufacturing, and educating students on the many career paths and opportunities that are available in advanced manufacturing. Stay tuned for this insightful conversation as we hear all about it from Kristin herself in today’s episode.

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Over 95% of what goes on in our brains is beneath our conscious level of awareness. Someone who understands this well is today’s guest, Suzen Fiskin. Suzen is a professional speaker and a pioneer in the world of coaching. With an extensive education in neurolinguistic programming (the foundation of Tony Robbins’ work) and hypnotherapy training, together with her marketing and people skills, Suzen began a new career in coaching in the early ’90s. For 30 years, she has been working with clients to help them become happier, both personally and professionally, as well as more successful. She works with clients to rewire their thinking on both conscious and subconscious levels to break through old limitations and to create vastly superior results. As she is currently launching the new coaching division of TR Cutler Inc, today she joins us to talk about the incredible power of mindset coaching and how this can be harnessed for manufacturers. To discover more about the power of the unconscious mind, the vast potential of neurolinguistic programming, the secret weapon of humor, and how all this may hold the key to you becoming exponentially more successful professionally, tune in today!

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Today’s guest has worked in both the front end and the back end of the manufacturing business and has gained valuable insights from both. Tammy Casteel is a plant manager for Iconex, the world’s leading provider of receipt and innovative label solutions. They create value for their customers by enhancing transaction recording, ensuring order accuracy, and improving operational efficiency. Tammy has been with the company for over 13 years, working in a variety of different roles, including sales support team leader, customer service manager, North American supply chain manager, and most recently, plant manager. Today, she joins us to share what she has learned through this diverse range of experiences. Tuning in, you’ll hear about what Tammy has gained from some of her career mentors, how she manages to be an effective manager in a very male-dominated industry, and her advice to young women considering a career in manufacturing. To find out how to keep your customers happy in the face of supply chain issues, how to get the most out of your employees through gratitude, and to learn more from Tammy’s wisdom and experience, tune in today!

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Too many women blame themselves for the scarcity of well-made, professional, plus size clothing, but today’s guest is on a mission to help women feel better about themselves (and help them look fabulous in the process)! In today’s episode, Rosemary Coates interviews Danielle Malconian, President and CEO of Plus by Design and the brand, Vikki Vi. When Danielle landed a job managing the plus size clothing department at Nordstrom, she had loads of compassion for her customers. With her size 12 feet, she knew what that frustration like, to not be able to buy something that both fits well and looks good. Vikki Vi has a rich history of providing women with great-looking, comfortable clothing, and, when the original company went out of business, it made sense to Danielle to buy the label and keep it going. Listen in to hear more about her journey, the quality and construction of Vikki Vi’s “slinky” fabric, and their decision to manufacture in the US. Danielle also talks about the importance of consistency when it comes to size and how Vikki Vi hopes to combat waste in the fashion industry while creating investment pieces and options for plus-size women while still making profit. Tune in today!

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Welcome to a brand new episode of Women And Manufacturing. Joining us in conversation today is Jean Angus, President & CEO of Saint-Gobain Life Sciences, a global organization that designs, produces, and distributes fluid management components and systems to industries like biopharma, medical, food and bev, personal care, and chemical. Hear all about her journey working in innovation processes before her current leadership role. Hear what psychological safety means to Jean, and what she advises listeners who feel they cannot be themselves at work. She shares how she works to embrace understanding those around her in order to be more inclusive, and how she aims to engage the workforce to enable people to work best. We touch on vulnerability, staying present as a leader, and the one principle she applies to both her work and her life before Jean leaves us with a powerful piece of advice: just try! Thanks for tuning in.

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Today we gain insight into the topic of project, contract, and supplier management, and how they relate to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Joining us for this discussion is an expert in this field: Angela Thurman is the Principal Managing Director of Thurman Co, an organization that helps small to medium-sized companies with strategic technical project management to help them stay aligned with their goals. Angela is no stranger to contract management, having spent 10 years as a principal subcontracts program manager at Collins Aerospace and with experience negotiating $1 billion contracts. Tuning in you’ll hear about Angela’s impressive career in the aerospace industry and how she came to found her own consulting business. She touches on many different aspects of the manufacturing industry and covers helpful topics including how to overcome resistance to change through project management, how to negotiate a contract from the position of strength as a small- to medium-sized manufacturer, and how you can reap the benefits of a contract when it comes to your suppliers. For some fascinating insight from someone who is usually on the other side of the negotiating table, tune in today!

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People often believe that supporting US manufacturers is a lot harder to do than it really is. To explain how this is easier than you think, today we are joined by Dianna Huff. Dianna is the founder and president of Huff Industrial Marketing. In this episode, she describes her long career in manufacturing and how she came to found her company. In her efforts to stimulate job creation in the USA, Dianna made a commitment to support manufacturers by buying ‘Made in the USA’ wherever possible. To encourage others to do the same she also started her blog Keep it Made in the USA. Tuning in you’ll hear about some of the services provided by Huff Industrial Marketing and what mistakes many manufacturing businesses are making when it comes to their websites and trying to attract new employees. We also discuss how the nature of jobs in the manufacturing industry has changed over the past few decades, some of the recent trends Dianna has identified in American manufacturing, and how US manufacturers are benefiting from filling in the gaps created by the supply chain issues. To hear two incredible success stories of American manufacturers and to find out what steps you can take to support more US manufacturers, tune in today!

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Changing demographics are creating new roles and leadership opportunities for women in family businesses. However, there are numerous stereotypes, unconscious gender biases, and even family traditions that can present challenges for women stepping into these positions of leadership, particularly when taking the reins in a multicultural, multigenerational family business! This has been the experience for Filomena Malvone, the Owner and Manager of Jerry & Sal’s Pizza Restaurant in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and the author of What Would You Do If…, a situational book to promote problem-solving skills among young children. Today, Lydia Di Liello sits down with Filomena to discuss some of these challenges and find out how she overcame them with determination, hard work, and finesse, emphasizing the importance of building meaningful relationships along the way. We also touch on the value of speaking multiple languages, fostering a company culture that feels like family, and surrounding yourself with encouraging supporters, plus so much more, so make sure not to miss today’s show!

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