Recruiting and retaining employees through accessible, affordable healthcare.
Release Date: 05/25/2023
Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, On the Importance of Manufacturing in Iowa
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Iowans often believe that the economy in our state is driven solely by agriculture. Interestingly, it is the confluence of manufacturing and agriculture that is the true driving force behind our thriving economy. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, discusses the synergies between departments at the state that are working together for greatness to recruit, retain and create amazing products in Iowa. Created by farmers tinkering in their barns and sheds during the winter months looking for ways to make their own processes easier, this interview covers innovative ag related products that laid...
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Mastering Union Relations: Strategies with a HR PhD
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Pro-union or not, it's great to have a resource that can manage the conversations, communicate effectively without bias and a full understanding of all the nuances necessary. While Iowa is a "right to work" state, several unions operate here productively and effectively. Terry Welker, PhD, Executive Coach and all around HR guru, offers his insights on where unions have productive roles in the workplace and how to convene productive dialogues with all of the stakeholders that result in true progress. Terry's roots in manufacturing, especially in organizations with unions positions him...
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Ag Express - Exponential Growth through Connecting Brands, Devices, and Employees
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
This honest, forthright conversation with two amazing manufacturing leaders transforming their operation through intentional restructuring, leading to goal setting, accountability and a leadership team equipped to focus on growth and market opportunity. Jim Steinke and Kadee Miller discuss how Ag Express's wire harnesses can be used in applications in limitless industries and situations. The new focus on the future is allowing Steinke and Miller to add service lines, improve market penetration and engage their employees at all new levels. This episode is a must listen for all manufacturers...
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Kreg - A Lesson in Leading through Change
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
By all counts, Kreg Tool innovates. Not only in their products and market development, but also in their HR efforts. This episode will lead you through their recent journey from corporate headquarter relocation to post-Covid marketing strategies and current recruitment efforts that have transformed the operation. Karee Vernon, VP of HR has spent a lot of time listening to the employees and developing thoughtful resources to meet the current needs in maintaining an engaged and fully developed workforce. See the full show notes here:
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3D Printing Moves Into Iowa Manufacturing Big Leagues
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Imagine 3D printing going from a niche hobbyist tool to a game-changer for manufacturers. That's exactly what's been happening in the last five years. 3D printers have become more affordable, user-friendly, and capable of producing high-quality parts. Brandon Hart, with Hart Smart Products talks about 3D printing joining the manufacturing big leagues. Full show notes available here: https://iowapodcast.com/3D-printing-manufacturing-iowa
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MVS Patent Attorneys Celebrate 100 Years Protecting Rights
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
During their century of protecting inventors’ rights, the attorneys with McKee, Vorhees & Sease attorneys have filed and defended hundreds of patents that have improved lives across the globe. Their service, to innovation, has persisted through World Wars, the Great Depression, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, 9/11 attacks, the pandemic, and 17 presidents. Groundbreaking innovations have been made during their century, such as the invention of television, computers, the internet, electronic circuits, penicillin, vaccines, gene editing, space travel, and so much more. Join Luke...
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Kemin is Making Life Easier for So Many
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
In this episode, production team members Guillermo Garcia and Jeff Grenier talk about Kemin's plans for a $28M expansion at its global headquarters, how they are recruiting globally to meet demands in their Des Moines headquarters and globally to become Kemin's and its acquisition of GLF Ingredienti Alimentari to strengthen its position in the EMEA meat industry. As they open their new manufacturing facility in Verona, Missouri, to produce its Proteus® line of clean-label functional proteins, they become the first facility to do so. Jeff and Guillermo talk about global recruiting,...
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Coolest Thing Made In Iowa and ABI’s Nicole Crain
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Manufacturing is a complex industry with so many moving parts. It can be difficult to create the appropriate margin within the workday to look up and out. The issues are equally complex, touching multiple industries and with diverse needs across different manufacturing sectors, involving everything from “right to work,” workers' compensation and unemployment compensation laws to R&D tax credits, DNR regulations and the post-Covid supply chain. Nicole Crain, Executive Vice President with Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), has been working hard to preserve...
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A Legacy of Innovation: Jason Andringa and Vermeer
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Having spent summers traveling and fishing with his grandfather, Jason Andringa got to spend quality time learning just what made him tick. Following in the footsteps of Gary Vermeer and Mary Andringa as former leaders of one of the largest manufacturing companies in Iowa isn't easy. Yet Jason, who in 2015 took the reins at as President and CEO, is more than up to the task, and his MS in aeronautics from MIT and time spent with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory more than qualifies him for the role. Jason stopped by The Iowa Manufacturing Podcast studio for an enlightening conversation...
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Plastics: Hawkeye's Ryan Gruhn’s Custom Molding Journey
Iowa Manufacturing Podcast
Many people look at plastics manufacturing as a complex and difficult industry, which it is, with a lot of moving parts, which it does. So what drew Ryan Gruhn, the owner of Hawkeye Molding in Roland, Iowa, full throttle into the world of their custom molding and injection molding capabilities? Ryan and Leisa Fox sit down and talk about his journey in manufacturing from lottery ticket displays to cool Disney products, Yeti coolers, popcorn poppers, and burial monuments. Today, the focus for Ryan at Hawkeye Molding is on Iowa-made parts, large and small, the pieces and components integral...
info_outlineDirect Primary Care Coupled with technology, better plan designs and transparent partners creates an affordable, accessible and convenient health care plan that brings personalized medicine to industries that are the heart and soul of Iowa’s economy, like manufacturing and construction. BJ Spyksma, founder of Aplos Health describes this revolutionary system and explains how it saves employers money and time, creates peace of mind and powerful recruitment and retention tool.
Have you dreamed of a world where you have a dedicated care provider who is available 24/7 and an urgent care that will prioritize your employees to be seen quickly and efficiently? Through a partnership with Exemplar Care and Aplos Health, your dreams are now a reality and Spyksma unpacks the issue.
Full show details are at https://iowapodcast.com/manufacturing