On this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, Ann and Kate chat with two Fox Valley natives who are working on the cutting edge of innovation in the manufacturing industry: Arzana founder Marshall Kools, whose AI startup focuses on helping manufacturing companies eliminate tedious data entry tasks, and Trent Duerr, president of MillTown Paper in Neenah and a client of Arzana who says before partnering with Kools and his team, MillTown sales staff members were spending 75 to 90% of their time doing data entry.In a world where, Duerr estimates, he receives a dozen AI solution pitches a day, partnering with another Wisconsinite has been a welcome opportunity to leverage AI in a real, problem-solving way that allows his team to focus on the work that is most meaningful to them and to MillTown. Listen to our conversation with these two young professionals, sponsored by Stoke RGA (stokerga.com), on this week's episode and find out more about Arzana at arzana.com.

On this week’s episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, Kate and Ann visit with Ahmik Hindman, a senior network and security solutions consultant at Rockwell Automation, about the challenges of implementing CISA's recommended zero trust for OT guidance in the manufacturing environment, as well as other hot automation topics such as AI, secure data management, and the benefits of automation in addressing workforce shortages.Hindman walks listeners through the latest CISA guidance and offers practical advice for dealing with legacy equipment on the shop floor.This episode, like all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights, is sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping Midwest manufacturers at stokerga.com.

Jeff Anderson, president of Precision Paper Converters in Kaukauna, is Kate's and Ann's guest on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Precision, a contract manufacturer, is the only manufacturer in North America that specializes in the niche category of facial tissues. On the podcast, Jeff tells Kate and Ann about the challenges and opportunities he sees ahead for his industry and why he has been committed to remaining active as NEWMA's longest-serving board member. Learn more about Precision Paper Converters at precisionpaperconverters.com.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights throughout 2026. Learn more and connect at stokerga.com.

Jody Graetz, vice president and owner of Graetz Manufacturing in Pound, Wisconsin, joins Ann and Kate on this week's episode to talk about the past, present, and future of the manufacturing company with a history that dates back to a blacksmith shop in 1936. Jody, who married into the Graetz family, is now part of the firm's fifth-generation leadership. Graetz's first patent was on a barn cleaner chain that Jody says is still manufactured and purchased today. But in the last nine years, the company has experienced explosive growth as it has ventured into sectors outside of agriculture, including aerospace, marine, industrial and more. "If it's made of metal, chances are we probably make it," she tells the co-hosts on this week's show.To learn more about Graetz Manufacturing, visit www.graetzmfg.com.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights. Learn more about the company at www.stokerga.com.

Stoke RGA's Jen Fietz returns to NEW Manufacturing Insights this week to offer her insights on the economic challenges and opportunities facing Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers at the year's midpoint. Among the topics covered on the episode include Wisconsin's recent manufacturing job losses; economic uncertainty and inflation; tariff refunds; rising petroleum costs; hidden opportunities for manufacturers in data literacy, upskilling, and customer intimacy; and the impact of the data center boom on manufacturing in Wisconsin. Stoke RGA is the yearlong sponsor of NEW Manufacturing Insights and is proud to help Midwest manufacturers achieve long-term growth. Learn more about the company at www.stokerga.com.

This week we're re-releasing Insight's and NEWMA's conversation with Oshkosh Door leader Chris Calawerts, which recently was honored with a "Best Podcast" award by the Alliance for Area Business Publishers. Check it out if you missed it the first time!NEW Manufacturing Insights is taking a break for the upcoming holiday, but we will be back again July 9 with another episode, sponsored as always by Stoke RGA: stokerga.com

Staffing expert Mark Leupold of Express Employment Professionals in the Fox Valley says he has watched the region’s hiring landscape whiplash from pandemic exodus to overcorrection. And now, on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, Mark hits the reset button with Kate and Ann and unpacks how the latest business trend, AI, is reshaping recruiting in Northeast Wisconsin manufacturing. Mark shares where AI truly adds value — speed, consistency, and better candidate matches, where it can go wrong through bias or bad implementation, and why human oversight and continuous learning are non‑negotiable. Along the way, he offers practical advice for HR leaders on getting started with AI.This week's episode is sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

Ryan Ruzziconi is president of Aspiro, a Green Bay-based nonprofit providing life and employment services to individuals of all ages living with disabilities in Northeast Wisconsin, operating with the motto "live your way." On this week's episode, he shares with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns what he has learned and appreciated in his first year-and-a-half on the job, both about the reach of the organization and the need for more visibility and awareness of the disability community.Ruzziconi shares more about Aspiro's services, which include early intervention (birth to age 3), adult day services, and Project SEARCH -- an immersive job training and placement program. Aspiro also provides group supported employment services, with its clients often being the muscle behind the scenes of popular entertainment venues like the EPIC Event Center and Kress Event Center for UW-Green Bay basketball.Ruzziconi says Aspiro currently has 100-plus business partners but is always looking for more. Connect with this organization online at aspiroinc.org.This week's episode is sponsored by Stoke RGA. Learn more at stokerga.com.

This Saturday marks the 20-year anniversary of the creation of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance, and this week's episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast marks the occasion by having two people in the room who have been in the room from day one: co-host Ann Franz, executive director of NEWMA for 20 years, and Lindquist Machine's Mark Kaiser, who was one of 12 manufacturing leaders to found the organization.Mark joins Ann and Kate in the studio to look back on the organization's impact -- from writing its first four $1,000 scholarship checks and being afraid they would bounce to the more than $60K the President's Cup Scholarship Golf Outing brings in annually today. Ann tears up a little this week talking about the impact Mark has made on NEWMA: "I just value this person so much," she says. "Our organization is what it is because of his leadership. He can never say no to me. His fingerprints are all over the success of NEWMA."Take a look back at 20 years, and look at what Mark Kaiser sees as the imperatives of NEWMA going forward, by listening to this week's episode. Mark also shares a little bit of his personal story, including the sale of his company, Lindquist Machine, and his best leadership insight.Insight journalist Nikki Kallio wrote about NEWMA's 20th anniversary in the June issue of Insight magazine, out now here: Insight On Business: June 2026Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring the show. Learn more at stokerga.com. 

The episode features a discussion on cybersecurity threats in manufacturing with guest Brett Chittum of Sprinter Business Solutions. Brett shares with co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns some real-world examples of cyberattacks, such as a logistics company compromised through email and Stryker's infamous incident that wiped out 200,000 devices. He emphasizes the importance of identity as the new perimeter, network segmentation, email defense, patch management, backups, and incident response planning, as well as highlights the critical role of human error in cybersecurity breaches and the need for operational thinking in IT budgeting. Learn more about Sprinter Business at https://sprinterit.com/.Thank you to Stoke RGA for sponsoring this episode! Learn more about how Stoke RGA is helping Midwest manufacturers drive measurable growth at stokerga.com.