NEW Manufacturing Insights

NEW Manufacturing Insights

NEW Manufacturing Insights is a collaboration between the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) and Insight on Manufacturing (IOM) magazine, highlighting issues and opportunities for manufacturers in the 18-county New North region in Northeast Wisconsin. Hosted by NEWMA Executive Director Ann Franz and IOM Editor Kate Bruns featuring guests from across the region, new episodes will be released on Thursdays. Get a quick overview of the latest NEWMA and Insight programs and events, take a behind-the-scenes look at IOM cover stories and features, and enjoy leadership tips and fun facts you can use to strengthen your manufacturing business, grow your network and advance your career.

Episodes

October 23, 2025 21 mins
Ryan Downs, president of Oh Snap! Pickling Company and formerly of the sauerkraut mega-maker GLK Foods, joins co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns on this week's episode to share his and his family's history in food manufacturing in the New North region.

Downs created Oh Snap! in 2015 following a robust product development process and now sells through most major retailers all over North America, promising "portable pickle perfection" ...
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Dan Haak, president, and Cheryl Fritz, business development manager, for Appleton-based Apricity join Kate and Ann on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service.

Apricity was created in 2017 when STEP Industries merged with Mooring Programs -- making the company a comprehensive source for providing treatment, employment and support services to individuals impacted by substance abuse diso...
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Chris Calawerts, Insight on Business' October 2025 cover subject, is the president and COO of Oshkosh Door, Edgewater Door in Neenah and Oregon Door in Winston, Oregon. On this week's episode he shares his passion for manufacturing, his admiration for Garth Brooks and his best leadership insights as co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns, the author of the October cover story, dive a little deeper into this month's Insight cover feature...
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NEW Manufacturing Insights celebrated its anniversary and the start of Manufacturing Month with a special recording in front of a live audience Oct. 2 at Schreiber Foods in Green Bay. The exclusive event was open to pre-registrants of Manufacturing First taking place Oct. 29 at Green Bay’s Resch Expo. 

On this week's episode, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service, Pat Koleske, senior vice president at Schreiber Horizon, shares this ...
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Aimee Herrick, director of events and emerging talent for the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce,
brought her past experience working as a teacher to the table when she established the Emerging
Talent Alliance. “When we started, we really wanted to focus on how we can bridge gaps between
schools and businesses,” Herrick says.

In this week’s episode, Herrick talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about the importance of building those...
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Betsy Allen-Manning, company culture expert and this year’s Manufacturing First keynote speaker, says transforming your company into a ‘destination workplace’ — one with a positive brand reputatio — gives you an advantage when there is high competition for talent.

In this week’s episode, Allen-Manning talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz of NEW Manufacturing Insights about her journey to becoming an internationally recogniz...
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Josh Delforge, vice president of engineering and operations at Cruisers Yachts in Oconto and a member of the leadership team for North Coast Marine Manufacturing Alliance (NCMMA), originally intended to be a part of the space program. “Unfortunately, my senior year was the Columbia shuttle disaster,” Delforge says. “So that really changed the plan.”

In this week’s episode, Delforge talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz of NEW...
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September 4, 2025 23 mins
Tim Riebau, president and CEO of VPI (formerly known as Valley Packaging Industries), says one of the best parts about his organization is the impact it can have on people with disabilities — while at the same time filling a vital co-packing niche for large companies in the community.

In this week’s episode, Riebau talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about VPI’s mission, the changes the organization has been through in rece...
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August 28, 2025 24 mins
Amanda and Adam Kroener couldn’t find a low-carb ready-to-drink cocktail that they could enjoy on
their keto diet—so they created their own. On this week’s episode, Amanda and Adam talk with co-
hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about how they founded the fast-growing and popular drink brand
Carbliss and where they’re taking the company next.

“The biggest thing is knowing the right timing for scale … we want to continue to roll out method...
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Dr. Patricia Terry, Chair of the Richard J. Resch School of Engineering at UW-Green Bay, and Dr. Vallari Chandna, Associate Dean of the Cofrin School of Business at UWGB, are both leading the launch of new degree programs at the university.

On this week’s episode, Chandna and Terry talk with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about why the programs are important to helping meet future workforce needs in the region.

“Software engineeri...
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Connor O’Brien, vice president and trust investment officer at Legacy Private Trust Co., has spent his career helping clients accomplish their financial goals. On this week’s episode, O’Brien talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about how Legacy prepares its clients to manage market instability and why today’s volatility isn’t unusual from other times.

“We have tried to instill in our clients…this will happen, we need to pla...
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Jeff Engelbrecht, training and development manager at Robinson, Inc., came to the company after a
long career as a police officer who led training and development programs for the Green Bay Police
Department. On this week’s episode, Engelbrecht talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about
developing the Robinson Training Academy and how manufacturers can create a similar training
program at their organizations.

“Some supervisors a...
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Jake Schulz, vice president of production for TTX (Therma-Tron-X), is committed to helping youth find their future pathways, including through developing the Youth Apprenticeship program at the Sturgeon Bay company. On this week’s episode, Schulz talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about the company’s commitment to its YA program and how leaders build connections with local students.

“Since 2021 we’ve had 26 Youth Apprentic...
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Lori Sealock, recently named president of Eagle Performance Plastics, has been with the custom job
shop for going on 24 years. On this week’s episode, Sealock talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann
Franz about the company’s succession planning, her role and making the company’s vision come to
life.

“We’re focused on setting the next generation up for success, which means making sure they have the
right people, the right tools, the right...
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Jennifer Clement is one of six Wisconsin experts sharing their perspectives on the shifting global trade climate in the July issue of IOM. This week Clement, client relationship leader at CLA, talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about her essay “Ten Steps to Reduce Tariff Exposure for Mid-Market Manufacturers,” and about how she and the team at CLA are helping companies to navigate the volatility in the global trade market...
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Howard Hauser and Mike Berns wrote the new book Value Creation is Everything -- the first book for each of the co-authors, who have been consulting and coaching together for the last 23 years in Northeast Wisconsin. 

Howard tells co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz on this week's episode that the pair felt the time was right to distill 40 years of industry experience into "something that was simple and easy for people to understand." ...
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Lindsay Blumer is the president and CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP, a Milwaukee-based organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is currently working under its sectoral partnership model to expand its mission into Northeast Wisconsin. 

BIG STEP, which was created in the 1970s, merged with the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) after it was created in the 1990s. Today it works on the ground to help create...
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Steve Trautman of The Steve Trautman Co. has decades of experience in the fields of talent risk and knowledge transfer, which he shares with listeners on this week's episode. And the timing for this advice is right for Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers, according to podcast co-host Ann Franz: At the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance's May 2 "Future of Work" Summit, it was revealed that a full three-quarters of companies in...
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Terry Brei, president and owner of Sure Controls in Greenville, joins Kate and Ann on this week's podcast to talk about digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing technology.

Automation and artificial intelligence are hot topics in the manufacturing world, and Sure Controls' work is at the forefront of these technologies. Terry says the mission at Sure Controls is to "keep manufacturers running, growing and ...
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Get a preview of Thursday's NEW Manufacturing Alliance quarterly meeting keynote when you listen to this week's conversation with Mike Lee of Mindshift Labs, who shares his insights about living in the present moment and how it connects to leadership in today's distracted world.

A Wisconsin native, Mike spent a significant portion of his career playing and coaching basketball, even working one-on-one with NBA legends like Steph Curr...
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