Industry Iowa

Most new ventures look like failures in the early months. Dave Machovsky of Mindset Innovations Consulting nearly quit his business in its first stretch. Nobody was buying. At 3 a.m. he was rewriting his resume. Then he decided to give the work one more week, and the business started producing. On this episode of the Industry Iowa Podcast, Dave joins me to talk about mindset and the path from idea to building something. You’ll hear: Why the early stage feels lonely, and why “all work works” before results show up How “dysfunction always follows intention” when you change a process on the plant floor The difference between fear, anxiety, and anticipation How leaders build teams who respond with ability instead of reacting Dave’s four levels of success: implementation, unification, communication, and imagination Why deciding beats trying If you lead a team, run a plant, or sit on an idea you haven’t started, give this episode a listen.

The pace of change isn’t slowing down. If anything, emerging technology, increasing demands, limited resources, and constantly shifting expectations are making adaptability an increasingly important leadership skill.In this episode of Industry Iowa, host Steven C. Wilson talks with Jay Abbasi, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Tesla learning and development leader, about what it takes to thrive in high-pressure, constantly changing environments without losing yourself in the process.Jay describes an earlier version of himself as an “unhappy high performer”—driven, hardworking, and successful, but without a clear sense of how to manage stress, emotion, pressure, or the chaos around him. Personal challenges led him to study neuroscience, psychology, behavior, and resilience and eventually rethink what high performance should look like.His goal became learning how to become a happy high performer: someone capable of performing at a high level while still enjoying the journey and maintaining personal well-being.Jay will continue this conversation as the afternoon keynote speaker at the Iowa Lean Consortium Annual Conference on October 22, where he will introduce his resilience formula and provide participants with practical strategies and tools they can immediately apply.As Jay explains, the goal isn’t simply to survive change. It is to develop the ability to thrive through it—and help others do the same.

A preview of both Iowa Lean Consortium sessions Bonnie Slykhuis is leading in October — and why the basics still decide everything.

In this episode of Industry Iowa, host Steve Wilson sits down with Melissa Burant — supply chain specialist and CMMC navigator at CIRAS, Iowa State University — to break down what the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification means for Iowa manufacturers. If your company touches defense contracts in any way — even as a subcontractor — CMMC is no longer something to watch from the sidelines. As of November 2025, the Department of Defense has begun writing compliance requirements directly into contract solicitations. The clock is running. Melissa brings nearly 12 years of CIRAS experience and a background in federal government to the conversation, and she doesn't sugarcoat it. She walks through the three levels of certification, what compliance realistically costs, the misconceptions that are getting manufacturers into trouble, and why this is a business strategy decision — not an IT problem. Whether you're just hearing about CMMC for the first time or you've been putting off taking action, this episode gives you a clear picture of where things stand and exactly where to start

What do a documentary filmmaker, a surgeon, and a combine harvester have in common? They all show up in this week's episode of Industry Iowa.Host Steven Wilson sits down with Teeg Stouffer, founder and executive producer of Fascination Film Studio in Marion, Iowa — a heritage and legacy documentary production studio serving companies, communities, and families across the United States. Teeg shares why we're living in the documentary era, how story is the most practical tool a business leader has, and what it really means to live from a place of legacy (hint: it's not about the money you leave behind).Whether you're trying to attract talent in a shrinking labor market, build a culture that outlasts you, or introduce a new product without sounding like every other ad — this conversation will change how you think about communication.