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The Kula Ring is a podcast for manufacturing marketers who want to drive real growth inside complex B2B organizations. Hosted by Jeff White and Carman Pirie (Kula Partners), each episode features candid conversations with industry leaders centred on practical, field-tested ideas you can actually use.
Expect smart takes on account-based marketing (ABM), sales + marketing alignment, demand generation, positioning, content and website strategy, and the realities of modern industrial buying. If you market to engineers, plant managers, procurement teams, or multi-stakeholder buying groups, this show is built for you.
New episodes released weekly, subscribe to stay in the loop.
Expect smart takes on account-based marketing (ABM), sales + marketing alignment, demand generation, positioning, content and website strategy, and the realities of modern industrial buying. If you market to engineers, plant managers, procurement teams, or multi-stakeholder buying groups, this show is built for you.
New episodes released weekly, subscribe to stay in the loop.
365 Episodes
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What happens when a Gen Z marketer joins a legacy manufacturing company and throws out the modern social media playbook?
In this episode, Lizzy Anderson of Hoosier Crane explains how she discovered that “cutting-edge” tactics weren’t resonating and why a return to simple, community-driven content worked better. From “2012 Facebook” style posts to highlighting local involvement and company values, Lizzy breaks down how manufacturing marketers can build trust, attract talent, and stay top-of-mind without overcomplicating their strategy. It’s a refreshing look at aligning marketing with audience reality, not trends.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie sit down with Paul Kelly, COO of NY Creates, to explore the future of semiconductor innovation and workforce development. Paul shares how NY Creates is enabling next-generation chip technology through global partnerships, supporting startups and industry leaders alike, and tackling one of the sector’s biggest challenges: building a skilled and diverse talent pipeline. From AI-driven manufacturing to advanced packaging and quantum technologies, this conversation offers a fascinating look at the forces shaping the semiconductor industry and the opportunities available to those entering it.
What happens when a guerrilla marketer enters the world of industrial manufacturing? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie are joined by Michael Garza, Marketing Specialist at Sanyo Denki America. Michael shares how his background in street team and experiential marketing, promoting concerts, festivals, and events, shaped his creative approach to B2B marketing. The conversation explores how unconventional thinking, experimentation, and community-focused marketing can bring fresh energy to manufacturing brands. From trade show giveaways to adapting messaging for different verticals, Michael explains why marketers should abandon “set it and forget it” thinking and instead focus on continuous learning, testing, and authentic engagement with their audiences.
Caterpillar is one of the most recognizable industrial brands in the world; but even iconic brands face challenges when it comes to modern social media. In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie are joined by Jenni Gritti, Senior Marketing Communications Consultant at Caterpillar, to explore how industrial brands can create social content that truly resonates.
Jenni breaks down how Caterpillar approaches different audiences across platforms, why educational entertainment consistently outperforms promotional content, and how data and split testing guide every decision. The conversation also dives into AI’s growing impact on social media, the rise of “AI slop,” the importance of human authenticity, and why reuse and repurposing are not only acceptable—but essential. This episode is packed with practical insights for industrial marketers at any stage of maturity.
What happens when your company not only builds a better product, but creates a whole new category?
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie speak with Florian Neugue, Regional Marketing Manager for North America at A-Safe. Florian explains how A-Safe pioneered polymer safety barriers that flex and return, replacing traditional steel barriers in industrial facilities.
The conversation explores the power of category design in manufacturing markets. Florian outlines why redefining the problem is the first step to building a new category, how marketers must balance education with demand capture, and why patience is critical when shaping how buyers think about safety solutions.
From forklift safety and operational costs to market maturity frameworks and industry standards, this episode offers a practical look at how category creators build long-term market leadership.
How do you market a company that can’t always show what it makes?
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Alex Dove, Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist at August Electronics, shares her unconventional path from sales into manufacturing marketing. With a background in textiles, furniture, and drapery manufacturing, Alex brings both inside and outside sales experience to her role, blending data-driven thinking with deep relationship building.
Alex explains how August Electronics, a low-to-mid volume contract electronics manufacturer based in Alberta, markets partnership over product in a horizontally aligned industry. She discusses navigating NDAs, marketing capabilities instead of finished goods, aligning marketing and sales around shared KPIs, and proving service through video and transparency.
The conversation also explores long-term brand building vs. short-term revenue pressure, what sales often misunderstands about marketing, and why curiosity and operational knowledge are essential for success in manufacturing marketing.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie welcome Maeve Ferguson, founder of Maeve Ferguson Consulting, to explore the power of diagnostic thought leadership. Maeve shares how sophisticated assessments go far beyond traditional quiz funnels, acting as intelligent routing engines that personalize messaging, qualify leads, and optimize sales conversations.
From collapsing long B2B sales cycles to filtering out unqualified prospects, Maeve explains how diagnostics serve as both a value-delivery mechanism and a powerful data play. The conversation dives into lead classification systems, personalization at scale, and how agentic AI is transforming marketing infrastructure. For manufacturers navigating complex buying journeys, this episode reveals how diagnostic experiences can increase close rates, accelerate sales conversations, and build deeper trust with prospects.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie sit down with David Kilzer, founder and principal of Strategic Transformation Advisors, to explore the convergence of artificial intelligence and advanced humanoid robotics. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in automation, David shares why this technological shift may dwarf previous revolutions like the internet and smartphones.
The conversation dives into what makes AI-enabled humanoid robots fundamentally different from traditional industrial automation, why change management and human readiness are critical to success, and how manufacturers can begin preparing today. David introduces the concept of the “Humanoid Readiness Quotient,” a framework to help organizations assess their preparedness for this emerging era. The discussion also explores open-source robot operating systems, the importance of data infrastructure, and the competitive implications of dramatically lower operating costs.
This episode is a forward-looking, practical guide for manufacturing leaders who want to navigate and capitalize on the coming transformation.
To hear more from David on this fascinating topic, please give his Tedx talk a look, you can find that here.
What happens when a manufacturing company applies startup thinking to one of the most conservative industrial sectors? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie are joined by Preston Wickersham, Director of Content Marketing at Giga Energy, to explore how vertically integrated manufacturing, founder-led storytelling, and “dogfooding” industrial equipment are reshaping electrical infrastructure and AI data centers. Preston shares Giga Energy’s origin story, their role in powering the AI boom, and what marketers can learn from bringing SaaS-style thinking into heavy manufacturing.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie sit down with Cody Warner, Commercial Vice President and Board Member at Deep Trekker, to explore how the company evolved its go-to-market strategy as both the market and its customers matured. Cody shares Deep Trekker’s journey from hustling at trade shows with water tanks and on-the-floor sales to building highly targeted micro events focused on real-world demonstrations, training, and education. The conversation dives into digital thought leadership, customer-led case studies, community building, and why experiential marketing can outperform traditional trade shows, especially in complex B2B, B2G, and defense markets.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie are joined by David Ceballos, Marketing Manager for the Industrial Emissions Division at Testo Instruments. Drawing on his background in automotive sales, David shares a practical, buyer-centric approach to improving lead quality in B2B manufacturing. The conversation explores how asking better questions, reducing unnecessary form friction, and respecting buyer intent can lead to more meaningful sales conversations, stronger trust, and higher-quality MQLs; without sacrificing the customer experience.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie peel back the curtain on the Q4 edition of the Industrial Buyer Pulse from Kula Partners. Drawing on insights from 258 industrial buyers across the US and Canada, they explore buyer confidence, spending priorities, shortlisting behavior, and the growing role of digital self-service and AI in supplier research. The conversation digs into what actually triggers buying decisions, how often new suppliers are winning deals, where human interaction matters most, and what supply chain risks buyers are navigating today. This episode offers practical insight for industrial marketers and sales teams planning for 2026.
What does “marketing with purpose” actually look like in practice? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff and Carman are joined by Alice DiSanto, VP of Marketing at Autonomous Solutions. Alice shares how deeply understanding culture, leadership, and people is the foundation of authentic, effective marketing. From conducting confidential listening tours to aligning teams around shared values, she explains how purpose-driven marketing starts inside the organization and becomes a powerful competitive advantage. This conversation is a must-listen for marketers looking to humanize technology, build trust, and create brands that genuinely reflect who they are.
For our final episode in the Holiday Series we are returning to our chat about creating a brand made for loyal customers. Klein Tools has been manufacturing tools made for trades people for over 165 years. In today’s episode, we sat down with Greg Palese, Vice President of Marketing at Klein Tools, to discuss how they continue to grow engaged customer relationships. By speaking directly with end users, Klein Tools is able to deepen relationships and increase sales. Even more, Greg discusses how they focus on solving end user problems by visiting job sites to see first-hand how Klein Tools can help their customers.
For our second episode in our Holiday Series we are taking a second look at when we chatted with Cynthia Kellam, Global Senior Director, Digital, Data and Customer Experience Center of Excellence at TE Connectivity, again to discuss how collecting and using digital data can create better customer experiences. She explains their journey of building a better Voice of Customer system to help all business units in TE Connectivity make customer-focused decisions. Cynthia explains how she avoids survey fatigue, uses automation techniques, and visualizes data for actionable success.
For the first episode in our 2025 Holiday Series we are looking back at our conversation with Augie Ray, Senior Research Analyst and Executive Advisor of Customer Experience at Gartner, about how CX is the most important aspect of marketing and how to focus on customers' unmet needs.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Hall of Fame keynote speaker and AI technology creator Sam Richter joins Jeff and Carman to explore how AI, search tools, and thoughtful research can help sales teams become dramatically more relevant to prospects. Sam shares why modern buyers expect sellers to arrive informed, how to use AI and search more effectively, and why “customer relevance management” should replace traditional CRM thinking. He also explains how understanding what prospects truly care about improves trust, opens conversations, and drives more successful sales outcomes. This conversation is packed with practical tactics and sharp insights for any manufacturing marketer or salesperson navigating today’s digital-first buying environment.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Rachel Cossette, Marketing Manager at Rogers Machinery Company, walks us through how she built a powerful, education-focused webinar program that has become a core pillar of the company’s marketing engine. Rachel explains why webinars were the perfect solution for delivering value, growing first-party data, and creating demand while strengthening relationships with vendor partners along the way.
She shares how she scaled the program from a handful of events in 2022 into a full calendar featuring expert presenters, vendor co-marketing, PDH certifications, and a library of long-form content that supports sales, onboarding, and SEO. Rachel also offers practical advice for small or one-person marketing teams looking to launch their own webinar program without big budgets, agencies, or complex tech stacks.
In this episode of The Kula Ring, sales expert, keynote speaker, and author Shawn Casemore joins Jeff and Carman to explore how sales have fundamentally changed, especially in the manufacturing sector. Shawn breaks down why today’s buyers spend far more time researching independently, how little time salespeople actually get in the buying cycle, and what both sales and marketing teams must do to earn attention and trust.
He introduces his Unstoppable Sales Method and Prospecting System, explains the power of “value assets,” and shares practical strategies for connecting with modern buyers across multiple channels. From aligning sales and marketing to overcoming outdated sales habits, Shawn offers a clear roadmap for manufacturers looking to grow in today’s environment.
More from Shawn here
In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jennifer McQuilken, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Enchanted Rock, joins Jeff and Carman to discuss the unique challenge of marketing a single natural-gas generator platform across numerous industries and use cases. Jennifer shares how her team builds core messaging that works across verticals, then adapts it to fit the needs of hospitals, data centers, utilities, and community microgrids. She also explains how product packaging, naming, and reframing help overcome misconceptions and open the door to meaningful sales conversations.
The conversation explores shifting sustainability expectations, the rise of flexible capacity solutions, the surprising benefits of smaller modular generators, and how Jennifer’s non-traditional career path, boat captain included, shapes her approach to communications, problem-solving, and working with technical teams.
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