Manufacturing Happy Hour

Today's bonus episode is all about MEPs, and actually a very urgent issue related to MEPs. For context, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions by helping small and medium-sized manufacturers grow, make operational improvements, and reduce risk.

To put it in more simplified terms - MEPs provide resources to small- and medium-sized manufacturers that allow them to adopt new technology, upskill and train their people, and ultimately create jobs in their area. Every state has one, they go by different names in different states, and it was recently announced that this program was being defunded.

Specifically, funding for 10 state MEP initiatives expired at the end of March, and the governments controlling agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), chose not to renew them. This is a moving target, it could change (as it already has once by extending the deadline to the end of the fiscal year), and quite frankly manufacturers don't know what's going to happen. It hasn't been communicated as to why this cut is taking place, but the reality is right now is there is a concern across the manufacturing community that funding for the entire MEP initiative - across all 50 states - might get cut.

As a result of this action, a number of manufacturing podcasters got together to discuss the situation and actions that you, as manufacturers, can take to have your voices heard and say "This is ridiculous. My MEP has helped my business and community succeed for XYZ reason."

We cannot afford to lose a critical resource like this that so many small- to mid-sized manufacturers rely on. All this an more in today's episode.

What’s getting VCs to look beyond Silicon Valley in the tech startup scene? The Midwest is not just an up-and-coming place for investors to watch. It’s now a region that more investors are betting on. With companies like Path Robotics, the Midwest is taking its status as a manufacturing hub and merging it with the kind of innovative tech traditionally associated with the coastal cities.

For this episode, we hear from two sides of the conversation – from Andy Lonsberry, CEO of Path Robotics, and Nima Gard, the company's Director of AI, along with Nils Root from Drive Capital, a VC firm that operates in the Midwest manufacturing and tech scene.

They join us live from Columbus, Ohio to talk about what makes the region a hot spot for manufacturing innovation, why it’s not the “next Silicon Valley” (and doesn’t have to be), and what companies like Path Robotics are getting right. We also dig into the tech at Path Robotics and where AI fits into the future of new technological developments in the industry.

In this episode, find out:

• Why Columbus is seeing a wave of tech startups and VC interest
• Andy explains why Ohio was the perfect spot to build Path Robotics and how it’s using machine intelligence to specifically solve manufacturing problems
• How manufacturers can successfully decide what to focus on now and in the future
• The technology behind the scenes at Path Robotics and data is the number one biggest focus
• The secrets behind Path Robotics' 3x growth and where data fits into that
• What Andy’s most excited about building at Path Robotics and the importance of practical applications
• How Path Robotics closes the deal cycle faster, works with their CRO and isn’t afraid to disqualify leads
• What can other regions learn from Columbus and why the startup scene is increasingly seen as an exciting opportunity rather than a risk
• The skills gap in manufacturing and how AI will realistically change manufacturing jobs in the future
• How humans and robots can realistically interact, create value and solve problems together

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• ”Everyone still asks, 'when are you going to move to Silicon Valley? When are you going to move to the East Coast?' And the main reason is that the talent is here.” – Andy Lonsberry
• “More great world-class technology businesses will be built outside of Silicon Valley in the next 20 years than will be built inside of Silicon Valley. So Drive is just investing behind that thesis.” – Nils Root
• “One of the hardest things in robotics is data. Data is the bottleneck. The fact that we are not seeing a GPT moment in robotics is because we don't have enough data as we had for text and language.” – Nima Gard

Links & mentions:

• Drive Capital, a Columbus, OH-based VC that’s companies are proving that you can build a world-class technology company anywhere
• Path Robotics, providing precise robotic welding systems. No programmer required. Designed for precision, efficiency, and scalability.
• Makerspace Central is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in...

Robotics is a cool field, no doubt about that. But what’s cooler than using it to change people’s lives?

When he was seven years old, Aadeel Akhtar met a girl in Pakistan with a missing leg. This kickstarted a fascination with helping people regain control over lost limbs and a decision that pivoted his planned career in medicine to robotics and prosthetics.

Today, he’s the CEO and Founder of PSYONIC, the company behind the world’s first touch-sensing bionic hand. He’s on a mission to make this tech as accessible as possible, and we hear about the challenges of balancing philanthropic ventures with running and scaling a business.

Host Chris Luecke gets to try out the hand remotely in this episode and talks about the different use cases of bionic tech, from helping humans to helping robots. We talk about crowdfunding, getting investment, how the hand works, and what PSYONIC is working on right now to make the Ability Hand even better.

Plus, Aadeel is our very first Shark Tank alumni, so we get to hear about the nerve-wracking behind-the-scenes story of demonstrating the Ability Hand in front of the Sharks.

In this episode, find out:

• What PSYONIC does to help people regain mobility and control with bionic limbs
• The moment that kickstarted Aadeel’s passion for helping people with lost limbs and pivoted his planned career from medicine to robotics
• The challenges of funding R&D in bionics and making the tech accessible to as many people as possible
• What the early days of making prototypes and testing them out on the first patients
• What made Aadeel realize he needed to go into business and production rather than just researching bionics
• Why San Diego is PSYONIC’s chosen HQ and how it’s partnering with medical and biotech companies
• What PSYONIC is working on now to make bionic hands feel more natural for users
• Chris gets to remotely control the Ability Hand from across the country
• How Aadeel is working on making the tech accessible through Medicare and the Ability Fund
• Different ways Aadeel and PSYONIC have approached getting funding, from crowdfunding to venture capital to government grants
• The challenge of keeping up with demand and prioritizing accessibility while running a successful business that’s focused on the mission
• How PSYONIC helps both humans and robots with its tech, including NASA
• The biggest tech advances that have made this possible today, including micro controllers and AI
•  What it’s really like being a contestant on Shark Tank and how Aadeel prepared for his pitch and eventual negotiations
• Why Aadeel is optimistic that bionics is becoming a bigger industry

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “We're bridging both the neurotech side with the robotic side, with AI being the connecting piece between the two.”
• “We would be attaching the hand directly to your bones, muscles and nerves that are in your forearm to give them the most optimal control possible.”
• “Seeing the amount of interest at the intersection of neurotech and robotics and having big investors behind it shows this is an exciting field that's up and coming.”

Links & mentions:

• PSYONIC, supercharging humans and robots with advanced capabilities, including the world’s first touch-sensing bionic hand

We’ve been on tour for the past couple of months, recording live episodes in some of the manufacturing hot spots around the country. Indiana is our current stop, where Guggman Haus Brewing hosted us for an episode all about innovation, technology, culture, and, of course, Indiana’s manufacturing prowess.

Manufacturing makes up a huge portion of Indiana’s economy and culture, so we look behind the scenes at what the state is getting right to make it a manufacturing hub.

We welcomed Noel Hopkins, the Principal of Digital Growth at CliftonLarsonAllen and digital transformation expert, joins along with self-titled “private equity mercenary” Steve Martin, who sits on the board at Elevate Ventures. We also welcomed Kathy Miller, President and Co-Founder of YK2020 and OPSisters, plus co-author of the book Steel Toes and Stilettos.

Noel, Steve, and Kathy share their takes on local manufacturing and how it’s adapting to the rapid evolution of tech like AI. But it’s not just tech that’s shaping the industry. We also explore the human element of manufacturing and why we need leaders who are open to change and growth (even if it means making some mistakes along the way).

In this episode, find out:

• What can manufacturers learn from Indiana
• The role of digital transformation in manufacturing and the best ways to implement it
• Why leadership is key to driving transformation and the top characteristics good leaders need
• The challenges facing Indiana’s manufacturing industry from a private equity viewpoint
• Why you should always look at the problems facing your organization first, then find tech to solve it (not the other way around)
• Why fewer companies are using tech for the sake of it and are becoming more intentional
• Lessons learned from past experiences and why manufacturing is all about the people
• Areas where technology is making the most difference and how it impacts the people working with it
• How to build scale and transferability within organizations with the three Ps – people, planning, process
• The importance of having a vision and the ability to execute on it and why leaders are central to this
• Why hesitancy is the most dangerous thing manufacturers could do right now
• Innovation’s impact on psychological safety in the workplace, plus why we need to be open to making mistakes

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

•  ”If we create a culture that basically penalizes thinking, then we're never going to get any new ideas.” – Steve Martin
• “ I think the most dangerous thing manufacturers could do right now is pause or wait, or be overly cautious and risk falling way, way behind.” – Noel Hopkins
• “No matter what technology we're working with, what inventions, manufacturing is about people. And so, we can't lose sight of that.” – Kathy Miller

Links & mentions:

• CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), an advisory, audit, tax and consulting firm
• Industry Trends: Lessons Learned from Florida Manufacturing Days
• Guggman Haus Brewing, a family-owned microbrewery and coffee Haus in the northwest side of downtown Indianapolis
• Elevate Ventures, an

Manufacturers up and down the country are doing great work and naturally, you want the world to know about it – especially your potential customers. So we turn the spotlight on marketing in this episode to take a look at the folks who get the name out there for manufacturing companies big and small.

Recorded live from the 2025 Industrial Marketing Summit in Austin, TX, we sat down with…

• Rachel Cossette, Marketing Manager at Rogers Machinery Company
• Jenni Gritti, Senior Marketing Communications Consultant at Caterpillar Inc
• Jim Hessin, Regional Sales Manager at CADENAS PARTsolutions
• Greg Knox, CEO of Knox Manufacturing Solutions
• Steve Lamensdorf, SVP of CX at Icreon
• Kerry Nedic, Strategic Marketing Leader (Masoneilan & Consolidated Valves) at Baker Hughes
• Rich Ward, Director of Marketing at AcroMat

Rachel, Greg and Rich chat in part one about how to make marketing magic with a small team, with lots of actionable advice on sales-marketing alignment and revising strategies.

Jenni and Kerry give us the enterprise-level view of marketing with a conversation about balancing company policy with creativity, video and social media content, and getting leadership involved.

Finally, in part three, we talk to Steve and Jim about the technology we can use to power marketing and why sometimes we need to rip up the playbook and start new things from scratch.

All have slightly different experiences and insights to share from different areas of marketing, so no matter what type of manufacturing organization you’re in, there’s something in here for everyone.

In this episode, find out:

• How Rich helped to build the marketing strategy for AcroMat from the ground up
• How marketing can encourage salespeople to become amplifiers for the company and create content online
• What not to do as a B2B marketer and why good marketing is all about show, don’t tell
• How sales and marketing have become more aligned today and when marketing became a focus for Greg
• How to be effective with a small marketing team by focusing on priorities and boundaries
• Why regular communication is the most important way marketing and sales can work together
• How to get buy-in from leadership and why marketing can feel like a relay race
• Why you need to be a subject matter expert, not just a marketer, to earn respect both externally with customers and internally
• How marketers can make things happen in a large enterprise
• How to balance company guidelines with creativity in your content
• The tools and methods that enterprise marketers need to take more advantage of
• Why authentic video content is far more effective than clean and polished content
• The challenge of getting leadership willing to create content and share their stories
• Advice for marketers in manufacturing to cultivate stories and new ideas
• How new technology is empowering today's marketers
• Marketing technology that’s underrated and the challenges of adopting new tech in a disorganized system
• Tips for manufacturers to get over the hurdle of adopting new technology
• Why staying the same is the worst thing you can do in marketing

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “If you continue to do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got.” – Jim Hessin
• “I found a lot of success in giving guys an iPhone, giving them some guardrails, and saying, 'go!' And that is the stuff that people really resonate with. It's incredibly authentic. These people are the experts. They