Your Process Is Only as Good as Your People
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Release Date: 07/16/2025
The Price of Progress: Investing in Machines, People, and Trust
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
🔥 Welcome to Making Sparks, the podcast where we ignite your passion for metal fabrication and fuel your business success! 🔥 In this episode, hosts Matthew and Casey sit down with Rob Sublette of Mountain Man Welding and Fabrication to talk about leadership, ownership transitions, smart investment in equipment, and building a business that thrives on quality and process. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why investing in your business can inspire confidence in your team - How buying the right equipment sets up long-term growth - The importance of balancing financial realities with...
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From Logos to Legacy: Why Your Brand Needs a Story
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
When your back is against the wall, you don’t get a playbook. You get a choice. From credit card debt and loan sharks to customs audits and six-figure B2B deals, this episode breaks down what it really looks like to build a business when you have no experience, no safety net, and no margin for error. Host Casey Voelker and co-host Matthew Nix sit down with Nick Scrivens of Forged Fabrics to unpack how storytelling, quality, and grit turned a struggling apparel startup into a premium B2B brand serving household-name manufacturers. This isn’t just a conversation about shirts. It’s about...
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From the Shop Floor to Magnolia Network: Why Authenticity Wins
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
You don’t end up on the Magnolia Network by accident. You earn it through craftsmanship, discipline, and work that speaks for itself. In this episode of Making Sparks, host's Matthew Nix and Casey Voelker sits down with Rodney Ross and Jared “Cappie” Capp, the builders, craftsmen, and storytellers behind work that blends tradition with modern visibility. From hands-on trade skills to national recognition, this conversation digs into what it really takes to build credibility that lasts. Rodney and Cappie share their perspective on craftsmanship, leadership, and why authenticity still...
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The Science Behind Better Welders and Better Shops
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most fab shops say they can’t find good welders. Nate Bowman says that’s not the real problem. From outdated training models to unclear career pathways to leaders expecting loyalty without direction, this episode breaks down why shops struggle to hire and retain talent and what to do instead. Live from FABTECH 2025, host Casey Voelker sits down with Nate Bowman, aka The Weld Scientist, to unpack the real science behind training welders, building sustainable career paths, and adopting technology without falling for hype. This conversation connects people, process, and innovation in a way...
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You Can’t Elbow Your Way to Leadership — Goodhart Sons’ Wake-Up Call
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most fab shops talk about culture. Marc and Mike Goodhart had to rebuild theirs. From stepping into a fifth-generation family business… to confronting the hard truth that you can’t “muscle” your way into leadership… to reshaping a 90-year-old company around accountability, clarity, and people—the Goodhart brothers’ story is a blueprint for every shop trying to build something that lasts. In this episode, Marc and Mike open up about the real work behind succession, culture, profit-sharing, next-gen recruiting, and running a family business with honesty and humility. Their insights...
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Reviving the Trades: Santiago Rivera on Tough Love, Structure, and Second Chances
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most welding instructors teach technique. Santiago Rivera teaches transformation. From learning to weld left-handed for a car… to surviving addiction… to rebuilding a welding program that changed hundreds of students’ lives—Santiago’s story is one of grit, redemption, and unwavering purpose. In this episode, Santiago opens up about the journey that shaped him, the students who motivate him, and the leadership philosophy that’s helping revive the trades for the next generation. It’s not just about welding. It’s about building people. In this episode, you’ll learn: How a...
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Character Over Competency: Why Blue Collar Leadership Starts with Vulnerability
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most leaders in manufacturing are focused on performance, process, and technical competence. But when a team is underperforming, the root cause often has nothing to do with skills or processes like Lean—it's about character. In this essential episode, the hosts sit down with Mac and Ria, founders of Blue Collar Leadership, live from the Fabtech show floor. Drawing from 20 years on the factory floor and extensive work in the Lean methodology, Mac shares why the most critical investment a company can make is in the personal growth and character development of its frontline employees. ...
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Why Showing Up Still Matters in Manufacturing
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most people see Fabtech as just a trade show. But for those in the fabrication world, it’s where the entire industry comes together — to connect, learn, and see what’s next. In this episode, Casey Voelker sits down with Rick Snyder of Multipress and Matt Crosby of Pacific Press live from the Fabtech show floor. Together, they talk about what it’s really like exhibiting, the value of showing up in person, and why networking matters now more than ever. It’s not just about machines and demos — it’s about people, partnerships, and perspective. In this episode, you’ll learn: What...
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From Hands-On to High-Tech: The Real Future of Fabrication
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most people think automation replaces welders. Graham Williams thinks it saves them. In this episode, recorded live at FABTECH, we sit down with Graham Williams of Vectis Automation to talk about how cobots are changing the game for small and mid-size shops — not by cutting people out, but by helping them do more, learn faster, and stay longer in the trade. From breaking the stigma around automation to using AI for smarter workflows, Graham shares how the best shops are blending tech and talent to create the next generation of fabricators. It’s not about robots replacing humans. It’s...
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Culture Under Fire: Building Values That Survive Growth Jesse Kleiman Part 2
Making Sparks Podcast for Fabrication Leaders
Most shop owners talk about culture. Few actually put it into practice. In Part 2 of our conversation, Jesse Kleiman shares how he’s building JR Metal Works on values that stick — from making hard work “cool again” to leading with “simple scales, fancy fails.” This isn’t theory. It’s how a fast-growing fab shop operationalizes culture, keeps people bought in, and builds a team that can scale. It’s not just about welding or leadership. It’s about what happens when you decide values aren’t posters on the wall — they’re how you run the business every day. In this...
info_outlineWhat do you do when your fab shop isn’t broken—but you know it could be better?
In this episode, Alfonso Aramburo joins us from Southern California to talk about the work he does turning around underperforming manufacturing companies. But his approach isn’t about flashy strategy or instant fixes—it’s about people, process, and product, in that order.
Alfonso breaks down the three core problems most shops face, why culture is the engine that drives real improvement, and how small, consistent action wins out over big, clunky systems every time.
This episode is for the shop owners trying to get out of fire-fighting mode, the leaders stuck in the weeds, and the folks who know their team could run smoother—but aren’t sure where to start.
You'll learn:
- The three issues every struggling fab shop has in common
- Why communication—not tools—is the real problem
- How to build a process system without SOP overload
Timestamps:
01:06 – Welcome to MakingSparks
03:10 – Alfonso’s background in lean manufacturing and turnaround leadership
06:15 – The only 3 problems shops ever really have
08:22 – Why leadership is usually the real people problem
13:00 – Building trust by creating safe space for growth
17:32 – How culture actually drives performance
21:01 – When to start building processes (and how to keep them simple)
26:13 – Using single-point lessons to document and sustain change
30:11 – The DMAIC framework and why most fixes fail from the start
34:52 – Aligning your team before adding a new product or service
39:00 – Why misalignment between departments tanks your product quality
45:11 – Final thoughts on capability, communication, and long-term growth
Resources:
Join our Facebook Group for conversations that will help grow your business: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Dspnz4Qt5/
Lights Out podcast by MakingChips: https://makingchips.com/show/lights-out/
By The Numbers with Mike Payne: https://makingchips.com/show/buy-the-numbers/