NEW Manufacturing Insights

This week's episode is a conversation with Ian Johnson, fabrication manager, and Ryan Gauthier, a youth apprentice, at the Clintonville-based fire apparatus manufacturer Seagrave, which will be a recipient of the forthcoming NEWMA Excellence in Manufacturing K-12 Partnership Awards Oct. 27 in Green Bay.Seagrave is being recognized for its extensive youth and community engagement, including donating 7,000 pounds of steel to assist students learning welding, providing tools and equipment to support school curricula, and maintaining active engagement with Clintonville High School, of which Ryan is a recent graduate.Listen for Ian's and Ryan's best leadership insights about communication in the workplace, tips and insights on how Seagrave has been able to launch, maintain and grow its youth apprenticeship program over the last four years, and the rewards of manufacturing careers through the eyes of each guest.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this episode. We will be off next week for Manufacturing First, but check out our expo recap episode Nov. 5.

2026 NEW Manufacturing Alliance Excellence in Manufacturing K-12 Partnerships Award recipient Lynn Stangel, an HR generalist at Green Bay Packaging, joins Kate and Ann on this week's episode to talk about the company's educational and talent strategies. Listen as she gives her best insights on cultivating youth apprenticeship and overall leadership ahead of the NEWMA Excellence in Manufacturing K-12 Partnership Awards dinner Oct. 27 in Green Bay, when Stangel will be among the honorees.This episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights is brought to you by Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

This fall the announced merger between Scott's Industrial Coatings of Green Bay and Arizona-based Perfection Industrial Finishing made headlines as the era of new brand, UltiCoat, dawned under the leadership of president JQ Salas. On this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, JQ joins Kate and Ann for a quick chat about the industrial coatings industry, what the future holds for UltiCoat, and of course what he considers his best leadership insight.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all 2026 episodes of the podcast. Learn more about how Stoke RGA is supporting Midwest manufacturers at stokerga.com.

Manufacturing Month 2026 kicked off with a bang Oct. 1 at the Robinson headquarters in De Pere, as training and development manager Jeff Engelbrecht and training and development specialist Ryan Gibbons joined co-hosts Kate and Ann on a special talent-focused episode recorded before a live audience. This marks the third year NEW Manufacturing Insights has recorded a show live as a special Manufacturing First pre-event. Jeff was also our guest on episode 87 on NEW Manufacturing Insights more than a year ago, when he talked about standing up the Robinson Training Academy, which is a somewhat unique model in the manufacturing world. Two years in, he gives an update on RTA and the enhancements the company has made, including technology, youth apprenticeship and an expanded staff.Thank you to Robinson for hosting the event and Stoke RGA as always for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more at stokerga.com. 

The 16th annual Manufacturing First Expo and Conference is just about a month away, and first-time participant Spherion Staffing joins this week's episode to give a preview of their breakout session and sponsorship with Senior Manager of Regional Risk & Safety Chad De Santo, who will be presenting Oct. 28 at Resch Expo, as well as Director of Revenue Operations Natalie Walsh.Speaking on this week's episode with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns, Chad and Natalie talk about the importance of Safety 2.0 in the manufacturing workplace and the impact of the multigenerational workforce on the movement; the role contingent workers play in workforce safety planning; and why Spherion sees Northeast Wisconsin as a growth area for the agency's future.Learn more about Spherion at spherion.com, and register to attend Manufacturing First at manufacturingfirst.com.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring NEW Manufacturing Insights. You can learn more at stokerga.com. Next week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, kicking off Manufacturing Month, will be recorded in front of a live audience at Robinson, Inc. in De Pere.