Small Business Talks

How it Can Improve Your Business & Your Customers Satisfaction Vertically integrated manufacturing is beneficial to manufacturers as it provides greater control over the supply chain, improves quality control, reduces costs and lead times, and can lead to increased profits by capturing more value. Implementing vertical integration requires strategy and managing complexity. In this podcast we talk with Landon Geater and Jared Graening of Geater Machining and Manufacturing a vertically integrated manufacturer about the challenges and benefits of their vertical integration journey.   Many Thanks to Geater Machining and Manufacturing for being on this podcast. We have listed their contact information below. Web: https://geater.com/ Phone: (319) 334-6026 Email: info@geater.com

TMR mixers, also known as feed mixers, are essential tools for livestock farmers, offering numerous benefits that enhance the health and productivity of animals and offer cost saving by improving feed efficiency. With so many different types of mixers, which is right for your operation. In this podcast we discuss the types of feed mixers, and which types work best for which situations. In this podcast we are going to discuss what to consider when choosing a cattle feed mixer and why those factors are important. To help us better understand what to look for we have Joel Schelling, Sales and Marketing Specialist at Post Equipment and parent company of Herd Boss Feeders. and Dan Koonan, a sales specialist. Contact Information: Joel Schelling: jschelling@postequip.com | Phone: 712-476-4500 Post Equipment: https://postequip.com/  | Herd Boss Feeders: https://herdbossfeeders.com/

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is a broad term for any type of farming that takes place in a controlled environment, indoors and shielded from the elements. This can be done in a variety of settings, including greenhouses, warehouses, including repurposed shipping containers. Jim Schroeder, principal owner of Alta-CEA, answers our questions about shipping container vertical farming and provides in-depth information about how CEA works and the necessity of training in order to effectively produce crops. Contact Information: Alta CEA Website: https://alta-cea.com/ Jim Schroeder : jim@alta-cea.com Read more about Innovations in Vertical Farming at our Innovations Blog Please subscribe to our Podcast and send us your comments at nealr@mfgpa.org

If your business or organization offers pension or welfare benefit plans, you’ll want to listen to this episode that explains Form 5500 in detail, in addition to filing requirements and the hefty penalties for incorrect or late submissions.   Ann Myers and Alan Perka from the 5500 tax Group join us to help explain the details and filing of this form, Today on small business talks.   For additional details on Form 5500. You can Contact The 5500 Tax Group thriough their website address listed below. Website: https://5500tax.com/ Don't foget to visit The Small Business Talks Blog and Subscribe to Our Channel. We are always wanting to hear from our listeners and encourage you to send us your comments and suggestions to us via email at: nealr@mfgpa.org.

Most businesses have heard of managed It services but may not be familiar with Co-Managed Services. What are the differences and what advantages do one have over the other. Steve Arndt and Greg Shenefelt of Silver Linings Technology join us to explain the differences and what advantages each type of service offers and how Co-Managed IT may be a solution many businesses are looking for. Contact Info Silver Lining’s Technology Phone: 360-450-4759 Steve Arndt, sarndt@silverliningstechnology.com Greg Shenefelt, gshenefelt@silverliningstechnology.com Visit the Small Business Talks Website for more information. We would enjoy hearing from you and invite you to send your comments and suggestions to nealr@mfgpa.org.

Many businesses ask if they should hire an outsourced IT Provider to manage their company’s information technology. This is especially true for the Legal cannabis industry which has unique challenges and hefty regulations for growers, distributors, and dispensaries in the cannabis industry. In fact, Cannabis IT Services and Solutions is fast becoming one of the largest growing areas in the IT service market. To help us better understand why an IT provider is beneficial and what to look for in a provider we have Steve Arndt – President Cannabis Technology Partners & Silver Lining Technologies and Greg Shenefelt – Help Desk Coordinator Cannabis Technology Partners today on Small Business Talks. Many Thanks to: Cannabis Technology Partners 360-450-3687 info＠cannabistechnologypartners.com https://cannabistechnologypartners.com/ Have a comment or idea for a podcast, email us at nealr@mfgpa.org Visit Our Blog : American Business Blog

Zinc is a versatile metal that offers many advantages to product development and manufacturing, yet many products designers and engineers are fully aware of these benefits. Zinc Die Casting is an optimal choice for the right casting. Dave Magner, Director of Sales, and Marketing at Deco Products talks with us to understand when zinc is a good choice and how it impacts both product design as well as manufacturing and profitability.   Deco Products Contact Info Phone: (563)-387-9058 Website: https://decoprod.com/

In this cutting episode of Small Business Talks, we sit down with Dave Brown from The Original Saw Company. Dave dives into the advantages of beam saws, explaining their superior platform, stability, and exceptional cross-cut capabilities. We delve into the practical applications for businesses, both large and small, emphasizing the beam saw's ability in cutting a variety of materials. Dave also touches on the importance of the right tooling, offering insights into cutting materials beyond just wood. From power requirements to the nuances of manual vs. power cross feeds. Plus, get valuable tips on maintaining your beam saw to ensure longevity and precision with every cut. The Original Saw Company Website  Phone: 1-800-733-4063 Visit the Small Business Talks Site Have a question, comment or topic idea, email us at: nealr@mfgpa.org

Online Loans vs. Local Community Bank Loans In an increasingly digital world, the financial landscape has witnessed a significant increase in online lending platforms. However, are local bank loans still a viable and advantageous option? Join us in this thought-provoking podcast as we delve into the realm of borrowing and explore the key differences between online loans and the benefits of turning to your local bank for home loans with our guests Amanda and Jo Lea, Vice President of Real Estate Lending and Assistant Vice of President of Real Estate Lending for Farmers National Bank in Illinois.   Farmers National Bank Website

An agricultural bank, also known as an AG bank, is a type of financial institution that provides specialized financial services to farmers, agribusinesses, and other rural clients to help them manage their finances, invest in their operations, and grow their businesses. In comparison to other types of banks AG banks often have a more specialized understanding of the unique risks and opportunities of associated with the agricultural sector. We recently spoke with Brandt Hutchcraft and Steve Taets, who are loan officers with Farmers National Bank in Illinois to better understand the services and differences agriculture banking offers.   Famers National Bank Website Send us your Feedback - nealr@mfgpa.org

In a previous episode, we learned about Dr. Allen Kramer and his extensive years of research at the National Institute of Health doing years of research on proteins and how he turned that experience into a small business manufacturing type 2 collagen supplements. Since then, we have had many listeners contact us about companies offering a 30-day collagen challenge for joint pain. We reached out to Sr. Kramer to get his view on the subject and wanted to follow up with another podcast to see if these claims were realistic and if not why. Our podcast goes into an understanding of how collagen works and what type of collagen works best and most importantly what is a realistic time frame to see results.   SB-EDGE website Small Business Talks Blog: Send us your comments nealr@mfgpa.org

Every company has a story on how they got started or why they went into business. Our feature small business had extensive experience in the biochemical field and used that knowledge and experience to become a collagen supplement manufacturer to help those with joint pain. Learn how collagen works and how it may help people with joint pain and learn how Dr. Allan Kramer turned his extensive knowledge and experience into a business to help others.  Company Website: sb-edge.com Small Business Talks Blog: Collagen Suppliments & Joint Pain A Company’s Journey to Help People Send us your feedback: nealr@mfgpa.org

As more and more companies look to solar energy for power many new challenges come along that need a solution for it to all work. In this case The Rock River Lumber and Grain Company needed help getting their solar batteries to communicate with the utility grid. We talk with Jake Thompson a Network Engineer at Twin State Technical Services who explains how they got involved and created a network for their solar battery array and the challenges they faced in order to get it to work. Twin State Technical Services:  https://www.tsts.com/  | Phone: 563-441-1504  Read About the Story on Our Blog: Small Business Talks

Let’s face it, businesses today are facing a mountain of challenges, the urge to focus on product sales and not your customers are at an all-time high. Some believe price is the only way to get sales and that quality or focusing on solving customer’s problems is no longer important. A good business is concerned with the customer's needs and how they can help their customers be successful because they recognize that a successful customer is a return customer. That statement is from our guest today, Jon Gainer, President and owner of Stake World, a manufacturer of yard sign stakes. Jon will share his experience on how focusing on delighting your customers has grown his business in the face of the Pandemic and Supply Chain issues. He shares with us on how this approach works and why more businesses need to adopt this philosophy.   StakeWorld Website: https://www.stakeworld.com/ Small Business Talks Blog : Delighting Customers & Lawn Sign Stakes

Monetizing TIF Tax increment financing (TIF) is a financing tool that has been used by municipalities for redevelopment, and infrastructure, projects for over 40 years. TIF was designed to help with the unexpected additional costs of a project like an environmental issue or developing streets and storm drains. TIF can help reimburse some of the additional developer’s costs. Emily Blaylock, president of Untamed Equity explains how TIF helps both municipalities and developers with redevelopment projects. We also discuss TIF Monetization as a way to supercharge the tool to handle TIF eligible costs over time by monetizing the future cash flows through the reimbursement of property taxes paid by the developer, based on the net present cash flow stream to offer a lump sum loan amount based on a margining of the net value upfront. More About TIF Monentization at Untamed Equity: www.untamedequity.com View Our Blog Post: Small Business Talks

For small businesses and manufacturers, the past two years have been full of challenges, even ones that continue to cause production problems. Many companies can get the parts they order from their manufacturers because the manufacturers can’t get the raw materials to fill the orders. This supply chain disruption affects products, workers, and our economy. One company, Plas-Tech Tooling is helping companies who rely on cast parts or components in their products and manufacturers a way to get around the supply chain bottleneck. By converting the cast item into a machined part. By way of production machining the part can be delivered to the buyer and production can get back to filling orders. The conversion process is a great workaround, and the podcast goes into details to explain what situations it would work best in and steps for an effective transition from casting to machined part. Plas-Tech Tooling | www.plastechtooling.com Small Business Talks Blog | Casting Conversion Post

More than ever manufacturers are having to rethink the materials they choose for product design for a variety of reasons, costs, quality, and more recently availability and supply given the supply chain disruption of 2021-22. Therefore, many companies are looking at die casting over other manufacturing methods for their products. In doing the research for this topic, we noticed a large amount of information on die casting or die cast parts focusing on aluminum, steel, or plastic. So, we wanted to see if Zinc Die casting offers any advantages or benefits to companies and manufacturers. We spoke with Dave Magner, Director of Sales, and Marketing, of DECO Products in Decorah, Iowa who specialize in zinc die casting to get his expert knowledge on the subject. As Dave explains in the podcast, Zinc most certainly offers advantages to manufacturing parts and products but there is more to understand of what parts it is best used for making.     Many Thanks to Dave Magner – Deco Products – www.decoprod.com Visit our Companion Blog Site “Small Business Talks” for more details.

Metal fabrication is the unique process of cutting, bending, shaping metal or steel into parts and products from a specific design or set of drawings. Manufacturers use metal fabricators to develop prototypes or small production items that would be cost prohibitive if they were to fabricate it themselves. Likewise, many small businesses may need a custom shelf or piece of equipment to make their operations run smoother and more productive. A Contract Metal Fabricator has both the equipment and expertise to help businesses meet this need and may often be more price economical than expected and may offer a better solution then a generic product that doesn’t meet their requirements. John Nelson from NSMC has invited our listeners to call him about their metal fabrication needs and will be happy to recommend a reputable fabricator if they cannot produce what you need.   Many Thanks to John Nelson – NSMC – www.nsmc-steel-racks.com Visit our Companion Blog Site “Small Business Talks” for more details.

An Interview About Indoor Grow Lights & Technology Grow Lights have been around for decades and have evolved from fluorescent to high pressure sodium to most recently LED. Grow lights are critical to indoor growing operations because they supply the light which is converted into plant energy through a process called photosynthesis. As technological advancements have been made so to has the understand of just how indoor light affects plant growth. New terminology like Far red, UV, and full spectrum have become more important. The other factor in grow lights is the costs, both in initial investment as well as operating costs. The problem is that one can get quickly overwhelmed with all the information online as to which type is the best for indoor growing, what characteristics are important and innovations in the industry.   We recently interviewed had the opportunity to speak with Jeff Nall a Technical Advisory Board Member for gGRO Horticulture. And talk about what you should know about grow lights and the innovations the gGro lighting system brings to the marketplace.   More information on the best indoor grow lights is available at biz-reps.com. You can also visit our blog at Small Business Talks Blog

Do you own or work for a small business or manufacturing company? Are you looking for answers or ideas to help you with the challenges you face as a small business? Or maybe you just looking for inspiration or to hear what other companies like you are doing? Hi, I’m Neal Rabogliatti, for over 25 years I have been helping small businesses and manufacturers to develop strategic and tactical ways to improve their business online. Over the years I have met some amazing people and companies who have some great ideas and interesting stories that could help other small businesses find solutions to their challenges. I know how hard it is for a smaller company to get their message out to the world compared to resources large corporations have, that’s why I had the idea of creating a podcast that highlights small businesses and let them do the talking. My goal is interview companies and let them tell their stories of success, challenges, or inspiration. As a small business owner, myself, I wanted to create a community of listeners that can share and benefit from all the great people I meet and hopefully help other small businesses along the way. I hope you enjoy the pod casts we have schedule and will contact me if you have something to share with our community!   Thanks